Editing Lafayette, Louisiana (section)

=== Colonization and settlement ===
The [[Atakapa|Attakapa]] Native Americans inhabited this area at the time of the first European encounter. French colonists founded the first European settlement, ''Petit Manchac'', a trading post along the Vermilion River.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Historic Lafayette: An Illustrated History of Lafayette & Lafayette Parish|last=Martin|first=Michael|publisher=Historical Publishing Network|year=2007|isbn=9781893619760|location=San Antonio, Texas|pages=5–7, 10, 11}}</ref> In the mid-to-late eighteenth century, numerous [[Acadians|Acadian]] refugees settled in this area,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Timeline of the Acadians|url=https://www.cbc.ca/acadian/timeline.html|access-date=July 31, 2021|website=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref> after being [[Expulsion of the Acadians|expelled]] from [[Canada]] after [[United Kingdom|Great Britain]] defeated [[France]] in the [[Seven Years' War]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=From Acadian to Cajun - Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve|url=https://www.nps.gov/jela/learn/historyculture/from-acadian-to-cajun.htm|access-date=2021-07-31|publisher=U.S. National Park Service|language=en}}</ref> They intermarried with other settlers, forming what became known as [[Cajuns|Cajun]] culture, which maintained use of the French language and adherence to the [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic Church]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of Cajun Country|url=http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~jmeaux/cajun.html|access-date=2021-07-31|website=pages.cs.wisc.edu|publisher=University of Wisconsin–Madison}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Cajuns|url=https://64parishes.org/entry/cajuns|access-date=2021-07-31|website=64 Parishes|language=en}}</ref>