LE VIE C'EST BON!
You Have To Dance Like Nobody's Watchin
An Love Like It's Never Gonna hurt
Live All Your Life, All Your Life
Long
|
Joseph GRANGER
1705-1757
fifth child of,
got married to Marguerite Le BLANC in
1725 in the Parish of St. Charles in a
place called the Mines. They had 4
children : Joseph Simon, Jean
Baptiste, Amand and Marie
Marguerite.
The Counsel of Nova
Scotia decided on the 28th of July 1755
to depart the French population. Nearly
six thousand had already fled to the
Massachusetts, Virginia, Maryland,
Connecticut, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia, and New York, between
1749 and 1752. In 1755, Joseph and his
family are vicitms of this "Great
disturbance" and were deported to the
English colonies of North America. Some
colonies such as Virginia, refused to
accept them. They were then deported tp
England with 7500 other Acadians. They
died in England in Falmouth in 1757. His
wife and his 3 children settled in
Belle-Ile-en-Mer in 1765, after a brief
stay in Morlaix, the town that accepted
them in 1763 following the Treaty of
Paris which gave up Canada to the
English.
Joseph Simon GRANGER
1727-1792
Was born in
Acadia and married Marie Josephe THERIOT
in 1748. They had 12 children : Jean
Baptiste Toussaint, Elizabeth, born in
Acadia, Joseph Simon, Pierre, Auguste
Vital Baydé, born in England,
Félix, Marie Geneviève,
born and deceased in M
orlaix, Félix, Jean
Marie, Jean Simon, Marie Françoise and
Pélagie Félicité,
born in
Belle-Ile-En-Mer. He was the
inventor of a plough specially adapted
for clearing and ploughing the Belle-Ile
soil. He died in Belle-Ile in the
village of Antoureau in 1792 and today
nearly 1500 descendents can be
counted.
10 GRANGER families settled
in Belle-Ile, and they are all
descendents of René GRANGER
ancestor of Joseph Simon.
At this time, Louix XV was looking for
farmers to populate
Belle-Ile which had been
partially destroyed by English
occupation. When they arrived in
Belle Ile in September and
October 1765, the 78 Acadian families
were settled in the seigneuries'
warehouses (355 people), while awaiting
the designation of their settlements in
the villages, after the
"afféagement" (the division of
noble lands in exchange for a certain
fee - feudal system).
They started
to settle around April 1766 and each
family received about 30 measures of
land (which a farmer could plough in a
day) and a dwelling place, stables,
animals as well as farming utensils,
just like the other Belle-Ile colonists.
This was a difficult period for both for
the people of Belle Ile who had just
been subjected to the invasion of the
English and were now asked to be
tolerant and to make efforts to
cohabitate, and for the Acadians who had
to adapt themselves to a new life and a
new language.
During the troubled
period of the Great disturbance the
baptism, marriage and death registers
held by the missionaries were sometimes
destroyed. When the Acadians arrived,
they were asked to reconstitute their
genealogie. Some of these declarations
contained obvious errors but for the
most of them they were the account of
the Acadian genealogie from their
arrival to the first colongists in
Acadia (Nova Scotia).
Félix GRANGER
1766-1839
is the first child
of the GRANGER/THERIOT couple to be born
in Belle Ile some time after the arrival
of the "Acadian troops". The 24th
Floréal of the year 13 he married
jacquette GUELLEC of Belle Ile, born in
Le Palais. The family lived in Antoureau
where they exploited part of the lands
coming from the "afféagement"
which had been given to Jospeh Simon in
1766. Six children were born of this
union : Jean Nicolas Stanislas,
Marie Josèphe Zélie, Jean
Martin, Joseph Marie, Joséphine
and Françoise Félicité.
Joseph Marie GRANGER
1811-1894
fourth child of
the GRANGER/GUELLEC couple. He married
Séraphine TRAHAN in 1833 at
Belle-Ile, who was also a descendent of
the Acadian family settled in Belle-Ile.
Twelve children were born in the village
of Kervarigeon in Bangor, from this
couple : Séraphine, Rosalie,
Célestine, Marie Eugénie,
Marie Josèphe, Prosper Martin,
Jean Simon, Marie Josèphe Elisa,
Marie Caroline, Marie Céline
Honorine, Anne Marie and Léon
Eugène.
Jean Simon GRANGER
1847-1916
A sailor, he
breaks a little with the family
tradition, being faithful to the land
for several generations. He married
Marie Elodie LHERMITTE in 1876. They had
7 children : Simon Gustave Joseph,
Marie Elise Léonie, Louis Marie
Simon, Marie Elise Léonie, Louis
Marie Simon, Marie Louisa Pauline,
Caroline Alise Augustine,
Hélène Léonie
Clémentine and Marguerite Berthe
Eugénie.
Belle-Ile counted
5000 inhabitants in 1782, and double in
1872. At this time, coastal fishing and
sardine fishing generated great
activity. In 1869, in the "Belle-Ile
quarter", 218 boats and 883 men used
this little fishing harbour.
Marie Louisa Pauline
GRANGER 1883-1958
born at
the end of the last century, married
Hyppolite ROHAN, who worked on the
railways. They family left to settle in
Vannes. Sarah Bernhardt while on an
excursion to discover Belle-Ile, fell in
love with it. She quickly undertook
negociations for the buying of the
little fort located at the cape of
Poulains at Sauzon. From 1896 she spent
her first holidays here and came
regularly every summer until her death
in 1922. As well as the little fort, she
bought land, a farm and the manor of
Penholt. In 1910 the ROHAN/GRANGER
couple came to settle in Sauzon to
manage Sarah Bernhardt's farm. Two
children were born at the Poulains farm,
now transformed into Club-House for the
golf course.
During these last hundred years, the
tourist vocation of
Belle Ile en Merhas developed
greatly. This has not been without
consequence on the life of the people of
Belle Ile and their activities. Fishing
and agriculture has greatly diminished
contrary to the seasonal activities. May
those who love Belle-Ile, discover it in
every season, since one cannot really
understand and love Belle-Il, without
having seen it struggle against the
winter storms or lighten up with the
multitude of Spring colours.
Cajun Dictionary
A
a - used with "yes" or "no," for
emphasis.
'a - [ah] to, at, on, by, in, for, etc.
- a general preposition.
'a bon marche - good price, cheap
'a ca oui! - that's enough!, cut it out!
'a temp - on time
adieu - goodbye
ag - [ag] egg "You better leaf dem
cocodrie ags alone."
ain? - What did you say?
ainsi soit-il - Amen
aller 'a pied - to go by foot.
aller 'a la chasse - to go hunting
aller 'a la messe - to go to Mass.
allo - [al low] - greeting, hello.
ami - friend
amour - love
amoureause - girlfriend, lover
amoureaux - sweetheart
ancrecule - doubter, one who does not
believe.
Andouille - [ah(n) doo wee] - Sausage
made with lean pork and lots of garlic.
Aout - August
argre de noel - Christmas tree
arc-enciel - rainbow
arreire grandm'ere - great grandmother
Atchafalaya - [uh chaf uh lie uh] -
Choctaw Indian word meaning "long river"
au revoir - goodbye
avoir faim - to be hungry
ax - the process of questioning, ask.
"Ax you momma kang you go."
B
bacler les plats - to eat everything on
the table.
bad - furniture used for sleeping - bed
bateau - flat bottom boat ideal for
shallow marshland.
beau - boyfriend.
beau jour - [boh(n) zhoor] nice day
beaucoup - very much
beignet - [bin yay] a French donut, cut
square, deep fried and dusted with
powdered sugar and served warm with cafe or hot cocoa. The Louisiana State
doughnut.
Bisque - [bisk] - rich, thick cream soup made from seafood.
bon - good
bon 'a rien - good for nothing
bon ami - good friend
bon chien retient de race - like father, like son
bons sens - good or common sense.
bon vivant - good life
Bossier City - city in the Yankee
territory of Louisiana ( any place north of Alexandria)
boucherie - butchering. The communal
slaughtering for hogs. La Boucherie is a social event where very little is
wasted. The Cajuns would make boudin,
hog's head cheese, pigs feet, cracklin's etc.
boudin - sausage made with rice, ground
pork, and seasonings.
boute 'a boute - end to end
bye - bayou
C
ca arrive - it happens
ca c'est assez - that's enough.
cafe au lait - even quantities of fresh
brewed coffee and warm milk.
Cajun - slang form of Acadian, like
Injun is for Indian.
cancan - gossip
casser le coeur - break one's heart.
Cayenne pepper - red pepper that is
hotter than white or black
c'est bon - it's good
c'est pas de tes affairs - it's none of
your business.
chalon - moving boat store which
traveled along the bayous.
chemisse - shirt
cher - sweet
cher ami - dear friend
cher 'tit chou - dear little darling
cheval - horse
chevrette - shrimp
chew - slang for rear end or behind
chew rouge - red rear end
chez moi - at my home
Chien - dog
chou - cabbage
chouchou - darling
clair de lune - moonlight
cocodrie - [ko kuh dree] alligator.
coeur - heart
comment ca va? - how are you?
conjag - spell or voodoo object
cordonnier est maitre chez lui - the man is master in his home.
couillon - crazy, silly, nut
courrier du Mardi Gras - running of
Mardi Gras, rural celebration.
crawfish- known as crayfish, mudbugs,
crawdads, and fish bait in other, less
civilized parts of the country. This
delicacy is served boiled, fried, in
etouffe, stew, gumbo and bisque. The
crawfish boil is as much an event as
eating the delicious tail meat. Crawfish are boiled in large quantities with
onions, potatoes, corn-on-the-cob and
generous seasonings. The tail meat is
then eaten and in large crawfish the
claw meat is also edible.
crease moose - The celebration of the
birth of Christ, December 25th.
creme a la glace - ice cream.
Creole - translated, "creole" means
"native". In South Louisiana it refers
to the combination of French and Spanish cultures with African and Indian
influences.
D
d- the- for example, "dem" is "them",
"dose" is "these", etc.
dah- "Hey there!"
danser comme un d'inde la cendre chaude- to "dance like a turkey in hot ashes."
Cajun expression to be in a heap of
trouble.
dass- that is. " Robert, dass his front
name."
dat- that. " Dat is the lass time ahm
gonna tell you!"
de- (day) preposition: of out of, by,
from, at, etc.
de- (dee) the.
dehors- outside or outdoors.
Demi-tasse- the small portion or size of coffee cups and spoons in which the rich cafe noir is served.
deux- two, 2.
Dirty Rice- Louisiana rice dish cooked
with bits of liver or meat seasoned with onions and parsley.
dix- ten, 10.
don- don't. do not. "Don do dat!"
dubba- double, as "Dubba dat recipe."
Dubois- (doo-boyz or dooh-bwah) surname
E
each- itch, as the result of poison ivy. "Ami, reach back and each mah back."
eau- water
een- in, to be included. "You been een
dere?"
elle- (ee) third person singular, he she or it.
encore- again, yet, more, still.
en dedans- inside.
enfant- child.
et-ou'- where.
etouffe- (ay-too-fay) method of cooking
crawfish or shrimp with onions and
chopped vegetables simmered over a low
flame; literally translated "smothered." Cajun stew.
excuse-moi- excuse me.
F
faire- to do, to make, to be.
faire bien- to do right.
faire la chasse- to hunt.
faire le fou- to act the fool.
fais do do- (fay-do-do) literally to
"make sleep." Fais do do refers to a
street dance today, where the families
would all attend the dance and there was a back room or area to put the babies or children to sleep, thus the name.
famille- family or household.
faux pas- mistake.
femme- wife.
Feliciana- ( fuh-lee-shee-an-uh) parish
in South Louisiana.
File'- A powder made form dried
sassafras leaves, sprinkled on gumbo
after it is removed from the heat. It is a thickening agent first made by the
Choctaw Indians.
fille- girl.
fillette- a little girl.
fils- young son.
fini- final, end.
fois- time.
Fordoche- (for-dohsh) town in Louisiana.
four michael- formica, a protective
covering. "Ah put new four michael on
mah counter top."
fran- friend. "Michael is Robert's best
fran."
franch- French. The language Cajuns
speak.
fromage- cheese.
fromage de tete, fromage de tete de
cochon- hog's head cheese- similar to
French pate.
frou-frou- frills.
G
galee- golly, expression of surprise.
"Galee, dat's a big crawfish!"
gang warden- game warden.
gar ici- look here.
gar voir- please look.
garcon- Cajun youth, male, waiter.
garde donc ca- look at that.
gee tars- guitars, musical instruments.
"Ah can play a mean gee tar."
gens- people, folks.
gi-ha- words to turn a horse right or
left.
goan- going to. "Ahm goan to da stow."
gosse d'ail- clove of garlic.
Grand Coteau- (grand / koh - toh) town
in South Louisiana known for Sacred
Heart Academy.
grand eau- flood.
Grandmere- Grandmother.
Grandpere- Grandfather.
gratis- free.
grenouille- tree frog.
Grillades- beef or veal steak, browned
and simmered until tender in browned
tomato gravy. Grillades and grits is a
common Louisiana brunch.
gros chien- big shot.
grosse- pregnant.
gui-gui- country bumpkin.
guff- Gulf of Mexico. "Ahm goin shrimpin in de guff."
Gumbo- (gom-bo) A deep rich stew
flavored with vegetables, seafood or
meat. Usually thickened with file' or
okra. The word "gumbo" comes from the
Congo "quingombo" which means okra. It
is best served over mounds of hot rice
in a large flat soup bowl.
H
habitant - farmer.
halo statue - a telephone greeting.
Hello, is that you?
hein - interjection, used to indicate a
question. "Wat you said, hein?
herbe - grass.
heure - hour, time
hereux - happy
hibour - owl
hier - yesterday
homme - man
I
ici - over here, this way
ici dans - in here
il, ils - pronoun, he, it, they.
il y en a pas - there is none.
J
jamais - never, ever
jamais de la vie - oh, but never.
jambalaya - Mixture of meat, vegetables, and rice cooked in a single pot and
seasoned well.
jardin - garden
jaws - jars
je - pronoun, I.
je pense bien - I think so.
je te de fie - I dare you.
jeu - joke, game, play.
jeremiads - stomach ache.
joie de vivre - joy of life.
joli - pretty, cute
joliment - fairly, pretty.
jouer - to play, have fun, perform.
jour d l'An - New Year's Day.
joyese fete - happy birthday
juste - fair, just, right.
K
kaka! - used to warn children, "bad,"
"do not touch," "no"
kang - can
kin - can
King Cake - Traditional yeast coffee
cake served during the Mardi Gras
season. The King Cake honors the Magi,
or three kings of the Orient, who
visited the Christ child on the "twelfth night" or Epiphany. The cake is a
continuous circle, symbolizing the
continuity of Christ and decorated with
yellow, purple and green sugars, the
colors of Mardi Gras. The first king
cake is made on the Epiphany, and a
little plastic baby doll (representing
the baby Jesus) is baked into the cake.
When served, the person with the baby in his/her piece hosts the next king cake
party. This goes on until Mardi Gras, or the day before lent begins. Originally,
a bean or pecan was baked into the cake.
korusse - cock.
L
la - the
l'a - there, then.
Lafitte Skiff - Shrimp boat with a
special over-hang deck built on to the
fantail to hold trawling lines
lagniappe - something extra or special,
like a baker's dozen.
laisser faire - to let be.
lait - milk
langue - tongue, language.
Le Bon Dieu - God
les deux - both
lit - bed
l'terrain - earth, ground.
M
ma - my possessive adjective.
ma chere - my dear.
main - hand, writing.
mais non - but no.
mais oui - but yes.
maison - house
maitre - master, owner
mal - bad, evil, wrong
malchance - misfortune, bad luck.
maniere - somewhat, a little bit.
marchand - merchant, shopkeeper, also a
surname.
Mardi Gras - Fat Tuesday. The day before Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning
of Lent in the Catholic Church calendar. Mardi Gras also refers to the entire
season which begins on the twelfth night after Christmas and ends with Lent.
matin - morning, dawn.
mauvais - bad, evil.
mauvais gout - bad taste.
mielleur - best
meme - same, even.
merci - thanks
mere - mother.
messe - mass.
mettant - suppose.
mettre - to put, to place, to set.
mettre au lit - to put to bed.
midi - noon.
mieux - better, more.
mignon - cut, tiny, pretty
moi - pronoun for I, me.
moitie' - half
mon - pronoun, my
mon homme - my man, my husband.
N
nanane - small piece of candy.
N'awlins - New Orleans.
ne' - born.
nenaine - godmother.
ni - not, neither.
non - no, not
noncle - uncle, commonly pronounced as
"nonk".
nord - north
notre - ours
nous - pronoun we, us
nouveau - new
O
oeil - eye.
ohm - home, house.
oil - all, always.
ome - home
on - pronoun, we.
on dit que - it is said that.
opital - building for sick people,
hospital.
ouanga - magic charm
ouaouaron - bullfrog.
oui - yes.
ousque - where.
P
pacane - pecan
paillasse - jester.
pain - bread.
pain de mais - corn bread.
pain grille - toast.
pain perdu - french toast.
pansil - pencil, writing utensil.
papillon - butterfly.
par - preposition: by, for out of, from.
pare' go - ready.
parish - Political division similar to
counties in other states. this is a
throwback to Napoleon's era and
Louisiana's strong Catholic background.
Louisiana is the only state which has
parishes rather than counties.
parrain - godfather
pas de quoi - you're welcome.
patois - dialect. Different Cajun
communities speak their own patois.
pecan - [pih kawn] not pee-kan
pere - father.
petit - very small.
peu - little, not much, not many.
pirogue - [pee row] canoe.
plein - pregnant, full, big
plotte - ball.
poc a' poc - little by little.
poisson - fish, seafood.
poive - pepper.
poulet - chicken.
poupon - baby, infant
pour - preposition: for, on account of,
to, toward, as for, etc.
pousse-pousse - money
pralines - Candy made from pecans, brown sugar, and cream.
premier ne' - firstborn
pus - no more.
Q
quand - when, whenever, while.
quatre - four.
que - tat, as, what, which, etc.
que c'est beau - how beautiful.
que diablo - what the devil!
quel - what, which, who.
qui - who, which, whom, that, that
which.
qui c'est ca - who is that?
quoi - what, which, something.
R
rassemble' - reunion.
rat cheer - right here, in front of you.
rat de bois - opossum.
ravat - cockroach
remoulade - highly seasoned stew or
sauce
rhume - cold.
rien - nothing
riviere - river
riz - rice
S
sa - her
sac-a'-lait - freshwater fish, perch
sacamite - porridge made with ground
meat and corn
sage femmes - Angel makers
sassortir - to go well together.
salse - sauce, like tomato sauce for
spaghetti.
saloperie - dog gone it, shucks, son of
a gun.
sans - without.
say-so - ice cream in a cone.
se becquer - to kiss.
se foutre de - to make fun of.
sel - salt
sept - seven
serpent d'eau - water moccasin.
servez vous - help yourself.
ses - its
si - if, what if.
si bon - so good.
soit - so be it.
son - his
sou - penny.
soulier - shoe.
su - known.
sucre - sugar, sweetened.
sur - preposition: on, upon, above,
about time.
sus - preposition: upon, on.
T
T - small,, petite, or little.
ta - your
tablette - small, wooden shelf, outside
the window.
tac-tac - popcorn.
tamponne - fat woman.
tant - so much, so many, so long, so
often.
tard - late.
tas - heap, lot, pile.
tasse - cup.
tasso - Cajun jerky which is hotly
seasoned for use in cooking vegetables.
tata - thank you to Cajun bebe.
teree - three.
teet - teeth.
temp - time, duration.
temps couvert - cloudy weather.
tes - your
the - tea.
'ti - short, small, little
tiens - there, what the.
toi - pronoun: you
ton - pronoun: your
toupie - toy
tout - all, whole, entire.
tracas - trouble
trallee - bunch, large quantity.
triste - sad, sorrowful.
trois - three.
trop - too, over, more, too much.
trop peu - too little.
tuer de temps - to kill time
U
un, une - one.
un grain de pulie - a drop of rain.
un gran hourra - a big deal.
un 'tit bin - a little bit.
une autre fois - another time.
une belle journee - a nice day.
une bonne foise - once and for all.
une goute - a taste.
V
va - go.
va la'-bas - go there.
va et vient - coming and going.
va-ten - get away from here.
vacher - cowboy.
vaisselle - dishes, tableware
vat a vient - come and go.
veille - eve.
ventre - stomach, belly.
vers - preposition; toward, to, about.
vie - life, livelihood, lifestyle.
vieille - old lady.
viens vite! - come quickly!
vieux - old.
vieux garcon - old bachelor.
vin - wine.
vite - quick, hurry.
vivre bien - to live well.
voici - here, here is.
voila - there, there it is.
voison - close neighbor or friend.
vous - you.
vue - sight, eyesight.
W
waguine - wagon
weevil - evil spirit.
Who Dat!?! - Battle cry of the New
Orleans Saints football team - "Who dat
say dey gonna beat dem Saints, say Who
dat!?!
wit - with.
wone - to gain or succeed.
X
There is no "X" in Cajun
Y
y - it, him, her, there.
yallo - yellow
year - ear, the hearing organ.
yestitty - yesterday.
yeux - eyes.
Z
zapote - wooden shoes, stuffed with moss
to size it just right.
ainc - sink.
zombi - bad swamp spirit.
zydeco - Cajun music with black
influences.
~ ACADIA ~
Email: a-mae-zncajun@webtv.net
