The “Cajuns” of Southwest Louisiana are descendants of the inhabitants of the French colony of Acadia, located in Canada’s Nova Scotia and New Brunswick provinces. After constant dispute with the British over their ambiguous political status, the Acadians were deported in 1755. Scattered among the colonies, England, France and the West Indies, many displaced French Acadians settled along the bayous, swamps and prairies of southwest Louisiana, where they were given land by the Spanish. The abbreviated term “’Cadian” eventually became the English word “Cajun.”The Acadians brought a broad repertoire from Canada, and along with the influence of musical cultures found in Louisiana, music of the Cajuns evolved. The 17th century French language also evolved, as grammar was simplified, new words were created and dialects like Creole French emerged. In the early 20th century, the “melting pot” philosophy resulted in mandatory English-language in the public schools. French language was relegated to a secondary position, and in many schools, students were not allowed to speak French at all. In the late 1960s, the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana was created to bring French back into the schools. Teachers from Canada, France and Belgium were imported, and bilingual programs were instituted throughout the state. Dr. Robert Gilmore (1909-1995) professor of music at the University of Southwestern Louisiana, and his wife, Jeanne (1911-2006) were avid collectors of French folk songs in Louisiana. In 1970, they compiled a volume titled Chantez, La Louisiane! Louisiana French Folksongs for use in schools. A second more extensive collection, Chantez Encore: Folksongs of French South Louisiana, followed in 1977. Both were adopted as textbooks in Louisiana schools, and the Gilmores offered workshops on the pedagogy which they had developed for learning to speak French through singing in French. These collections draw heavily from field work with primary source informants such as Catherine Blanchet, as well as the written research of other scholars and collectors, such as Gaston E. Adams, Ruth Bradley, George W. Cable, Elizabeth Brandon and Irene Therese Whitfield, whose Louisiana French Folk Songs they considered “the definitive work in the field.” In the proposed session, participants will play and sing children’s games and dances from South Louisiana, exploring their roots in in standard, Creole and Cajun French through archival photographs and field recordings. An extensive handout containing song transcriptions and translations, a detailed bibliography and list of archival resources will be provided.