Introduced in 2000, Cayenne became the mascot of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, an anthropomorphic cayenne pepper. The pepper was originally introduced to be the “embodiment of the Ragin' Cajun spirit of Acadiana” rather than a physical mascot like most are. However, around 2010, Cayenne vanished due to budget issues, leaving the University without an official mascot.
Two of the six messages that the University stands for are “We have a gift for bringing people together”, and “We teach the real meaning of joie de vivre.” As the university is a place of rich culture and close community, I propose a new mascot: Bubba, the Ragin’ Cajun Crawdad. With a vermilion-colored shell, large pincers, and a rage that outlives even Cayenne, Bubba stands for all that is Southern Louisiana, and certainly a native Cajun in his own right. It is without a doubt that crawfish are a major figure in Louisiana, and one that is recognized nation-wide.
In Acadiana, crawfish are an ethnic symbol that is widely accepted by a wide variety of Cajuns. Southern Louisiana in particular does enjoy its crawfish yearly. The significance of crawfish in Louisiana is profoundly evident. On the Friday before Easter, nearly everybody will have their propane tanks burning under our huge pots of boiling water filled with seasonings and crawfish, and typically corn, potatoes, onions, sometimes sausage and shrimp, too! Backyards across the state are filled with hungry family and friends, the more the merrier, all waiting to get their hands covered in that deliciousness—and don’t forget the homemade sauce! We even use crawfish in our etouffee, fettuccine/Alfredo, gumbo, etc. Every year we go crazy for the stuff.
The history of crawfish intersects with two fundamental parts of the Louisiana’s identity: agriculture and religion. In the deep-waters of the Atchafalaya Basin, crawfish were first harvested around the late 1800s. It became a farmed commodity around the 1960s when farmers turned their rice fields into man-made “crawfish ponds” once they became flooded, to meet the current—and yet ongoing—popular demand. Crawfish are especially favored during Lenten season in which Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays. On March 7, 2017, even more crawfish history was made as Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser declared Emile the crawfish as safe from boiling in New Orleans at Zatarain's first crawfish pardoning event, and he was set free in Bayou Segnette State Park. Typically, “crawfish season” peaks in April but depending on the weather, it sometimes starts as early as November and can last through June. No matter the time of the season, it is a well-known fact that crawfish and crawfish boils bring people together, and that the experience of a proper southern crawfish boil gives us an excellent example to the meaning of joie de vivre, joy of life.
As a symbol for Cajun culture on his own, a symbol for much of what the ULL stands for, and containing already some of the University’s official colors, Bubba the Ragin’ Cajun Crawdad has the potential to become one of the greatest mascots of all for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
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