The Acadians were the ethnic group forcibly expelled from Nova Scotia during the French and Indian War. The deportation is known as the Expulsion of the Acadians, or Le Grand Dérangement.
Acadians were French-speaking settlers descended largely from colonists who had established communities in Acadia during the 17th century. After Britain gained control of the region, many Acadians tried to remain neutral when war resumed between Britain and France. British officials increasingly distrusted that neutrality and demanded unconditional oaths of allegiance to the British Crown.
Beginning in 1755, colonial authorities deported thousands of Acadians from areas including Grand-Pré, Annapolis Royal, and Beaubassin. Families were separated, property was confiscated, and deportees were sent to British colonies, France, the Caribbean, or other destinations. Some escaped to French-controlled territory or took refuge among Indigenous communities.
The Acadian diaspora helped shape Cajun culture in Louisiana, where many displaced Acadians eventually settled. Cajuns are therefore culturally related to Acadians, but “Cajuns” is not the name normally used for the group expelled from Nova Scotia.