The flag of Acadiana, Louisiana, consists of two equal horizontal bands of blue and red with three white fleurs-de-lis on the blue part and a gold castle on the red part, and a white isosceles triangle at the hoist, with a gold five-pointed star. The flag is referred to as the Acadiana flag or the Cajun flag.
History[]
The flag was designed in 1965 by Dr. Thomas J. Arceneaux of the University of Southwestern Louisiana (present day University of Louisiana at Lafayette), who derived it from the Southwestern Louisiana Institute seal. He was an early proponent of the Louisiana French Renaissance Movement, a movement designed to renew interest and pride in the French-Acadian heritage, language, and culture of Louisiana. On July 5, 1974, the State Legislature passed House Concurrent Resolution No. 143, adopting Dr. Arceneaux's design as the official flag of Acadiana.
Symbolism[]
The various symbols on the flag were each chosen to represent a special aspect of Cajun culture and history. The golden star surrounded by a field of white serves as a symbol of Acadian exiles in America and alludes to their Roman Catholic heritage. The fleurs de lis set against a background of blue represent the French ancestry of the Cajuns. The golden castle set upon a field of red represents Spanish colonial rule of Louisiana, the rule during which the exiled Acadians arrived.