St. Martin Parish - Where Cajun Began

At the epicenter of Louisiana’s rich cultural history sits St. Martin Parish, where more than two hundred years ago, a half-dozen distinct cultural groups converged and found a home in the regions between the Bayou Teche and the Atchafalaya River. 

Today, more than two centuries since the Acadian revolutionary Joseph Beausoleil Broussard and his fellow refugees arrived in the Attakapas territory, the area’s multi-faceted culture has also benefitted from the influences of the Spanish-speaking Malaga settlers, French Creoles, Italians, Germans, Irish, and the descendants of enslaved Africans and free people of color. 

The vibrant world created by these groups, after all these years living in St. Martin Parish together, is one of nuanced histories and unparalleled cultural experiences. 

Start in the heart of things, in downtown St. Martinville’s historic district. The Cultural Heritage Center hosts the African American Museum, which interprets the 18^th and 19^th century arrival of Africans in the Attakapas District as enslaved people and free people of color, as well as their exploitation before the Civil War, struggles with inequality afterwards, community life, and contributions in agriculture, business, innovation, and the arts. A short walk down the Bayou Teche will bring you to the Acadian Memorial and Museum, which focuses on the odyssey of the Acadians—who became the Cajuns—after Le Grand Dérangement, their arrival in Louisiana, and their impact on the region since. The memorial features a wall listing the names of the almost 3,000 refugees, ancestors to many families in the region. 

Just behind the museum is the historic St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church, which was founded by the Acadian exiles in 1765, the year they arrived, and is one of the oldest Catholic churches in the country. The churchyard honors this history with an iconic statue of Evangeline, the heroine of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem chronicling the story of the Acadians’ journey. The centuries-old oak nearby is one of Louisiana’s most famous, the Evangeline Oak—believed to be the spot where the “real life” Evangeline, called Emmeline, was reunited with her lover Louis (or, in Longfellow’s version, Gabriel). 

Continue your investigation of this fascinating history, and its associated myths, at the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site just a short drive down the road—Louisiana’s first state park. The grounds harbor history by the volume: as old Attakapas hunting grounds, as a vacherie created by a royal French land grant, and as the home of many of the first Acadian settlers. The circa-1815 home on the property, Maison Olivier, is one of the region’s best examples of a raised Creole cottage, which contains influences of Creole, Caribbean, and French architecture. 

For more contemporary expressions of culture in St. Martin Parish, meet the folks responsible for its modern-day status as the site of a creative renaissance, with heritage at its heart. NUNU Arts & Culture Collective holds court as the area’s hotbed of creative placemaking, hosting regular exhibitions of local and visiting artists, concerts, workshops, and cultural exchanges—all with a focus on Francophone life. Similar, collaborative work is being executed by the folks at the Teche Center for the Arts in Breaux Bridge, where you can also find Pink Alligator Gallery and its eclectic offerings from local artists. 

And finally, to see the old and new overlapping in the distinctly magical way of Louisiana folkways, catch a weekend show at La Poussiere—a circa-1955 Cajun dancehall with live performances by the best of the local roots music scene. 

Learn more about St. Martin Parish’s arts and culture scene at cajuncountry.org.