Customer Reviews

Scattered to the Wind: Dispersal and Wandering of the Acadians, 1755-1809 (Louisiana Life)

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In this excellent overview of the dispersion of the Acadians from the Bay of Fundy area across two continents, the author describes some of the indignities and atrocities suffered by the Acadians at the hands of the British.

The Acadians only wanted neutrality, but the British, ever suspicious of the Acadians, and fearful of their superior numbers, demanded an unconditional oath of allegiance. The Acadians stubbornly refused.

This was no mere political struggle for the Acadians; they were fighting for their cultural survival.

All manner of deceit, humiliation and deplorable tactics were used to rid themselves of these willful Acadians.

By 1760, approximately 6,000 Acadians had been sent into exile distributed among the British seaboard colonies,England,the seaboard provinces and throughout the lower thirteen colonies. The conditions on the transports were inhumane, and of course epidemics broke out.

If that wasn't enough, having been preceded by anti-French propaganda for months prior to their arrival, they were unwelcome in most of the ports and the threat of infection worsened the situation. Many were refused sanction altogether.

In the rest of the book, the author describes the reception, the conditions and treatment of the Acadians in the individual states or ports of call into which they were taken.

This excellent reader, part of the Louisiana Life series, is an excellent starting point for anyone wanting to learn more about the struggle and hardship that is the life's history of the Cajuns. Being a Cajun, I have to admit that this reader is rather depressing, but it is essential reading for those of us want to learn about the fabric we are built from.

This book, much like Brasseaux's "Acadian to Cajun," is full of references and statistical information that the reader can digest. Unlike the aforementioned book, Brasseaux does not get dragged down by his use of numbers as much. Either way, both books are brilliant reads, and I suggest that you read "Scattered to the Wind" first and then follow it up with "Acadian to Cajun." Finally, I recommend "The Cajuns: Americanization of a People," by Shane K. Bernard in order to get a solid foundation of the Cajun from the late 1700's all the way up to modern times.

There are many more books in the Louisiana Life Series, and I've already ordered two more of them. I hope that they all meet the standard set by Brasseaux's "Scattered to the Wind."

This is a literal and comprehensive book about the "scatterings" of Cajuns after the great deportation of Acadia. Very insightful and informative. There were lots of good resources for further research.

A good foundation on the dispersal of the Acadiens after the Le Grand Arrangement and how they were treated by the rest of the world due to the propaganda that was spread by the English all because they wouldn't take an oath to bear arms against the French (their homeland) for the English. Unfortunately, the French treated them just as badly when those that were deported there arrived on their homeland's shores.

The names and numbers and locations make this a great addition to my Cajun library, which is voluminous.

This is the history of my people; it is an interesting read. An overview
of genocide and deporting in the making of America.