LAKE CHARLES- There are three Aguillards and a Thibodeaux in the group.  The Aguillards, Janet, Jeanette and Sheila - are not directly related. 
But if they and their husbands go back four or five- generations, they all trace their heritage back to the two Aguillard brothers who came to America from the Canary Islands. 
    Heritage is important to the Lake Charles women in Les Aimies Louisianaises, a four-part harmony group that sings in Cajun French.  They grew up, in homes where family members enjoyed dancing and playing the fiddle more than sitting in front of the tube with TV dinners. 
    Women traditionally cooked the jambalaya for their men, who played Cajun music.  Even though Cleoma Breaux Falcon recorded the first Cajun record, "Allons a Lafayette," in 1928, it's been the men who have recorded nearly everything since then. 
    And since they've written most of the material, the songs are all from a man's point of view. 
    One reason for this is that, in the old days, a woman on the bandstand ran the risk of being considered loose unless the band included a husband, father or uncle," wrote Steve Winick, author of "Allons a Lafayette!: Historical Recordings of Cajun Music." 
    Les Amies has encountered some resistance from the traditionalists since the group formed 10 years ago and began changing the pronouns in some of the songs.  An accordion player in his late 20s told the women they ought not to be on stage. 
    Jeanette doesn't agree with that opinion, but she understands it. 
    "Women had their place," she said. 
    While there are still purists who only want to swing to the sound of men making music, most of the feedback Les Amies has received has been positive. 
    The women released their debut album, "La Musique Unique des Acadiens," five months ago. 
    The compact disc and tapes have sold not only in Southwestern Louisiana but also in Beaumont, Port Arthur, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, California, Belgium and France. 
    The album has traditional Cajun songs, originals written by Jeanette and some wild cards such as "Amazing Grace" sung 'm French. 
The group's manager, Jennings attorney David Marcantel translated "Amazing Grace" into French.  There is no word in French that corresponds with "amazing," so Marcantel translated it into "la grace du ciel," or "the grace from heaven." 
    Years before the women sang "La Grace du Ciel" they sang in a choir. 
    "Once choir practice was over, everybody would go home, but we wouldn't.  We'd stay and sing country songs," said Jeanette. 
    Their first public appearance was for a parking lot dance at a church bazaar.  After their Cajun songs brought tells to People's eyes at that show and the ones that followed, they decided to cut an album, 
    The album took two years to record because the women did not put their lives on hold.  "Our families come first," said Janet, who is pregnant with her fourth child. 
    During the two years, Sheila, group member Donna Thibodeaux and their record producer all had close family members who died. 
"To get in that studio was really a strange experience." Donna said.  "It helped me get through a really rough time." 
The women usually practice on Friday nights at Jeanette's home south of Lake Charles.  Jeanette's husband, Harry, cooks jambalaya while the women gather around the piano and sing the "Heritage Waltz." 
    The song expresses Les Amies' desire to preserve a culture they see slipping away. 
    Jeanette spoke only French as a child in Jefferson Davis Parish.  When she started school in Lacassine, her teacher scolded her because she knew no English "I don't know how I got through the first grade.  I don't remember much of it," Jeanette said. 
    She and her husband spoke French to their children only when they didn't want them to know what they were saying.  Hence their children don't know the language. 
    Of the four women in Les Amies, only Jeanette knows French, The other three are learning as they sing it. 
"I dream in French," Donna said with a laugh.  "I guess I'm relaxed, and I can really put it together because, boy, I rattle it off in my dreams." 
    Janet's grandmother gave her French missal with the hope that Les Amies would sing a Mass in the language.  The missal came from Janet’s great-grandparents, who sailed to America by boat from Paris. 
    "We know our ancestors are smiling down on us," Janet said. 
    Even though Les Amies sing at festivals, funerals and weddings they don't see themselves crossing the country in a tour bus. 
    "We all have everyday lives plenty of clothes to fold at home.  (Les Amies) is really like a gift God," said Janet, who drives a school bus. 
"It's fun for us to sing.  Now if we get to having to work every weekend, it might not be so much fun.”