LA PAROLE Newsletter of the Acadian Museum By: Chairman Warren A. Perrin Acadian Heritage and Culture Foundation, Inc. 203 S. Broadway, Erath, Louisiana 70533 (337) 233-5832; 937-5468 www.acadianmuseum.com June 25, 2014 $ You are on the museum's email list to receive La Parole. If you know of anyone who would like to receive it, please forward their name and email address to my secretary Darylin at: darylinb@plddo.com. If you no longer want to receive future issues, please advise at the email noted above. $ Two new books to be released at the Congrès mondial acadien 2014! $ Acadie Then and Now: A People s History and the French version L Acadie Hier et Aujourd Hui: L Histoire d Un Peuple by Mary Broussard Perrin, Phil Comeau and me will both be released on August 18, 2014, on Louisiana Day at the Congrès mondial acadien 2014, in Grand Falls, New Brunswick, in the Louisiana Pavillion. The book is an international collection of articles from 50 authors which chronicle the historical and contemporary realities of the Acadian and Cajun people worldwide. In 1605, French colonists settled Acadie (today Nova Scotia, Canada) and for the next 150 years developed a strong and unique Acadian culture. In 1755, the British conducted forced deportations of the Acadians, rendering thousands homeless, and for the next 60 years these exiles migrated to seaports along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, eventually settling in new lands. This tragic upheaval did not succeed in extinguishing the Acadians as intended, but instead planted the seeds of many new Acadies where today their fascinating culture still thrives. This collection includes 65 articles on the Acadians and Cajuns living today in the American states of Louisiana, Texas, and Maine; in the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Quebec; and in the French regions of Poitou, Belle-Ile-en-Mer, and St-Pierre et Miquelon. This book takes an international perspective which provides the readers with new insights on the past, the present, and the future of the Acadian descendants from all of the Acadies of the world. The Louisiana book launch will be held in September (date to be confirmed). Acadie Then and Now: A People s History by Warren A. Perrin, Mary Broussard Perrin and Phil Comeau Andrepont Publishing Price: $29.95
$ Brenda Trahan announced that on August 18 th and 19 th, Louisiane-Acadie, Inc. with the Louisiana Office of Tourism will be hosting book launches during the Congrès mondial acadien 2014, including Dr. Barry Ancelet, Zachary Richard and Richard Holledge. $ Everyone is invited to attend the Living Legend induction ceremony. Recent inductees were: Wallace Broussard and William Willie Broussard on January 25, 2014;; Dr. Glynn Granger on February 22, 2014; Donna and Calvin Touchet on March 8; Gloria Conlin on April 5; Elwood Paul LeBlanc on May 17; and Paul Bergeron on June 14 th. Upcoming inductions are: Pat Campbell on July 12 th in Erath at the Museum Café. The Acadian Memorial invites you to the annual worldwide Day of Remembrance as established by the Queen s Royal Proclamation at the memorial on July 28, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. where the Acadian Museum of Erath will recognize and honor R. Martin Marty Guidry, Ph.D. as a Living Legend. All are invited to attend $ In preparation for the upcoming Congrès mondial acadien 2014 in August, Earlene Broussard is attempting to identify Cajuns who attended the first Congres in New Brunswick in 1994. Once identified, there will be a special designation if they return for the upcoming Congrès in August. If you or someone you know attended the first Congrès please send an email or call Earlene at (337) 257-2010, earlenb@lsu.edu. $ Cheryl Perret has told us that the new NAP graduate assistant, Maegan Smith (ancestor of Joseph and Alexandre), will begin management of the NAP Facebook page. Maegan will keep followers abreast of her work in the field, will post links to Dr. Ree's NAP blog site, and will post other information significant to the project. If you have any information that you are aware of that the rest of us may not know about (like Alan hearing the blip on 97.3 radio, any articles written, NAP presentations made), related to the project, please forward to Maegan at maegan_smith@att.net for posting. Work in the field is now underway! Mary and I are considering writing a book on the NAP project and donating all profits to the project. $ LSU Law Professor Oliver Moreteau was awarded the John Ashby Hernandez III Memorial Francophone Leadership Award by the Louisiana State Bar Association at the General Assembly and House of Delegates meeting. As chairman of the Francophone Section I had the honor of presenting the award to Prof. Moreteau for his outstanding service to the bar of Louisiana. Here are my comments for the award ceremony at the Bar Convention in Destin, Florida on June 5: Professor Olivier Moréteau is developing a website making the Louisiana Civil Code accessible in English and in French. The French translation is prepared by French students in a Master of Trilingual Legal Studies
at University of Nantes, visiting at LSU in the spring during a period of three months. Scholars visiting from France also participate in the project. Nearly two-thirds of the Code has been translated to date. Full titles of the Code have already been published in bilingual form in the Journal of Civil Law Studies. The translation project increases the worldwide visibility of the Louisiana Civil Code and its revision process. Other sites created by Professor Moréteau at the Center of Civil Law Studies feature older versions of the Louisiana Civil Code: Digest of 1808, Compiled Edition of the Civil Codes of Louisiana Professor Moréteau has also published, in English and in French, leading articles on the experience of codification in Louisiana. Here are links to the online Louisiana Civil Code page http://www.law.lsu.edu/index.cfm?geaux=clo.lcco and to the published parts http://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/jcls/vol5/iss1/8/ and http://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/jcls/vol6/iss2/9/. $ Attention! Join in this all-inclusive Our Acadian Heritage Tour in France next fall! The dates: September 5th to 19th 2014. The link below takes you to the appropriate location on Novacadie's website to read everything about it, see the itinerary and easily register on line. Centered on our rich Acadian heritage in beautiful France, the most visited country in the world, this travel agency is in a position to provide a focused experience. It is truly unforgettable to see the villages of your forefathers in rural France, meet descendants of Acadians of post deportation returnees in various superb regions, and mingle with your friendly cousins Acadiens de France. The cuisine and wines will ensure the ultimate comfort throughout this two-week long trip of a lifetime! Phone and/or email at: 902-678-7560; info@novacadie.ca; http://www.novacadie.ca/upcoming-tours. $ The Center for Louisiana Studies director published a new book: Dr. Michael S. Martin recently published Russell Long: A life in Politics through the University Press of Mississippi. Former U.S. Senator J. Bennett Johnston commends the book for highlight[ing] the open-mindedness and flexibility of Senator Long and considers it an excellent how to to break the legislative impasse. $ Do you speak French or Creole? Come join us le 3ème Lundi du mois (3 rd Monday of the month), beginning June 16, at the Acadian Memorial in St. Martinville from noon to 1pm. Bring your lunch; beverages provided! $ Come July, Santana Mitchell, a 16-year old who learned to speak French in Lafayette Parish schools, will have the city of Paris as his classroom as he participates in a program sponsored by the French government. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Institut Français inaugural Génération Bilingue program selected 60 students and Mitchell was
the only U.S. student selected. According to the program s website, the program is a 10- day cultural and educational experience in Vichy, where students are placed with local families for an immersive experience. The program is focused on history and the history of art and science. $ As an interpretation of the legendary Cajun loup-garou, George Rodrigue, who died last December at age 69, painted his first Blue Dog in 1984. Catapulting Rodrigue to international fame, the Blue Dog took on a life of its own. A new exhibit of works by the late George Rodrigue, some of which have never had a public showing before, is on view at the Louisiana State Archives, simply titled Blue Dog, after the image that made the artist famous. Jacob Liebert the Rodrigue Studios warehouse director says, A lot of them are George s most recent works. $ I would like to thank Lowell Leach for again inviting me to speak to the Vermilion Parish Boy Scouts on the Cajun culture. For the last few years, I have had the pleasure of speaking to them at their summer camp on the Vermilion River at Camp Steen north of Abbeville. I gave each boy an Acadian flag pin. $ The Louisiana State Museum, along with the Louisiana Museum Foundation and the Friends of the Cabildo, presents the opening of Keeping Time: Extraordinary Images from Louisiana s Musical Past at the Old U.S. Mint 400 Esplanade Ave. July 30, 2014 6pm-7pm will be the Ribbon Cutting Reception followed by Joe Krown Trio with Walter Wolfman Washington and Russell Batiste, Jr. Free admission and cash bar. $ Jugenet, a collation of francophone judges, was created the same year as Jurist-L. In fact in those years, many judges were members of both lists. If you know Jurist-L, you already know Jugenet: they serve the same purposes and work just the same. Judge Ward Fontenot is inviting all French-speaking Judges to subscribe to Jugenet; just email your name, your court appointment (civil, criminal, etc.) and your city to: laliberte@mac.com. $ Acadian Heritage Tour in France 2014 started a choir over a decade ago. They are excellent and proud to keep their connection and thankfulness for their Acadian grandfathers who saved them from the Nazis during the second World War. They perform by singing old French and Acadian songs all year round, but more so during their Festival Acadien on August 15 th along with a Tintamarre in the streets. $ On May 1 st, at a banquet held in Edmundston, New Brunswick, President Rene Léger of the SNA announced that the CMA 2019 will be held in Southeastern New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
$ Corey Porche had to learn more about the vaguely-familiar, French language that made him want to dance and play music. Without really listening to the words, Porche spent years dancing to Cajun music and zydeco. But after playing his guitar at jam sessions and receiving a CD of the legendary Balfa Brothers, Porche felt a strange gnawing inside to lean French. Not only did Porche attended the Université Sainte Anne in Pointe-del Église, Nova Scotia, he now serves as the agent en Louisiane for the school s spring land summer French immersion programs, considered one of the world s best. $ There is a new cultural experience available: The Tabasco company is now offering food tours. Vans or tour-style buses leave Avery Island in Iberia Parish on Tuesdays through Thursdays to visit six venues throughout New Iberia as part of the new enhancements at Tabasco. Visitors will enjoy cuisine and an explanation at each stop. Schaubert of Tabasco says We explain fishing for crawfish, for instance, then eat crawfish or discuss boudin and then sample boudin and show you how to eat it. We travel with you and go into the community. It s not just going to six venues and eating, but you learn about Cajun culture. $ Acadian filmmaker and writer Phil Comeau received the Prix Acadie-Québec, in Moncton, NB, on June 24. Presented by the Société nationale de l Acadie in collaboration with the government of Quebec, the annual award goes to Acadian or Québécois organizations or individuals who have been active in working towards better relations between the two communities. Since 1976, Phil Comeau has been directing films involving both communities, developing the first coproduction between the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with the first Acadian feature Le secret de Jérôme (Jerome s secret) in 1994, and has worked towards assembling the best artistic talents of both communities, and has shot films on the Acadian community in Quebec, including his recent series Les Acadiens du Québec. Comeau also won an award for Best Film at the 35e Film Festival in Palermo, Italy! Comeau has also been nominated for Best Canadian Director for his film on Acadian jockey Ron Turcotte, at the next 13th Directors Guild of Canada Awards (held in October). $ Mary and I have been invited to speak at the Babineaux/Granger Reunion on September 20 th at 11am in Lafayette. For more information, contact Joan Wingate: wingate1738@cox.net. $ A sports reporter who covers Mississippi State University for a newspaper in Columbus, Mississippi, apologized for what he said on air about Lafayette and its people. Matthew Stevens, a beat writer for The Commercial Dispatch, called Lafayette the worst place in
America, and his radio co-hosts called its residents less than people, who are impossible to understand. In response to this, I was quoted in an article in the Advertiser the words are spoken from utter ignorance, prejudice and contempt. They did exactly what the British and Col. Charles Lawrence did to the Acadians three centuries ago: they judge all by the actions of a few. How sad we still find this in humanity next door. $ On June 26 28, I will represent Louisiana in Normandy, France for the Caen Bar Convention. Thereafter, Mary and I and Philip and Debby Andrepont will tour Acadian areas in France. We will make a talk to Acadians on Belle-Isle-en-Mer. $ The Baton Rouge Poetry Slam Team will have performance/fundraiser on Thursday, June 26 th to be held at the Thentead Center in Grand Coteau. Similar in form with the ancient Samurai warriors, Charles Garrett is proficient in both literary and martial arts. A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, and a true bayou child, Charles is an active participant in MMA (mixed martial arts) competitions and a writer, with an upcoming children s book titled Fishing for Monsters and a chapbook called We Were Bones Once. The Baton Rouge Slam Team is a dynamic group of four authors/performers who competed for spots on the team. All of the team members live in Baton Rouge but hail from California, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Louisiana. The team includes Leslie D. Rose, Beck Cooper, William Brian Sain, and Roderick Minor. They are not to be missed! $ The Léger/Légère/Trahan family reunion committee is calling all musicians: violin, harmonica, accordion, guitar players, storytellers and folk singer who would be interested to take part at the Leger/Légère/Trahan family reunion on August 17 for the coming 5th Acadian World Congress. Contact Rolande Légère for more information: chiac@nb.sympatico.ca. $ Sadly, Living Legends Jimmy C. Newman and Ruth B. Broussard have died. Our condolences are with their families. $ Vermilionville Living History & Folk Life Park was the site of Franco-Jeunes quarterly Cash Mob or Piastres en Masse June 21 encouraging residents to put a little French back into the local economy. The young professional French speakers organization highlights a business that promotes the French language. $ Poverty Point State Historical Site in West Carroll Parish was selected as a World Heritage Site on June 22 nd, taking its place beside other iconic cultural landmarks such as Stonehenge in England, the Pyramid Fields at Giza in Egypt and the Great Wall of China. The U. N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization s World Heritage Committee inscribed the site by acclamation at is convention in Doha, Qatar, according to Lt. Gov.
Jay Dardenne, who sent a two-person delegation to the Middle East to advocate for Poverty Point. $ Congratulations to Brenda Mounier who will be the recipient of the 2015 Acadian Preservation Award.