Center for Louisiana Studies Archival Catalog
This searchable database provides information on images, documents, and audio and video recordings, made between 1934 and the present.
State Lottery ticket order form, M.A. Dauphin Company, New Orleans, August 21, 1885
State Lottery ticket order form, M.A. Dauphin Company, New Orleans, August 21, 1885 (front)
State Lottery ticket order form, M.A. Dauphin Company, New Orleans, August 21, 1885 (back)
Louisiana State Lottery advertisement, M.A. Dauphin Company, New Orleans, October 1885
Louisiana State Lottery advertisement, M.A. Dauphin Company, New Orleans National Bank, New Orleans, October 1885
State of Louisiana bond sheet, 1879
State of Louisiana $5 Bond sheet, 1879, front and back
State of Louisiana $5 Bond sheet, 1879, front and back detail
General Mouton statue, Lafayette, Louisiana postcard
General Mouton statue, Lafayette, Louisiana postcard
"Who are the Creoles?" page by George Washington Cable
"Who are the Creoles?" page by George Washington Cable with Louisiana map
Confederate General Paul Herbert photograph
Confederate General Paul Herbert photograph
Map of Louisiana, 1855
Louisiana map, drawn by Surveyor General's Office, Donaldsonville, Louisiana, William J. McCulloh, October 1, 1855
Louisiana map detail, 1855
George Rodrigue Retrospect Exhibition advertisement, 1974
George Rodrigue Retrospect Exhibition advertisement, 1974
George Rodrigue advertisement, "The Class", Art in America page
George Rodrigue advertisement, "The Class" painting, Art in America page
Le Fleuve Saint-Laurent map, 1755
"Le fleuve Saint-Laurent: represente plus en detail que dans l'etendue de la carte", plate from the Atlas of America; 1755.
Detail of "Le fleuve Saint-Laurent" map, 1755
Plan of the River of Annapolis, Royal in Nova Scotia, 1757
Plan of the River of Annapolis, Royal in Nova Scotia, map reprint, 1757
Detail of Plan of the River of Annapolis, 1757
Detail 2 of Plan of the River of Annapolis, 1757
Amerique Septentrionale, 1777 map
Amerique Septentrionale by John Mitchell (Paris: Chez Le Rouge, 1777), Third edition, fourth impression, with outline color and in four vertical sections, each being 54 x 18-3/4 inches.
Description: "Atlas Ameriquain Septentional" map published by Georges–Louis Le Rouge
This set of maps can likely be traced to antebellum Georgia attorney Mitchell King, whose papers are archived at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
The German-born George-Louis Le Rouge published these maps in Paris at a time when France renewed its active participation in American affairs. The maps meticulously show a rugged North American landscape between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico with details that would aid travelers – and armies - of that era. Accordingly, the Le Rouge maps became highly prized by strategists on both sides of the American Revolution. All plates in the Atlas are copperplate engravings of the period.
Contact us for information about accessing a higher resolution copy
Detail of Amerique Septentrionale
The German-born George-Louis Le Rouge published these maps in Paris at a time when France renewed its active participation in American affairs. The maps meticulously show a rugged North American landscape between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico with details that would aid travelers – and armies - of that era. Accordingly, the Le Rouge maps became highly prized by strategists on both sides of the American Revolution. All plates in the Atlas are copperplate engravings of the period.
A Map of the Most Inhabited Part of New England, 1777
A Map of the Most Inhabited Part of New England (Paris: Chez Le Rouge, 1777), John Green and Braddock Mead, two sheets with outline color, presented together in wooden frame, overall dimensions 49 x 46 inches.
This set of maps can likely be traced to antebellum Georgia attorney Mitchell King, whose papers are archived at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
The German-born George-Louis Le Rouge published these maps in Paris at a time when France renewed its active participation in American affairs. The maps meticulously show a rugged North American landscape between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico with details that would aid travelers – and armies - of that era. Accordingly, the Le Rouge maps became highly prized by strategists on both sides of the American Revolution. All plates in the Atlas are copperplate engravings of the period.
Contact us for information about accessing a higher resolution copy
Detail of A Map of the Most Inhabited Part of New England, 1777.
Virginie, Maryland map, 1777
Virginie, Maryland map by Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson (Paris: Chez Le Rouge, 1777), outline color, presented in gilt wooden frame, overall dimensions 40 x 54 inches.
This set of maps can likely be traced to antebellum Georgia attorney Mitchell King, whose papers are archived at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
The German-born George-Louis Le Rouge published these maps in Paris at a time when France renewed its active participation in American affairs. The maps meticulously show a rugged North American landscape between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico with details that would aid travelers – and armies - of that era. Accordingly, the Le Rouge maps became highly prized by strategists on both sides of the American Revolution. All plates in the Atlas are copperplate engravings of the period.
Contact us for information about accessing a higher resolution copy
Detail of Virgnie, Maryland map, 1777
Le Guadeloupe map, 1753
Le Guadeloupe map (Paris, Chez Le Rouge, 1753), both maps with outline color and presented together in a wooden frame, overall dimensions 45-1/2 x 35 inches
This set of maps can likely be traced to antebellum Georgia attorney Mitchell King, whose papers are archived at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
The German-born George-Louis Le Rouge published these maps in Paris at a time when France renewed its active participation in American affairs. The maps meticulously show a rugged North American landscape between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico with details that would aid travelers – and armies - of that era. Accordingly, the Le Rouge maps became highly prized by strategists on both sides of the American Revolution. All plates in the Atlas are copperplate engravings of the period.
Contact us for information about accessing a higher resolution copy
Detail of Le Guadeloupe map, 1753
Province de New York, map, 1777
Province de New York (Paris: Chez Le Rouge, 1777), two sheets with outline color, wooden frame, overall dimensions 67 x 43-3/4 inches.
This set of maps can likely be traced to antebellum Georgia attorney Mitchell King, whose papers are archived at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
The German-born George-Louis Le Rouge published these maps in Paris at a time when France renewed its active participation in American affairs. The maps meticulously show a rugged North American landscape between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico with details that would aid travelers – and armies - of that era. Accordingly, the Le Rouge maps became highly prized by strategists on both sides of the American Revolution. All plates in the Atlas are copperplate engravings of the period.
Contact us for information about accessing a higher resolution copy
Detail of Province de New York map, 1777
Caroline Meridionale et Partie de la Georgie map, 1777
Caroline Meridionale et Partie de la Georgie by William Gerard de Brahm (Paris: Chez Le Rouge 1777), on four sheets, the lower half with an inset map by Sauthier showing the course of the Hudson River, hand color, presented in wooden frame, overall dimensions 48-1/4 x 56 inches.
This set of maps can likely be traced to antebellum Georgia attorney Mitchell King, whose papers are archived at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
The German-born George-Louis Le Rouge published these maps in Paris at a time when France renewed its active participation in American affairs. The maps meticulously show a rugged North American landscape between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico with details that would aid travelers – and armies - of that era. Accordingly, the Le Rouge maps became highly prized by strategists on both sides of the American Revolution. All plates in the Atlas are copperplate engravings of the period.
Contact us for information about accessing a higher resolution copy
Detail of Caroline Meridionale et Partie de la Georgie map, 1777.
Detail of Caroline Meridionale et Partie de la Georgie map, 1777.
An Accurate Map of North and South Carolina, 1777
An Accurate Map of North and South Carolina by Henry Mouzon & Others (Paris: Chez Le Rouge, 1777), four sheets, outline color, presented in wooden frame, overall dimensions 49 x 62 inches.
This set of maps can likely be traced to antebellum Georgia attorney Mitchell King, whose papers are archived at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
The German-born George-Louis Le Rouge published these maps in Paris at a time when France renewed its active participation in American affairs. The maps meticulously show a rugged North American landscape between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico with details that would aid travelers – and armies - of that era. Accordingly, the Le Rouge maps became highly prized by strategists on both sides of the American Revolution. All plates in the Atlas are copperplate engravings of the period.
Contact us for information about accessing a higher resolution copy
Detail of An Accurate Map of North and South Carolina by Henry Mouzon & Others, 1777
A Map of Pennsylvania or La Pensilvanie, 1778
A Map of Pennsylvania or La Pensilvanie by William Scull (Paris: Chez Le Rouge, 1778), outline color, presented in walnut frame, in three parts, overall dimensions 43 x 68 inches.
Originally included in Atlas Ameriquain Septentional published by Georges–Louis Le Rouge. The German-born George-Louis Le Rouge published these maps in Paris at a time when France renewed its active participation in American affairs. The maps meticulously show a rugged North American landscape between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico with details that would aid travelers – and armies - of that era. Accordingly, the Le Rouge maps became highly prized by strategists on both sides of the American Revolution. All plates in the Atlas are copperplate engravings of the period.
Detail of A Map of Pennsylvania or La Pensilvanie by William Scull, 1778
La Martinique map, 1753
La Martinique map (Paris, Chez Le Rouge, 1753), map with outline color in a wooden frame, overall dimensions 45-1/2 x 35 in.
This set of maps can likely be traced to antebellum Georgia attorney Mitchell King, whose papers are archived at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
The German-born George-Louis Le Rouge published these maps in Paris at a time when France renewed its active participation in American affairs. The maps meticulously show a rugged North American landscape between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico with details that would aid travelers – and armies - of that era. Accordingly, the Le Rouge maps became highly prized by strategists on both sides of the American Revolution. All plates in the Atlas are copperplate engravings of the period.
Contact us for information about accessing a higher resolution copy
Detail of La Martinique map, 1753.
Baye de la Delaware map, 1777
Baye de la Delaware by Joshua Fisher (Paris: Chez Le Rouge, 1777), presented in walnut frame, overall dimensions 34-1/2 x 41-1/2 inches.
This set of maps from the Atlas Ameriquain Septentional was purchased by the present owner from William Nash Rare Books in Atlanta, Georgia in the 1980s. It was previously acquired from the King family of the Atlanta-based King & Spalding law firm and can likely be traced to antebellum Georgiaattorney Mitchell King, whose papers are archived at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
The German-born George-Louis Le Rouge published these maps in Paris at a time when France renewed its active participation in American affairs. The maps meticulously show a rugged North American landscape between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico with details that would aid travelers – and armies - of that era. Accordingly, the Le Rouge maps became highly prized by strategists on both sides
of the American Revolution.
All plates in the Atlas are copperplate engravings of the period.
Details of Baye de la Delaware map, 1777.
Archaeology of Acadiana
In Your Own Backyard #6
Archeology of Acadiana
Dr. Mark Reese, Archeologist
People have been living in Louisiana for 12,000 years.
Time periods archeologist have put together:
Paleo-Indian first peoples of North America, dating to about 10,00BC
Archaic- Louisiana was where it was happening, lower Mississippi Valley, things that were going on that were unprecedented in North and South America, i. e. mound building, monuments building, 3500-4,000BC
The Woodland-people making ceramic, building mounds
Mississippian Period
Historic Period-1700AD to present
All dates are approximate.
Archeology is about the study of any undocumented past both prehistoric and historic. How people lived in the past, about things, artifacts. Archeology started when people started collecting stuff /artifacts to put in museums. Its about interpreting people’s lives in the past, their histories, their cultures, their economies. Where people lived and when they lived there are basic questions of archeology. There is evidence that Native Americans were living along the Vermillion River in 10,000 BC. We have only a sketchy picture of where they lived and what they were doing.
Recorded archeological sites are those places that bear some evidence of past human presence whether it was an over night camp or a community lived there for a hundred years or a thousand years. Lafayette parish has the most sites per ten square miles. Vernon parish has 3,604 sites, 20% of all sites in the state.
(9:44):Interest is not enough: Not all digging is archaeology if it is only about the collection of things it is not archaeology. If you have not recorded where the item came from no one knows and there is no link to the past or knowledge about the people who made and used the item. Record the site with the Louisianan Division of Archeology so that some one knows about the site.
(12:41): Berwick Mounds -according to James Cathcart- he talks about four mounds, the origin of which is veiled because of the lapse of time, were situated at right angles, flat topped platform mounds, the largest of which was about thirty feet high. He believes they were the work of Attakapas Indians. Reese says unlikely, probably the Chitimacha work. One can imagine what mounds looked like by comparing them to Troyville in Jonesville. We don’t know anything about the site other than Cathcart’s description. The only thing remaining is a street named Mound Street.
(16:38): Fairview Plantation mounds were recently destroyed for a residential neighborhood.
(16:57): Lafayette airport mounds that are seen from the river are not Indian mounds but a natural landform. There were Indian mounds at the airport but they have been destroyed with the building of the airport. There are other mounds in Lafayette that have been destroyed—there was one off Pinhook that is now part of a neighborhood. The growth of Lafayette has destroyed Indian mounds. There is a lesson for the future—shouldn’t we care before we destroy.
(21:42) How should we deal with cultural resources that are in the way of progress. Progress is often elevated as if it were purely economical. Progress is inevitable—it’s going to happen, it is often pitted against cultural resources/heritage. We should make what we value as part of progress.
There are over 700 mound sites in the state, most are privately owned.
(26:28): Ancient Mounds Heritage trail in northeast Louisiana –the state has worked with private land owners in preserving sites. People can drive and view sites.
(27:00): 10,000 B.C. or earlier there were people living on the Vermillion River for extended periods. They were extremely mobile, going out—hunting –and coming back to a campsite. Sites that may still be there but such sites have not yet been recorded.
(28:45): There is Cote Blanche Island another Clovis point-an isolated find. Salt Mine Valley
another ancient Indian find in south Louisiana. Not much known about it, there was evidence of ancient mammals mixed in with other materials, some tools. The tools may not be related to the time period of the mammals. Certainly, there are other sites of that age in south Louisiana.
(30:11): Trappey-Masterdon site on the Vermillion
Also, at Avery Island Banana Bayou mound site, 3900B.C.-2500B.C., hunter/gatherers were building mounds, a monument to a tribe. Once believed that no mounds were built that early, a thousand years before the pyramids were built. Not sure what they were used for, they were not burial mounds. Studies of Native American economy show that Louisiana was so rich in substance that hunters/gathers 6,000 years ago were able to stay fairly sedimentary.
(34:29): Stelly Mounds in St. Landry parish mentioned. Selected two or three sites from each period to mention.
(34:56): Woodland Period is important because of the advent of pottery making. Relates to a more settled lifestyle, a different use of the environment, allows the use of a chronology.
Tcefuncta culture—Lafayette mounds a site not far from the airport, north on the Vermillion, visited by archeologists in 1945, set the stage for knowing more about Tcefuncta culture.
Marksville site A.D. 1-400 there is a burial mound and other large platform mounds up on a terrace overlooking the flood plain. A lot know about it because of the WPA’s work in the 1930’s.
Martin Shell mound on Weeks Island in Iberia parish composed of discarded shells from meals over many, many centuries - 800BC -700AD.
(38:53): Plaquemine period named for the town because of the location of the mound, Medora site, excavated in the 1940’s. Archeologist identified several distinctive types of pottery, which they used to tell time, and called it Plaquemine pottery. The Plaquemine period dates relate to the Mississippi period (1200-1700 AD). Plaquemine pottery is usually found in lower Mississippi valley.
(40:27): Discussion turned to some of the mound sites (major ones) in the western Atchafalaya basin visited with students in a field school to collect basic information. Such information as when did people live there, what were their lives like, what was the community like economically and politically.
(43:04): The almost goal of a field school is how little you have to dig to get some material to date. The location of the site can’t be revealed, it is privately owned and not much is known about it. Could date from 400AD to 1700AD, no idea into which culture it would fit. It is distinct and different from other sites in Acadian. It has big flat, platform mounds. It resembles a site at Moundville, Alabama. Speculation says there was a building on top. Knowing the date the mound built is important because there were flat top mounds Indians built that were not burial mounds, which were quite early. There were no buildings on theses mounds, some say the mounds were for ceremonial purposes.
(45:51): Sites B and C are stepped mounds. Nothing known about site until we went there, it wasn’t in the literature as of 1970. No one knew site existed except the locals. After site mapped someone cleared it (site A).
(47:24): Mound D excavated on edge of a gulley on the mound to get material to carbon date. The soil was practically free of artifacts. The mound looks to have been built rapidly, in two stages. In some of the small units there was dark soil, ground beneath the mound, the subsoil—soil rich with debris- junk not wanted covered by lighter soil from floods. We think we found a village that was on the bayou. The remains of the village are buried in the sub-soil, which are protected by flood deposits. Pottery found covers several periods making the date of the mound uncertain.
(51:33): Some coring done on the mound, which is over 4 meters high (12 feet). Radio- carbon dates results are from about AD 1180 and another AD 1260. This is a Mississippi period mound site with Cole’s creek and Plaquemine ceramics. People lived there 1000-1330 AD, hunting and fishing. Were they agricultural—we don’t know. The pottery changes found were because of the people. The women had down pottery traditions, they teach the skills.
(55:53): Portage Guidry is a mound site near Henderson, was visited and mapped. Site was being destroyed and a national group, The Archaeological Conservancy, became interested in it. The landowners worked out a sale to the Archaeological Conservancy of the mound site for its preservation. Inner excavations of the site gave a lot of remains of animal bones and remains of fires of debris of when they built the mounds. Debris higher up relates to 1350 AD, so it is a Mississippian period site.
In Your Own Backyard - Traiteurs
In Your Own Backyard #1
Traitement in Louisiana
Jennifer Guidry opened the program noting Dr. Ray Brassieur, associate professor of anthropology at ULL and president of the Vermilionville foundation board and Rebecca Begnaud as speakers of the night. Ann Laughlin of Vermilionville extended greetings.
Michael Lavernge, history student at ULL and worker with Jennifer introduced Dr. Brassieur. Noting his particular interest in traiteurs because his grandfather was a traiteur.
(2:39) Brassieur: Thanked Jennifer for idea of program series. We can’t oversimplify homeopathy. It is not dead center of what Louisiana folk tradition is. Samuel Hahnemann of the late 18th century came up with the idea of the approach to therapy and treatment. The idea caught on in Europe, eventually spread to United States, where it competed with other methods of treatment in medicine. It eventually ran out of popularity, returning in the 60s-70s.
(6:52) What homeopathy has to do with Cajun folk healing is a complex question. There maybe some ancient roots. Samuel Hahnemann believed in the law of similar concept sometimes used in homeopathic medicine and the ancient laws of magic. Like cures like is an ancient principal of magic that has been recorded and still is believed today. Might be part of what became folk tradition in Louisiana. Gave example of poison ivy cure and how it is related it to magic.
(10:30) Traitment system of treatment; traiteur is a male treater, traiteuse is a female treater. Faith healing in some forms traitment as associated with folk traditions in south Louisiana.
Maybe it is the same, maybe it isn’t. In some forms traitment includes large doses of faith healing and other things. Traitment is bigger than just faith healing. Traitment is not just a set of cures, it is a health system, and it includes the therapy and the causes of illness.
People who believe in traitment have belief about sickness—where did that sickness come from. If you want to understand traitment you have to understand what is believed to cause the sickness. Who diagnoses illness is part of the folk field.
Who can apply therapy, is it the knowledge, the skill where is the seat of the healing power?
It is a belief system that we are talking about. Many believe it is the spirit world, that the real healer is God. In Louisiana traitment many believe the traiteur is a pass through from God, the power from God goes through the traiteur and is channeled to therapy.
(15:09) Some traiteurs in Louisiana don’t believe power is from God. There is a complex culture in Louisiana with influences that were from Africa, here natively and those things exist, too. We need to get the broadest idea of what traitment is. Is it Cajun? What kind of traiteurs do we find in Louisiana? One group is the Bayou Healers from Houma Native American people that have an idea different of what medicine/healing is – they are looking to their youth - formed on the belief that today’s Indian children will be the healing generation for all Indian people.
(17:09) A number of musical groups were found on the Internet whose name suggests that they are traiteurs.
(18:59) Glenn Pitre movie has suggestions that traitment comes from a number of different origins. In what we think of traitment today could have come from the Cajuns, Acadians, black people, Indians, Spanish people, Canary islanders, any number of different heritage/ traditions.
(19:33) I have attempted to construct a continuum of the variations of traitment in Louisiana.
On one side is prayer healing - -generally uses no drugs, no pills, no plants, no other thing other than prayer and maybe some gestures. There is other religio-magic in addition to prayer some charms, some items also used. Some magic—going away from what we think of as established religious pray—but it may have some religious overtones.
On the other side are the natural curers –people who take plants and use them, not necessarily with prayer, know what plants helps a certain kind of thing.
A healer can fit any somewhere along these continuums
(22:04): There are some rules that go along with prayer healing which some follow. A general rule that exists in some people’s practice — treatment can’t go across waterways even if done by phone. This is a rule that some may follow showing variations in this rule.
(23:50): There is a strong dose of religio-magic. There is a strong dose of religion going on which is not recognized as standard religion and also some magic. The holy card published by the Catholic Church – someone decides on an image and a prayer—is part of tradition. The church never said what the card would do—there’s no guidebook for use. Some use the card, they’re holy, to cure.
(25:02): The string/cord is not religious but if placed in the hands of a treater/traiteur can look at it as a religious thing. If it has nine knots and a prayer associated with each knot--it becomes a religious item. There is no-know reason why a certain number. The church never indicated how many prayers to say. Some idea about numbers and how important numbers are is a tradition, which came down parallel with the church, perhaps, but not within the church.
(26:07): The same might be said about holy water. It is used in a lot of different ways and for a lot of different reasons. Some people use it in time of bad weather.
There are all kinds of things that can be used, that can be holy, but how to use is part of a belief system.
(27:05): There are crafts knowledge that people have but is starting to get away from religious teachings, teaching that came from somewhere else. Beliefs collected in Louisiana - one was if a child wore amber beads it would cure croup. When these were collected they were thought to be superstitions, something you don’t believe but somebody else does believe, then it is a belief for the other person not a superstitions
.
(28:56): There are some things in people’s mind/beliefs that can give them trouble/anxiety. Is it religious? If dealing with the supernatural in some way but we don’t recognize it coming from traditional religion.
(29:40): Religious candles - example of what happened in Louisiana when others came and there were already strong traditions of treatment. People from different parts of the world came and brought their own systems. At some point customs combined and some stayed separate. We see some separate practices in different communities. We can’t find the origin of some customs. Today you go into certain grocery stores and see shelves of these candles - so the process is still going on. Are they from a Cajun tradition, they’re written in Spanish, they might be Catholic. Pointing to illustrations noting some symbols are not Catholic, there is a combination of things, the process is still going on. We may be influenced by any number of them.
(31:25): Is this traitement? It is traitement for some people. It is the idea that controls this ancient concept - if there is a doll in the form of somebody, if you do it to this doll it will affect the person the doll represents (Voodoo Doll). Same kind of ancient tradition is involved. Does it exist outside of gift shops in the French Quarter? It does still exist. They may think of it as traitement but in this way it is negative therapy. Positive therapy will heal someone, the negative therapy will have the opposite affect.
(32:30): Talisman - Italians carry fave beans. Compared his traditions and those of Houma Indians. Houma Indians carried a piece of cabbage in their pocket instead of eating cabbage as the speaker did. That’s a talisman, a good luck charm. It has to do with health, but they had a different idea of therapy, showing the variation we might find.
(34:33): There is a whole range of remedies—a lot of them are plants. Many maybe used with prayer and there may or may not be some religious/spiritual idea used with plants. Maybe it is a practical function knowing that one plant does this, another does that. There are many ideas/knowledge where the information on the use of plants came from. There is a lot of evidence that the Indians knew plenty.
One source lived with the Natchez Indians in 1720’s and wrote what the Indians used for cures. The toothache tree (prickly ash) a leaf from the tree when put in your mouth will numb the ache. Indians thought of this one the most important one they had. The sap from the sweet gum tree was a very important medicine.
(37:10): In 1941 Frank Speck visited the Houma Indians and collected 73 cures they used with plants. He learned that palmetto could be used for something besides making baskets.
It could be used to treat the eyes, kidneys, high blood pressure and other ills.
185 different plants were identified as being used in treatment of ills.
Dr. William Reese produced a scholarly work on Indians knowledge of folk healing plant medicine in Louisiana.
Horse tail used by people on Bayou Lafourche for skin rash or stomach upset.
Maypop/passion flower - the fruit is eaten and has medicinal properties. Also has a strong spiritual meaning - it represents the passion of Christ.
(43:18): Croton oil carried by doctors in their bag in 19th century is on the margin of being forgotten. Was called a counter irritant.
(46:22): Thesis of Charles Bienvenue. Lived in St. Martinsville, died at age of 101 - when studying French at LSU collected recipes for treatments in Creole. Just beginning to use since it was published in 1933.
Traitement is not associated with one heritage but crosses over heritage lines, racial lines, linguistic lines and spreads over a variety of people.
(54:19): Response to question from audience about healing plants – there is a threat to healing plants. Healing plants are found in marginal areas—on fence rows, on a new clearing area.
They are usually called weeds—we try to exterminate them. Yes, they are in danger.
All of this is a conjectural story about what traitement might be it is so complicated I have to say maybe, if, perhaps. We have some evidence but there is a lot of research we have to do.
(55:50): There is another side of this picture –the side of the practitioner one who actually heals. They have their own beliefs, their own feelings and own understandings that any amount of research may or may not explore.
(56:24): Becca Begnaud - Healer and UL graduate. While in the hospital, a nun suggested that she should look into healing work. Her grandfather was a traiteur. Begnaud told how her grandfather treated her sunstroke. She was not afraid of him since she knew him, many people are afraid of traiteurs because they do not know them. At a meeting of healers, a woman offered Begnaud the prayer for healing. This upset her because she knew the prayer was suppose to come from a man because the rules say so. The prayer, which is handed down from generations, is not suppose to be written—which the woman did.
(1:00:51): Several years later Begnaud received prayers of another healer from a ULL instructor. This was wrong because the instructor was not a traiteur and these were the prayers of someone else. The instructor told her to have fun with the prayers, which she considered almost sacrilegious. She found in this group of prayers the one the woman had given to her earlier.
She believes there is a sacred space between two people - it’s all about the intention in your heart. Cajuns and others who are agriculturally based also did this with their animals. Begnaud told how she treated friends’ horses with her knowledge.
Healing doesn’t belong to any body. There was a time in this country when we were all connected to healing plants and being sick and nursing someone. Those things have gone by the wayside. We put our hope in something else. Sometimes when we are sick we have to let the illness run its course.
(1:09:08): Notes from handouts: What happens at the point of transmission—finding out about some of these rules from interviewing traiteur—basically, a man passed it to a woman but always passed to someone younger. Some believed prayers could be passed on to anyone younger regardless of gender. Some never got the prayer but did what they remembered their grandparents did, and it worked. So could this be in our genes? Healers never take money. In this culture living as a community, traiteurs were compensated in ways that did not include money. There was a lot of bartering. No feminine version of traiteur. Traiteur prayer is never shared with anyone except the next traiteur who will use it. Prayers needs to be held in some sense of respect and essence of sacredness. Before money counted, traiteurs took care of the community. It was a community process. It is not only the prayer, there is also a gesture. Common language was French; so all prayer was in French. It was honored and respected, but was not part of the Catholic Church. No belief was necessary but faith does increase the power. Many children brought to traiteurs were afraid because they did not know the traiteur.
Archieve Workshop: Preserving Your Family History
In Your Own Backyard # 5- Preserving family history
Jennifer Ritter and Alyce LaBry
Center for Cultural & Eco Tourism
To document family history first get stuff—go out and talk to family members, record the conservations, take stock of what exist. Go to those family members who hold the memories of the family and have preserved it and ask them to share the memories. If there are papers, acid free boxes for storage will be necessary, along with a flat bed scanner and a program to create electronic files. If there are photographs, slides or videotapes you need to make an assessment of their condition and how to best preserve them. It is best to get the family member comfortable with talking to you. Once you determine who to talk to and the condition of material that exist you can begin to set up your equipment and the process you will use to collect the information. Bring pencil and paper to jot down notes and adequate equipment for the interview. Always ask the person to state their name, when they were born, where they were born, who were the parents and that they agree to the interview. Take into account the condition of the material/artifacts being discussed.
Conservation of the item is important. Be aware that the item it is not exposed to light, temperature extremes, humidity and pest. The item should be stored in acid free boxes in a dark dry place. Once stored keep check on it. Purchase acid free photo albums to store pictures and mount them with acid free photo corners. Store slides and negatives in slide pages.
Discussion and demonstration continued showing various pieces of equipment used by the Center.
To get to the Center’s data it is easier to go to the Center’s website, select the archives tab and access it from there. The catalog is a work in progress.
(39:43): There are several ways to share collected material with the family—a slide show or perhaps a small book (there are on-line sites that can be used) or a Microsoft word document. Make CD’S of audio collected.
(42:41): Jennifer: Your family history is important. It is worth documenting. It is worth digging deeper because that contributes to the collective knowledge of what we have, knowledge of the area, of the people, of our culture, of our ethnicity, of our language everything that we are comes from who we were. If you don’ know what to do with the material after you have collected it, come to the Center and we will be glad to take it off your hands and add to our collection.
Atachafalaya Culture: Living and Surviving in the Basin
Seventh Installment
Atchafalaya Culture:
Living and Surviving in the Basin
Land to Water to Land
Jim Delahoussaye
Biologist
The basin levee system defines what we think of today as the Atchafalaya basin. It is an artificial demarcation designed by the Corp as a spillway system, it is not a natural basin.
The original basin is about twice the size of what is now between the levees.
(6:47):Other than the physical setting we have the cultural setting designed primarily by the people who lived in the basin. Three books serve as a foundation of what is known from 1973 on—Atchafalaya Basin Swamp Life and Atchafalaya Swamp Life, and Greg Girourd’s Cajun Founders of the Atchafalaya. The Bayou Chene story told of a community that had an existence all its own.
(8:35): Millet Point is a unique situation in which a single group of people lived in one place, all subject to the requirements that the basin exerted on people. They lived on houseboats for almost fifty years.
Houseboat dwelling require a different way of looking at life. Houseboats were structures 30’x15’, divided into three rooms.
The source of the material being presented is from tapings that began in 1974 to the present. The introduction to the community was in 1974 when it was still on the levee. The people are the fourth generation that date back to 1850. These are direct memories from people in an isolated community who could not read or write.
(19:06): The first transitions of the people was from land to water-why: Families drifted apart (children left and parents followed); followed the fish; independence; economic pressure (most moves occurred during depression years); improved living conditions (houseboats better constructed). Where did they make the transition—usually near families so where they could get help with what they needed.
(24:34): Not every place in the basin equally friendly to houseboat communities. The location had to be protected from open water, have trees on which to tie the houseboat. It is uncertain why areas on the east side of the basin (east of Grand Lake) were the locations of the houseboat communities. There were ten sites such sites in the basin the pit (near Morgan City), Bayou Long, Four Mile Bayou, Big Pigeon, Little Pigeon, Williams Canal, Bayou Blue, Keel Boat Pass, Hog Island and Blue Point.
(26:32): First generation of houseboat dwellers moved to houseboats about 1875. By the third generation people had spent some part of their life on land.
The dwelling consisted of three things/units. They were built on barges that measured thirty feet long, fifteen feet wide for the largest. The houseboats were structures that had three rooms with windows, doors on each end and a walk way all around (often without railings). There was a raft like structure called a crib attached to the houseboat, which was built of cottonwood logs since they would float the longest, with a decking on top of the crib. This became the yard when the land was flooded. A push skiff moved the houseboat in the time before the gasoline engines.
(32:58): Basically, the houseboats are all gone. There are some on the back roads around Bayou Long that the cabins have been taken off the barges and put on blocks.
Kerry and Bobby Anslum of Morgan City have access to original cypress sinker logs from their grandfather.
Dr. Chip & Mrs. Patsy Metz of Bayou Vista/Morgan City have restored a houseboat and turned it into a bed and breakfast. It was pulled onto land from Bayou Teche and left on the barge. The interior of the barge was photographed and measured.
(37:36): There were dug out canoes in the basin. Indians made dug out boats by felling a cypress tree, burning the interior of the tree and then scrapping out the burnt part with shells. Everyone had a pirogue; they were the bicycles of the basin. Pirogues, with their limited capacity, gave way to push boats. Push boats/skiffs are obsolete. Using original cypress obtained from the Anslum Brothers, a push boats was constructed from a discarded boat found in Charnton.
Creole Music: Roots and Modern Manifestations
Creole Music
Roots and Modern Manifestation
Eighth Installment:
Herman Fuselier -moderator,
Musicians: Goldman Thibodeaux, Joe Citizen (Dancing Zydeco Joe), Joe Hall, Corey Ledet, James (J.B.) Adams
Fuselier: Mr. Goldman, what do you call your music? Do you call it Creole music, old time zydeco how do you refer to your music?
Goldman: I grew up around Lawtell. We called it la-la music it was Creole. There were house dances because at this time in the rural areas there were no clubs. Dances were mostly Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Because most people had no transportation, they would gather together and walk or ride in a wagon. They would go to the icehouse in Opelousas and get a big chuck of ice and use it in making old-fashioned lemonade on a hot Sunday afternoon. The ladies would get in the kitchen and make good things. In cold weather they made gumbo.
(11:33): Fuselier—tell how you got started playing the accordion, you were an adult before you started playing.
Goldman: I was a middle age man; I had a wife and two sons. I had bills to pay; I had to put food on the table and clothes on their backs. I was a farmer and rode a bus to City Service Refinery, getting up at 3 A.M. When I got home in the evening about 6, I would get on the tractor and plow until about 10 o’clock. When I would get behind on plowing my wife, Theresa, would do the plowing. It took all of that to make an honest living. I always loved music. I had an old time washboard that I cut the legs off and fixed it to hang around my neck. I played a triangle. I bought an accordion, never held one in my hand before. I eventually found someone who helped me learn to play. We are all musicians we all have different music. We all have a piece of the pie.
(17:10): Joe Hall –my grandfather worked during the week and played music on the weekends. He would leave his accordion in the rocking chair in a certain position to see if anyone “messed with his box”. After he knew I was the one he eventually took me with him when he played music and would let me play one or two songs.
(25:25): Fuselier: Why did you stay with the old time Creole music?
Hall: That’s the strongest foundation I could find in Louisiana style music. It’s about preserving the traditions. It has opened doors; we play all over the country.
31:14 repeats until 34:00.
(34:00-38:47): Corey Ledet played same song on two different instruments.
(39:09) Ledet: I am originally from Houston; I came to Acadiana to play music. When I was born Clifton Chenier’s music was playing and I grew up listening to his music. My father bought me a piano accordion when I was fourteen. Later I learned to play Creole and Cajun, the more I played and learned the better I liked it, going deeper and deeper into the music. I can play both the traditional and modern but prefers the traditional, the modern does not sound right coming from me. Knowing the old music has opened a lot of doors I have played at various places around the world, including Russia and France.
(45:40-48:15): Goldman played and sang Eunice Two Step
(48:16 repeats until 51:51)
(51:52): Goldman Thibodeaux: People knew when and where the dances would be held because the information was shared among neighbors. There were no telephones or electricity to share information just word of mouth. When we play here (Vermilionville), everybody can come the whole family, grandma, the youngest kids but that’s not like the nightclubs you can’t do that. This reminds me of the old time house dances, it is like the French la-la dances.
(55:30): Fuselier: At the old house dances, how did you ask a girl to dance?
(55:40): Goldman: Parents gave permission to have a house dance, all the furniture had to be moved to another room. If a girl was asked to dance and she declined, she could not dance with someone else, if she did it was considered disrespectful. Several anecdotes of life related to dances were told with Thibodeaux admonishing the group to never forget where you’re from, don’t let go of what your great-grandparents knew. We’ve got it all, if we only know what to do with it. We got good music, lets keep it alive, lets recognize our young musicians, they’re our future. Why are we going to destroy what we have, let’s keep the tradition, let’s keep it alive.
(1:01:44): Goldman Thibodeaux: They had no vehicle like a proper buggy. People like Amede Ardoin, they had to go get him, with something like a Model A. It was a Sunday afternoon, Amede was playing at a dance. My brother was working on a rice farm; a man came to get him. So he asked the man if he wanted to stop at a dance because my brother liked to dance. They were going to skip a meal so that they would have money to get in, they stopped. Amede was playing; he was shot that afternoon, through the window. The bullet only grazed him.
(1:02:54): Fuselier: Now you tell a different story from what I’ve heard. I heard that Amede was beaten up after a dance in Eunice.
Thibodaux: No, he was shot in Mowata on a Sunday afternoon.
Ledet: He went to Pineville (to the mental hospital) but he died a long time after that.
Thibodeaux: This is well before the tragedy happened.
Ledet: The story is that he always had to take off running after dances. Somebody was always doing something ugly to him, which is why he played with McGee. He felt McGee could stop people from doing things to him. McGee was a white man, which was important at that time.
Fuselier: Do you remember what year?
Thibodeaux: No, I don’t want to repeat something I’m not sure of.
Another time my brothers went to get Amede to play at a dance on Saturday night. They got there early, so they sat around and talked for a time. Amede had put his accordion down when he pick it up to begin playing he found in had been punched full of holes. He put his head down and cried. He was paid for playing and a hat was passed about the room to collect money to give him to buy a new accordion that cost $7.50at that time.
Fuselier: Why for such a popular guy it seemed a lot of people didn’t like him or the music he played to shoot at Amede, mess up his accordion.
Thibodeaux: Jealousy.
(1:05:34) Thibodeaux: Only if we work together, it’s a big pie/cake. A cousin once said don’t bad-mouth any musician support him, even if the music was horrible. If you bad-mouth you will never get anywhere. I support everybody, if I go around bad-mouthing, the good Lord don’t like that. Don’t forget where you come from.
(1:09:20) Joe Hall: This is how my grandfather got my grandmother--grandpa stole my grandma after having danced with her on several occasions (he would sneak a dance while her mama went to the outhouse) because he couldn’t pay her mother or give her a cake, he had no money or someone to bake a cake for him. They eventually married and moved to Eunice.
Hall played his version of Pistol Packing Anne that the old timers had played. Louis Godwin family played this song, the family was a fine bunch of accordion players there is no significant to the song; Hall noted that he just likes to put myself into the music he plays. There is a lot of tradition in Cajun and zydeco music but outsiders have also influenced the music.
Hall played his version of the Mexican song La Cucaracha.
(1:24:01-1:26:56) Corey Ledet played a blues song.
Clifton Chenier was a big influence on Ledet playing. Ledet was selected, more than once, to play a tribute to Chenier at the Liberty Theater. One occasion was Clifton Chenier’s birthday; Ledet bought a suit because Clifton always wore a suit when he played. He even fixed his hair as Chenier did. At the conclusion of the concert Ledet received a standing ovation. Chenier is like the tree for zydeco; from him every thing has blossomed. When Ledet had trouble playing one of Chenier’s songs, he visited Chenier’s unmarked grave in Loreauville and sit on the grave practicing one of Chenier’s songs until he got it right. He still does it. James (J.B.) Adams is the one who told him about doing this.
(1:31:07): J. B. Adams: Whenever I had a problem, when I was growing up, I would go to the graveyard, my dad used to do it also, that’s where I learned it from. It’s quiet; no body is going to bother you and you can think. Cory and I went to Eunice today and hung out with Beau Jacques and John Delafose. I do my best thinking, that’s my sanctuary, in the cemetery. You want people to talk back to you because you are looking for an answer; nobody else is going to hear it but you.
(1:32:35) Fuselier: I want you (James (J.B.) Adams) to talk about your radio show in Houston, not only do you entertain people but you try to educate people as to the roots of zydeco, they know about the modern stuff but not the roots. You catch a lot of flack for trying to introduce the tradition stuff.
(1:32:56) James (J.B.) Adams: I co-host a Sunday morning radio show in Houston—you can listen on line at KPFT.org. Cory, Thomas Henry and I learned to play by going to watch people play, we had no relatives to teach us. We saw the music was taking a dive. Everyone up here agrees that music has to evolve, but the music was taking a turn I was not satisfied with. It was getting away from the roots. Cory and I got invited to go to Augusta Heritage in West Virginia. There we met people who were still playing the traditional music. We didn’t think there were people who listened to the traditional type of music, in Houston. Some think Cajun music is for whites zydeco is for blacks. As far as I am concerned, music is colorblind. I started mixing the music, playing the traditional version and then a new version. People did not know the traditional. They thought I was playing the wrong kind of music because the show is Zydeco est pas Sale. I have finally been able to get people to accept the traditional music. I can get on the Internet and seek out these old musicians, as can anyone else can who is interested.
Fuselier: What has been the influence of media and money? In the old days the guys passed the hat, today zydeco musicians are getting paid $3-4,000 for one dance and media has brought the music all over the world has it been good/bad? I guess you can make an argument both sides.
Adams: It’s got its ups and downs. Money is root of all evil, some get paid some don’t. If you care about this music you will buy the CD’s, the musicians deserve to get paid because this maybe their live hood. When old timers are gone all you have to rely on is audio recordings and video. If this music is in your heart, you are going to go buy the recordings and documentaries and study them until you get the music because there is still a market for this style of music.
(1:46:57) Responding to an audience question-Adams: I do a lot of things on my own. Kids will come by my house and I show them some of the documentaries that I own.
Hall: I teach an accordion class. The only people (kids) who show up are the little Cajun kids. I can’t give the kids a perspective of what happened in a Cajun’s life, I can only give them from my Creole perspective, in my life. They come, sit down and learn and want to learn more songs to play. I have to give it to them because they are coming.
Adams: There is the Balfa camp here. There is a camp that takes place every year, in July, at Augusta Heritage in West Virginia that teaches the fundamentals of accordion, fiddle, and guitar. At the end of the week they are able to put together a band that can show case what they have learned. Cory, Joe and I have taught there, it is an eye opener.
The program concluded with the group playing “Ti’Monde Why You Want to Make me Cry”
In Your Own Backyard - Crawfishing
Dickie Breaux of Café des Aimee spoke of history of crawfish particularly as related to Breaux family. People were eating crawfish prior to 1934 in the area (Breaux Bridge), as noted in an article in the Beaumont Enterprise newspaper. Two sisters at the Hebert Hotel who were cooking a crawfish dish, they called crawfish courtbuouillon. People rode the train to Breaux Bridge to eat it. When they stopped cooking, there was no crawfish available in restaurants until about 1942-43 when Ilene Champagne opened a restaurant. At that time, you would not be seen eating crawfish in public, unless you were with friends or relatives, crawfish was considered poor man’s food. One day Ilene was preparing a crawfish dish (from the Hebert sister receipt) for herself when someone came in and asked what was she doing. She told him she was smothering crawfish—and thus the name of the dish developed into crawfish etouffe.
Pierre Part does not like the idea that Breaux Bridge is called crawfish capital of the world since Pierre Part is in the swamp and live with the crawfish. Breaux Bridge deserve the title because it took someone of courage to start serving crawfish dishes.
There was a stigma attached to eating crawfish in public. Restaurants such as Riverside Inn served patrons in private dining compartments so they would not be seen eating crawfish. Oil industry folks from Oklahoma and Texas came to Louisiana and made fun of people eating mudbugs, which they had observed only in sewage ponds. However, by this time crawfish were being fished in the Basin.
14:29: Conni Castille: In 1959, Breaux Bridge wanted to put on a birthday party since the town was turning one hundred years old. Senator Robert Angelle had a resolution passed to declare Beaux Bridge crawfish capital of the world. The celebration was such a success that it was decided to make a crawfish festival an annual event. A crawfish archives at the Breaux Bridge public library houses information from these events.
17:16 Dona Richard - Tourism Director of St. Martin Parish and a Crawfish Festival volunteer: spoke of the publicity that has made the festival a well-known event. In 1964, a live report on the CBS evening news with the well-known anchor Dan Rather was aired from down town Breaux Bridge. The publicity that the festival brings to Breaux Bridge cannot be converted into a dollar amount. The festival gives a positive image to the outside world. By Laws of the festival state, that all musical entertainment must have a fiddle or an accordion as part of the group in order to maintain the authenticity of true Cajun culture. All crawfish sold at the festival must be certified Louisiana crawfish.
25:40 Anthony Arceneaux of Hawk’s Restaurant discussed the method used at his restaurant to purge crawfish. He narrated as slides showed his method. He first visited Texas A&M University to see a process developed there, began using the process and has since upgraded the method three times. Crawfish come from a muddy field and need to be cleaned. Purging is costlier but the crawfish come out cleaner, tastier and prettier to serve, making it a better product. By late 70’s he realized money could be made farming crawfish. At 15 Arceneaux borrowed money to start a crawfish farming business. By 1983, the market was saturated with crawfish, so he decided to open a restaurant. As a farmer, he remembers selling crawfish for 17 cents a pound just to get rid of them. The fact that crawfish is seasonal adds to their lore, not always being available makes us want crawfish more. Numerous magazine, including New York Times, USA Today, have published articles about Hawk’s Restaurant. Gourmet Magazine voted Hawk’s as the best farm to table restaurant.
42:20 Mark Shirley, County Agent LSU Ag Center --If given a human characteristic crawfish could be considered tenacious, much like a Cajun. As county agent Shirley, works with crawfish farmers, processing plants and others groups that deal with crawfish helping them produce a better crop for people to enjoy. Shirley narrated as slides were shown. There are about thirty-five species of crawfish in Louisiana. The white river crawfish and the red swamp crawfish are the most common in Louisiana. A sack of crawfish from the basin probably has some of both species. The Atchafalaya River is a distributary of the Red and Mississippi Rivers, part of the Mississippi watershed. Water usually starts rising in January- February flushing crawfish out. Peak season of the Atchafalaya Basin crawfish is May-June-July. Farm ponds are flooded earlier, in the fall, so that there is a supply of crawfish some times in winter. Basin crawfish production has been erratic in the last ten years. Peak seasons were in the ‘90s. Some areas of the basin have silted in, hampering crawfishing. Crawfishing got started with the basin production, rice farmers got started as an alternative means of making money with the fields. Approximately 173,000 acres of land are used in crawfish production. The flat land of southwest Louisiana is excellent terrain for crawfish ponds. Some farmers alternate crops of rice and crawfish some do both at same time, the strategy depends on the farmer. Levees are built, irrigation and drainage are put in, fields are flooded in April- June, and mature crawfish added. Source of crawfish is not as important as the health of the crawfish; the determining factor is survival so that in the fall babies can be hatched. Ponds are drained, crawfish burrow into levees until fields flooded in fall. Babies that are hatched but once the weather turns cold they stop growing, Crawfish eat everything. In 3-5 months, they grow enough to be harvested but depending on weather. Water temperature determines when crawfish will be active and come out of their burrows. 1999 and 2000 were years when price of crawfish were high. There was a severe drought and issues with rice chemicals. Prices fluctuate year to year and within a year. Peak production is March-May when 2/3 of pond crops are harvested. There are usually 10-15 traps per acre. Cajun ingenuity has improved the methods of harvesting. A grading system has been difficult to establish. Price depends on demand and size. Chinese crawfish has effected the processing market causing some of smaller processors to go out of business. Until Chinese crawfish came on the market, Louisiana shipped its biggest and best crawfish to Sweden then China took over. Crawfish farming is more dependable than the wild fishing. It is a good green industry. The Cajun belt of influence (area where 90% of crawfish consumed) is the distance a driver can go to deliver live crawfish, usually a 6-8 hour drive. Crawfish research is done at aquaculture research center south of LSU and at the rice station research center in Crowley.
A question and answer session provided the following info: about 1988-90 the soft shell crawfish idea developed. It is a very labor-intensive process; involving watching the crawfish for the exact time of molting, so they are not eaten by other crawfish.
A female crawfish is distinguished by having between the last two pair walking legs a round structure where the eggs are extruded. A male crawfish has the first two pair swimmerets stiff and lay between walking legs. A large female crawfish can produce about 500 babies, the average size female 2-300 babies.
The variation in the color of a crawfish depends on the age. Until maturity, a crawfish will molt 12-15 times, after maturity once or twice a year. The average life span is usually 1-2 years in wild, everything out there likes to eat crawfish, especially when molting.
It takes a good 24-48 hours to purge crawfish, pouring salt on them cleans the outside not the inside, does nothing to purge the digestive track.
About 1/3 pound of cut fish is used as bait in a trap or an artificial bait can be used when temperature warms up.
Red swamp crawfish were first used in Japan as a pet then got loose and became an invasive species in Thailand and China. Farmers growing rice and crawfish in the same fields must be conscious of the pesticides they use.
Conni Castille spoke on behalf of crawfish men of the basin who are facing issues of water quality and access rights. Figures show that crawfish production in the basin is declining because of environmental challenges. Water quality of the basin is being affected by pipelines being installed and not maintained according to the permits granted. The flow of water coming into the basin is causing siltation, resulting in dead zones developing. Companies are buying land and not allowing access to the lands for fishing or hunting purposes. Because of these issues, areas for fishing are becoming limited.
CRIA (Cutural Research Institute of Acadiana)
Cultural Research Instuite of Acadiana - CRIA was started in 2007. It is a non-profit organization that collects information, knowledge and seeds in order to teach how to live sustainably in South Louisiana. The organization wants to reach those who do it before they are all gone and the information/knowledge is lost.
Acadian seed bank is a bank of heirloom open pollinated seeds that are collected from people that have kept the strain of the seed going for at least five years. These are the seeds of our heritage. The many different cultures of South Louisiana can’t be sustained without sustainability as in the agriculture and life style. Once we become depended on outside sources that decreases our chances of sustaining our own culture. We must look into our agriculture and things related to it. An online database is going to be created to share the information obtained from the seed and knowledge donors.
(8:00): Agricultural knowledge of South Louisiana has been passed on for generations. One of the goals of the seed bank is to grow out shared seeds and multiply them so they can be given to others. The ultimate goal is that seeds can become a food source.
(11:28): Agriculture’s place in our culture is connected to every walk of life. A lot of music has been created in the fields and kept alive there.
(12:43): Japanese farmer (Fukueka) in his book "The One Straw Revolution" said that with the seeds from one straw of rice you could create enough food to feed the world. In addition to the rice, he had several other crops he grew. To have sustainability you also need diversity. You can’t put all your eggs in one basket. Acadian Seed Bank’s goal is to have a diverse collection of seeds to distribute to the community.
(16:19): We have gathered 16 seeds to date. To have a diverse model is our goal. This year we are focusing on collecting seeds. Next year it will be growing out the seeds. Michot returned to Lydia after 10 years to meet the people who had started his collecting.
(21:24): Kristen Kordecki discussed open pollinated plants: can be pollinated by wind, animals, water, by hand or natural occurrences. Open pollinateds are true to type and have the characteristics of both parents. Open pollinated plants are not genetically modified or hybridized.
(23:46): Heirloom seeds are handed down from generation to generation: Produce not suited for large scale production; taste better, look funny and many have a longer growing period; adapted to environment. They are passed down in families and are a critical food source is bad times.
(25:53): One of the things making this project so unique is that we are losing the genetic diversity as heirloom seeds disappear with our elders. Heirlooms can be a local food source. They can preserve a unique genetic fingerprint in Acadiana.
(27:38): Ask to determine if seeds or plants are heirloom, record information. Take photographs of the plants from seedling to fruit.
(28:27): Use simple and quick ways to save seeds. When collecting fleshy fruit seeds allow the fruit to completely ripen and store in glass jars. Store glass jar in freezer. There are many unique techniques for collecting and preparing seeds but keep it simple and quick.
(32:56): To store seeds: use dark, glass jars, be sure the lids are sealed. Restrict the number of times you open the jar or pull out of freezer.
(33:57): CRIA can pick up seeds after they are collected and prepare them. Send seeds in small muslin bags or envelopes and information about the seeds.
(35:35): Michot: We want to communicate with all those that have knowledge and preserve the knowledge and share it as a community effort. It is important to preserve these heirloom seeds because they are generally superior to store bought. Sustainable living is exemplified in a bousillage building ---cypress tree, mud and moss.
(42:37): Whitney Broussard - post doc researcher - working to help establish an exhibit at the Acadian museum showing the agricultural techniques of the early Acadians in Nova Scotia. Another project is to sponsor the Lost Bayou Ramblers to an event in Decatur, Illinois, which is interested in nutrients, pollutants and contaminants from agriculture that are making their way into the Mississippi River, to the coast of Louisiana and connected to the dead zone off the coast. There will be a presentation on Louisiana our landscape, our coast line and the Gulf of Mexico with stories, and music.
Preserving History
In Your Own Backyard # 5- Preserving family history
Jennifer Ritter and Alyce LaBry
Center for Cultural & Eco Tourism
To document family history first get stuff—go out and talk to family members, record the conservations, take stock of what exist. Go to those family members who hold the memories of the family and have preserved it and ask them to share the memories. If there are papers, acid free boxes for storage will be necessary, along with a flat bed scanner and a program to create electronic files. If there are photographs, slides or videotapes you need to make an assessment of their condition and how to best preserve them. It is best to get the family member comfortable with talking to you. Once you determine who to talk to and the condition of material that exist you can begin to set up your equipment and the process you will use to collect the information. Bring pencil and paper to jot down notes and adequate equipment for the interview. Always ask the person to state their name, when they were born, where they were born, who were the parents and that they agree to the interview. Take into account the condition of the material/artifacts being discussed.
Conservation of the item is important. Be aware that the item it is not exposed to light, temperature extremes, humidity and pest. The item should be stored in acid free boxes in a dark dry place. Once stored keep check on it. Purchase acid free photo albums to store pictures and mount them with acid free photo corners. Store slides and negatives in slide pages.
Discussion and demonstration continued showing various pieces of equipment used by the Center.
To get to the Center’s data it is easier to go to the Center’s website, select the archives tab and access it from there. The catalog is a work in progress.
(39:43): There are several ways to share collected material with the family—a slide show or perhaps a small book (there are on-line sites that can be used) or a Microsoft word document. Make CD’S of audio collected.
(42:41): Jennifer: Your family history is important. It is worth documenting. It is worth digging deeper because that contributes to the collective knowledge of what we have, knowledge of the area, of the people, of our culture, of our ethnicity, of our language everything that we are comes from who we were. If you don’ know what to do with the material after you have collected it, come to the Center and we will be glad to take it off your hands and add to our collection.
Interview with Walter Mouton
00:00:25 - Talks about how he started learning music; His dad had an accordion and he listened to his dad play; His dad taught him; He would keep his accordion under his bed;
00:04:30 - He would go see Cleby Richard play and he would sit in for half the dance;
00:04:55 - Austin Brasseaux had a club in Duson called the Four Roses; Tony Thibodeaux on fiddle, Bee Abshire on guitar, and Walter on accordion; They played from 4pm to 12am; PA systems; Bought a fender concert amp in 1963; Bought a full Yamaha system, then switched to Peavey;
00:08:10 - He played with the Scott Playboys for 57 years; Sat in with Lawrence Walker's band before that; They played at La Poussiere for 44 years; The first photo of his band was taken at Malthide Babineaux's place on Oak Avenue in Lafayette;
00:10:18 - He played music as a hobby; He kept playing because people kept coming see him; Played at Happy Landing Club, Jolly Rogers in St. Martinville, 'Tit Maurice, Reno Club in Kaplan, Colonial Club in Estherwood;
00:12:50 - Talks about the first time he went to the Grassroots Festival in New York; He was blown away that everyone was waltzing and two-stepping;
00:14:40 - He dad was a barber; He would listen to his dad's older customers tell stories;
00:16:00 - He is most proud of his three children;
00:17:00 - He was fortunate to have had a dependable band throughout most of his career; After U.J. Meaux passed away, he hasn't found a regular fiddle player; He watched his band members kids grow up; The band was like a family because they were together every weekend;
00:19:30 - He says he had a reputation for being hard on band members, but he just wanted people to give their best; He told his band to be kind to the audience because they are paying their salary; He used to have more people that would go see him regularly, but many have passed away;
00:22:10 - La Poussiere used to be packed every Saturday; The racetrack and other clubs and restaurants took some of the crowd away;
00:24:00 - He's been going to the Grassroots Festival for 18 years; The main difference between playing in Louisiana versus outside of the state is that older people in LA prefer waltzes, but people in other places prefer two-steps;
00:27:40 - (Conversation switches from french to english) Importance of singing in french; Belton Richard would translate english songs to french; French immersion;
00:32:00 - His favorite musicians are his father, Lawrence Walker, Aldus Roger;
00:33:40 - He remembers meeting Wayne Toups, Steve Riley, Jackie Caillier;
00:36:00 - He calls it Cajun music; Advice to younger musicians; Listen to the music first; It isn't smooth at all at first and it takes a lot of patience;
00:38:00 - They talk about his last show later this evening; He has mixed feelings about stopping; He is the parrain of the owner of La Poussiere's daughter, Nicole;
00:41:00 - He makes a mean gumbo; Okra, chicken, andouille sausage; Fricassée;
00:42:45 - If he has something to tell you, he will tell you to your face; He won't argue with someone when they are drunk; He won't get drunk at a gig because people pay money to go see him;
00:45:15 - Story about playing in Wisconsin;
00:48:00 - Talking about his first record;
00:49:15 - Grew up with a wooden stove; It would heat up the house;
00:50:45 - He used to drink coffee after a gig and sleep until noon the next day, but now the caffeine keeps him awake;
00:51:45 - For awhile, he worked 7 days a week in the oilfield and played 3 nights a week; He plans on playing occasionally after his last show at La Poussiere;
00:56:00 - Helen joins the conversation; She likes to dance; They go into the bedroom and his outfit is ready for the gig that night;
00:58:40 - Walter shows Chris Segura his fiddle and Walter gets his guitar; They talk about instruments;
Interview with Walter Mouton II
Continued interview at Walter's house;
00:00:00 - Background footage around Walter's house;
00:01:05 - Walter shows the crew his camper; Helen shows some of her art;
00:06:00 - Walter talking about his pecan trees;
00:07:55 - Walter shows the crew his motorcycle;
00:09:25 - Car ride with Walter listening to KBON; Talking about Scott;
00:13:38 - For work, he farmed with his dad; Next, he worked as a tank builder in the oil field; He points out his family property; They had a barn and cattle;
00:17:45 - He points out the old Triangle Club; He played there when they opened; He helped lay down the floors and smashed his thumb putting in the last board;
00:21:00 - They go inside the Begnaud House; Continue driving around Scott; The Best Stop;
Walter's last show at La Poussiere in Breaux Bridge;
00:30:15 - Footage of the crowd before the band starts; Walter points out his godchild;
00:34:20 - Old Crowley Two-step; Ronald Prejean on drums, Junior Martin on steel guitar, Haas Cormier on bass, Chad Cormier on fiddle, ? piano;
00:35:30 - Chère tout tout (sound cuts in and out);
00:38:41 - Trop jeune pour marier;
00:40:32 - Triangle Club Special;
00:44:10 - La valse de Grand Prairie;
00:48:20 - La valse de grand chemin;
00:50:20 - Bosco Stomp;
00:52:38 - J'étais au bal;
00:58:00 - B.O. Sparkle Waltz;
01:00:15 - Je m'ennuie pas de toi;
Interview with Walter Mouton III
Walter Mouton's last show at La Poussière;
00:00:00 - Duson Waltz;
00:01:45 - Priests; Ken Walker, president of CFMA; Nicole Patin;
00:04:30 - Presentation honoring Walter;
00:10:00 - Gift from the Pas Tout La Club;
00:12:40 - Jackie Caillier;
00:14:30 - Walter's speech;
00:16:30 - Procession around the dance floor; Band starts again;
00:21:30 - La valse de tout le monde (Jackie Caillier on accordion, Ronald Prejean on drums, Haas Cormier on bass, Chad Cormier on fiddle, and Junior Martin on steel guitar);
Interview with Wayne Toups; Show at Pat's Atchafalaya Club;
Interview with Wayne Toups;
00:00:00 - Soundcheck and intro;
00:01:05 - He learned his first song from his brother; Grew up listening to Cajun music; First song was the Wedding March;
00:02:07 - Talks about the accordion; He uses accordion to play more than Cajun music; He's been playing since February, 1972; His first gig was at the OST Club in Rayne in November, 1972; First time he sang on stage was with Milton Adams and the Crowley Cajuns at Marie's Lounge in Kaplan when he was 13;
00:04:15 - He is motivated by the music and his culture; Playing music with an edge;
00:05:17 - Career highlights: he played for President Clinton, George Lucas' Christmas party, toured South America, Europe; His favorite memories are playing for $50 a night driving around and sleeping in his van; 21 day tour with Carole King;
00:07:35 - He is most proud of his son, Darrell; He plays the congas;
00:08:10 - Most difficult challenges as a musician; Not getting recognition through media (on the radio, for example); More stations play Cajun and zydeco music now, but not when he started; Early touring days were a struggle;
00:11:15 - Relationship between band and audience; His band loves to play, so audience size doesn't matter;
00:12:05 - Playing in Louisiana vs. elsewhere; People out of state are sometimes more appreciative because the music is uncommon; Crowd sings along and claps;
00:13:35 - Language; He built his career on this language, it's the root of his music; Passionate language;
00:15:35 - Musicians who he looks up to: Walter Mouton, Clifton Chenier, Belton Richard, Aldus Roger, Iry Lejeune, Otis Redding, Allman Brothers, Aretha Franklin;
00:17:11 - Musicians he has influenced: Damon Troy, Dustin Ray, Hunter Hayes, Kiki Bourque, Jimmy Breaux, Jamie Bearb, Jason Bergeron;
00:19:00 - Advice to younger musicians; Do it for the love, not for the money; Be able to sacrifice; Lost time with his family;
00:21:55 - He feels lucky to be a part of something special that continues to grow;
00:23:17 - Questions about licensing for his show later that evening;
Show at Pat's Atchafalaya Club around Mardi Gras;
00:24:05 - Mardi Gras;
00:26:30 - Wayne Toups and his band before the show;
00:28:50 - Greeting fans before the show;
00:31:15 - Zydecajun Train;
00:34:30 - Sugar Bee;
00:37:52 - Mon ami;
00:40:58 - Quand j'étais pauvre;
00:45:42 - La valse de couillon;
00:49:04 - Zydeco sont pas salé;
00:55:28 - La porte d'en arrière;
01:00:05 - Tupelo Honey;
Wayne Toups at Pat's Atchafalaya Club II
00:00:22 - Evangeline Special;
00:04:38 - Couillon;
00:08:37 - I Don't Want You Anymore (sound changes);
00:12:48 - Hold the Line (Don Hayes on keyboard and vocals);
00:16:30 - Let's Fall In Love (All Over Again);
00:19:48 - Grand Night Special / Grand Nuit;
00:24:14 - Johnny Can't Dance;
00:27:23 - Sweet Joline;
00:29:20 - Tous les temps en temps;
00:31:09 - New Orleans Ladies;
00:35:09 - Les flammes d'enfer;
00:39:02 - Sometimes All It Takes (Audio is hard to hear);
00:41:00 - Rock song;
00:46:25 - Big Mamou;
00:47:00 - Take My Hand;
00:53:00 - Encore;
Wayne Toups at Pat's Atchafalaya Club III; Interview with Thomas “Big Hat” Fields
Wayne Toups at Pat's Atchafalaya Club – Last song;
Interview with Thomas “Big Hat” Fields;
00:03:33 - Screen test;
00:05:12 - He played rub board as a kid; He talks about an old accordion player named Claude Fox; He was five and would play with them; When he was 44, his wife bought a French poodle and he bought an accordion;
00:06:15 - He grew up with the music; His grandmother did not speak any English; His great grandmother played accordion; Several family members played accordion; He's been playing for 18 years;
00:07:55 - He is motivated to play because he likes it; Doesn't do it for money; He danced before started playing; He didn't expect to have a band;
00:09:15 - He's enjoyed all of the gigs he's played; Played a spot called Cat's Eye in Baltimore; Alameda, Seattle, Reno, Las Vegas;
00:10:50 - He's proud of the way he was raised; The old way; He was raised by his grandparents and learned a lot from them;
00:12:45 - Differences between Cajun and Creole; A lot of people don't know the difference, even local people;
00:16:10 - His has a good band; Rodney Bernard, Morris Francis, Paul Washington, Paul "The Kickin' Chicken" Edwards, Lucas Broussard, Marty Christian; They fight sometimes, but they get along;
00:18:40 - Playing music in LA vs elsewhere; People in LA are familiar with the music and people out of state appreciate it because they don't hear it often; Story about touring;
00:21:45 - They start speaking in French; Discussing why the language is important for the music;
00:22:55 - Local musicians; Paul Harris, Clifton Chenier, John Delafose, Boozoo Chavis; Zydeco music;
00:26:00 - Younger musicians; Music today is different because people are raised different; He spoke French; People played on the back porch and played what they felt; Younger musicians are changing the music and making money, but it isn't the same as real Cajun and Creole music;
00:32:10 - He hopes that he has influenced younger people; Paul Harris told him anybody could be a copycat, but if you want to play zydeco you got to make your own;
00:36:15 - Advice to younger musicians; Keep the culture and keep a level head; Stay away from the hard stuff and take care of their business;
00:37:55 - He just wants to keep promoting the culture in the right way;
00:38:50 - They ask why his nick name is Big Hat; Cowboys; He always wore a cowboy hat; Big Hat Club in Grand Coteau;
00:41:05 - He's finishes concrete and cement; He's had a lot of jobs;
00:44:10 - His grandparents; His grandfather, Frank Senegal, came from the Cape Verde Islands; They all worked with horses; Horse treaters; His grandmother was Creole and Cajun;
00:46:45 - He was raised in Rayne; His grandfather was a farmer; Boudin was $0.05 a piece;
00:50:50 - They talk about copyright/licensing and his show that night;
00:59:30 - La La vs zydeco;
Thomas "Big Hat" Fields and his band
Thomas "Big Hat" Fields, Rodney Bernard, Morris Francis, Paul Washington, Paul "The Kickin' Chicken" Edwards, Lucas Broussard, Marty Christian;
00:01:50 - Josephine;
00:04:35 - Hound Dog;
00:07:48 - Five Long Years;
00:13:48 - Two-step;
00:17:47 - Hey Hey Therese;
00:22:36 - Madame Sostan;
00:26:54 - Tous les temps en temps;
00:31:45 - Big Legged Woman;
00:36:55 - Tu m'après marcher plancher;
00:41:44 - Kansas City;
00:45:01 - Take Off Your Shoes;
00:49:51 - That Butt Thang;
00:53:13 - Rock Me Baby;
Interview with Geno Delafose
00:00:00 - (no audio) Footage of Geno at his ranch riding horses; Horses in the stable;
00:13:22 - Interview starts;
00:14:50 - He started playing rubboard with his dad, John Delafose, when he was 7; Drums at 10, then accordion at 13; They played at Richard's Club, Slim's Y-Ki-Ki, Church Hall in Basile, Church Point, Lake Charles; Houston and Port Arthur; He's been playing for 31 years;
00:15:50 - He wants to play until he can't anymore; He is motivated by his fans; It's a way of life for him; He makes a living from it now; He also works at his ranch and for a lawn service company out of Houston; Also, a substitute bus driver;
00:17:30 - Career highlights; Getting popular around home; At first, he mostly played out of state; Touring; His van had around 212 miles when he bought it and 413,000 miles when he sold it;
00:20:20 - He wouldn't want to live anywhere else; People aren't used to seeing Creole cowboys out of state;
00:22:40 - He works to make a living; He always wanted to bring black and white people together through his music; His first gig at a Cajun club was at Whiskey River playing drums with Balfa Toujours; Soon after, he played there with his own band; Grant Street; Whiskey River opened up other opportunities;
00:26:40 - He is playing what he grew up listening to;
00:27:50 - At first, he worked all the time and didn't make much money; Took a long time to get his name out there;
00:29:20 - His band; They interact with the audience;
00:30:05 - Differences playing in or out of state; People out of state have learned more about music and dancing;
00:31:50 - (interview in French); His grandma did not speak English; Cajun and zydeco music is sung in French;
00:33:00 - His influences are his father, Bois-sec Ardoin and his family, Canray Fontenot, Preston Frank and his family, Clifton Chenier;
00:35:40 - Young musicians; Advice to young musicians; Finish school; A musician's life is hard;
00:39:33 - His nephew plays with them sometimes;
00:40:00 - B roll footage; Talk about licensing;
0043:40 - He talks about his friend Roland Smith who taught him a lot about life;
00:47:40 - Eunice B roll footage; Cajun music hall of fame and museum; Liberty;
Interview with Goldman Thibodeaux
00:01:25 - Bébé, Eraste, and Calvin Carrière; His mom was first cousins with the Carrières; He played triangle and rub board and sang before accordion; Mostly house dances, not a lot of nightclubs; Delton Broussard and Calvin Carrière told him he should start playing;
00:03:20 - He was 50 when he decided to buy an accordion; Elton Doucet in Richard builds accordions; His friend, Fruge, got one too; He paid $300 for it;
00:07:55 - The Carrières and Delton gave him good advice; Bois Sec Ardoin; He saw Amédé Ardoin one time in person; Tracey Schwarz; His CDs;
00:11:00 - Talks about meeting Cedric Watson; Corey Ledet; Difference between zydeco and Creole music;
00:12:20 - Clifton Chenier started zydeco; Creole music and Cajun music is first cousins, but Creole music is a little more bluesy;
00:13:30 - Story about meeting Amédé Ardoin as a kid; House dance on a Sunday afternoon; He was 8 or 9; Ardoin's accordion was in a sack tied to his saddle; He played for about 3 hours; They passed a hat around for his payment;
00:17:00 - His parents bought Amédé's records; His first record was in 1929;
00:18:15 - He enjoys playing music and helping the people; His dad was a sharecropper; He stayed and helped his parents repair their house; His mother only spoke French;
00:22:10 - (Interview switches to French); Importance of preserving the French language; French in school is different than Creole;
00:25:25 - Singing in French;
00:28:35 - The relationship between his band and the audience;
00:32:00 - Motivation to continue playing for so long; It's not about money; Radio; He listened to Grand Old Opry, Amédé Ardoin, Amédé Breaux, Joe Falcon;
00:37:30 - The Carrière's music; Bébé recorded Bluerunner, Madame Faielle, Two-step de Coteau, Two-step de Creole;
00:40:10 - *Ask Marie to translate this section*; Picking cotton; Cornbread; Dancing two-steps and waltzes;
00:46:15 - His first song on his first CD;
00:49:39 - B-roll footage of his house;
Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie at Whiskey River
00:00:18 - Talking to a man in his truck;
00:01:06 - B-roll footage of Whiskey River;
00:06:35 - Talking to people at the entrance;
00:07:45 - Inside before the show;
00:10:40 - First song;
00:14:00 - Geno Zydeco;
00:17:29 - Hey chère gardez donc chère;
00:21:38 - J'aimerais te pardonner;
00:25:29 - Quoi faire;
00:28:45 - Fait pas tout ça;
00:32:00 - Une autre soir ennuyant;
00:36:00 - Oh bye-bye catin;
00:40:10 - Introduces Pat Stelly, his guitar player; It's his birthday;
00:41:00 - La pointe aux pins;
00:45:30 - Eunice Two-step / Bayou Teche Two-step;
00:49:00 - Promised Land;
00:54:34 - Chère tout tout;
00:58:34 - Everybody's Dancin';
Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie at Whiskey River II; Lil' Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers at Café des Amis
Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie at Whiskey River II;
00:00:00 - Oh Bye Bye;
00:03:38 - Don't Shake My Tree;
00:08:45 - Bee de la manche;
00:13:12 - Maltida;
00:16:49 - Hold That Mule (?);
00:21:57 - B-roll footage from outside;
Lil' Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers at Café des Amis, Breaux Bridge, LA;
00:25:13 - B-roll footage of Café des Amis before show;
00:28:25 - My Squeezebox;
00:33:22 - Song (title?);
00:37:36 - Song (title?);
00:38:47 - Song (title?);
00:41:24 - Zydeco Heehaw;
00:44:10 - I Got Loaded;
00:49:00 - Song (title?);
00:52:35 - We Gonna Party;
00:58:40 - Boozoo song / Mardi Gras;
01:02:07 - Why;