We are all probably aware of a case of wretched and horribly
painful eviction of a large number of people from their homes or
homeland. The forced removal of the Cherokee Indians in the
infamous “Trail of Tears” or the eviction of the Japanese-
Americans to isolated prison camps comes to mind. A scarcely
known case brought about 900 French peasants, craftsmen and
fishermen from Nova Scotia (part of Acadia) to Maryland in the
fall of 1755. They were but a portion of an estimated 7,000 hard
working and generally peaceful inhabitants wrenched from their
farms in Acadia. They were distributed variously in nine
colonies and Louisiana. Here, they became known as “Cajuns” — a
play on words similar to that of “Injun” from Indian. Their
dispersion is a story that tears at the heart to refresh the
memory of man’s capacity to inflict pain on other human beings.
By the Treaty of Aix la Chapelle in 1748, the peninsula of Nova
Scotia came under the rule of England. Acadians were given their
freedom to remain Catholic, but w