Abstract:
Readers of Cajun by Any Other Name live the experience of Rundquist's Acadian ancestors whose lives were shattered by a forced expulsion from Nova Scotia in 1755 -- from their exile in Maryland and re-emergence in the Louisiana parishes - and join Rundquist's search for an identity nearly destroyed by re-tooled surnames, assumed pedigrees, ambition, courthouse filings, and the Civil War. In conclusion, Rundquist exposes how DNA testing, genealogy and history research restore vital connections for others of Native American and European ancestry, makes a case for self-identification that rises above cultural labels and strengthens the soul.