Houma Thibodaux News

THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls  State University will host a symposium on the unique history and  culture of Acadian descendants in Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes.

“The Last Acadian Coast: A Symposium  on Acadian History and Culture in the Lafourche-Terrebonne” will be held  on Wednesday, October 5th,  at the Jean Lafitte Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux.  The  event is free to the public, but registration is recommended.  You may  register at www.nicholls.edu/GrandReveilAcadien-LafourcheTerrebonne.

The migration of Acadian exiles to  Louisiana largely concluded in 1785 with the landing of seven passenger  ships in New Orleans carrying nearly 1600 persons.  Following earlier  establishments of the First and Second Acadian Coast settlements along  the east bank of the Mississippi River, most of the 1785 Acadian  immigrants were settled here along the upper reaches of Bayous Lafourche  and Terrebonne.  Their arrival marked not only the largest single  migration and settlement of Acadians in the world but also the final  mass re-settlement of Acadians in history.  Over time, these Acadians  migrated south along the bayous toward the Gulf Coast, founding not only  the bayouside cities, towns, and villages we know today but also  forging their own history and developing a unique wetlands Cajun  culture.

“The Last Acadian Coast” celebrates  that history and enduring culture of the people of Lafourche and  Terrebonne Parishes with a public event delivered by notable speakers on  the wetlands Acadians.  Speakers and their topics include:

• Glen Pitre–Historic Lifeways in the Lafourche-Terrebonne 
• John Doucet–The Last Acadian Coast: Settlement and Succession of the Wetlands Acadians
• Windell Curole–Shaped by Tide and Thunder and Terror: Historical Storms and the Shaping of Coastal Settlement in the Lafourche-Terrebonne
• Nathalie Dajko–French on Shifting Ground:  Development of Unique Language in the Lafourche-Terrebonne
• Donald (Don) Davis–Historical Wetlands Seafood Culture and Industry
• Patty Whitney–A Cultural Gumbo: Terrebonne Parish’s 200th Anniversary
• Shana Walton & Helen Regis–Living off the Land in Lafourche:  Hunting, Fishing, Planting and Community

“The Last Acadian Coast” is hosted by  Nicholls State University, the Nicholls Coastal Center, the Center for  Bayou Studies at Nicholls, the Lafourche Heritage Society, and the  Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center.  The event is part of the Grand Réveil  Acadien 2022, a multi-parish experience celebrating the lasting  cultural impact of the Acadian people, held this year on October 1-8  across southern Louisiana.  For further information on events in  Lafourche parish, visit www.nicholls.edu/GrandReveilAcadien-LafourcheTerrebonne or call Jenny Schexnayder at (985) 448-4442.

Original source can be found here.