If you are interested in Cajun culture, or Evangeline, here are some other resources that you'll find to be of great value:
Audio Readings:
Audio cassette reading of the entire poem,
Evangeline. Read by Joan Orenstein
Nimbus Publishing, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. 1-800-846-2879 Fax:
1-888-253-3133
Web: http://www.nimbus.ns.ca
Email: info@nimbus.ns.ca
Art:
Cajun Village. Commercial site that previews and sells works by Cajun artists, about the Cajun people. http://cajunvillage.com/
Books:
Du Centre des Etudes Louisinaises (Center for Louisiana Studies)
PO Box 40831
University of Southwestern Louisiana
Lafayette, Louisiana 70504-0831
(318) 231-6027:
Brasseaux, C. "Scattered to the Wind": Dispersal and Wanderings of the Acadians.
Barry, Jean Ancelet. "Capitaine Voyage Ton Flag": The Traditional Cajun Country Mardi Gras.
Barry, Jean Ancelet. Cajun Music: Its Origins and Development.
Brasseaux, C, & Conrad. A Bibliography of Scholarly Literature on Colonial Louisiana and New France
Brasseaux, C. In Search of Evangeline: Birth and Evolution of the Evangeline Myth. Blue Herron Press. (504) 446-8201
Brasseaux, C. A. (1987). The Founding of New Acadia. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press.
Edwards, J.D. (1988). Louisiana's Remarkable French Vernacular Architecture. Baton Rouge, LA: Geoscience Publications, Louisiana State University.
Edwards, J.D. (1987). The Founding of New Acadia . Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press.
Heck, R. (1978). Building Traditions in the Acadian Parishes. In G. Conrad (ed)The Cajuns: Essays on their Culture and History (pp. 161-72). Lafayette, LA: Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Southwestern Louisiana.
Knipmeyer, W. B. (1951). A Culturo-Geographic Analysis of the Bayou Settlements of Southeastern Louisiana. In in, F. Kniffen (ed.) Cultural Survey of Lousisiana. Baton Rouge, LA: LSU Special Collections, U.S. Office of Naval Research.
Robin, C. C. (1966). A Voyage to Louisiana 1803-05 (Traduit par S. O. Landry, Jr.). New Orleans, LA: Pelican Publishing Co.
Robin, C. C. (1987). The Architecture of Colonial Louisiana. Collected essays, compiled and edited by J. M. Farnsworth and A. M. Masson. Lafayette, LA: Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Southwestern Louisiana.
Savoy, Ann Allen. Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People. (Le premier livre sur l'histoire de la musique cadienne avec des biographies de musiciens, de belles photos, des partitions, et davantage.)
Cajun Visits:
(Resources provided by Maida Owens)
- Vermilionville in Lafayette is has many Cajun "interpretation" programs, and is definitely worth a visit.
- Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
Prairie Acadian Cultural Unit
PO Box 1106
Eunice Louisiana 70535
(318) 457-7389
Jean Lafitte Park, Acadian Unit
PO Box 81081
Lafayette, LA 70598
318 232 0789
City of Eunice has an excellent country Mardi Gras
City of Eunice
PO Box 1106
Eunice, Louisiana 70535
(318) 457-7389
Tee-Mamou/Iota Folklife Festival
PO Box 468
Iota, LA. 70543
(318) 779-2597 (City Hall)
- The Louisiana State Museum has a permanent exhibit of traditional Louisiana Mardi Gras.
The Mint
400 Esplanade Avenue
New Orleans, LA
(504) 568-6972
- The Louisiana Humanities Resource Center
Dr. Jean T. Kreamer
USL Box 40396
University of Southwestern Louisiana
Lafayette, LA 70504
(318) 231-6781
Video:
From Pat Mire (Attakapas Productions, PO Box 821, Eunice, La. 70535 (318) 457-8214):
--Dance for a Chicken - The Cajun Mardi Gras. (The video contains nearly a dozen different Mardi Gras runs in communities across southwestern Louisiana.)
--"Anything I Catch..." The Handfishing Story $20 + s/h
(Folklife researcher Pat Mire teams up with veteran filmmaker and cinematographer Charles Bush to beautifully capture the natural drama of handfishing in this award-winning cultural documentary. This highly visual program examines the thrilling regional phenomenon of Cajuns who wade in murky bayou waters to catch huge catfish and turtles by reaching into hollow logs and stumps with their bare hands. Friends and family accompany the handfishermanto the bayou banks for festive cooking, storytelling, Cajun music, and to witness this increasingly rare tradition. Told from the inside with multiple voices, Mire and Bush explore the chain of events set off by man's attempt to "improve" his environment by dredging bayous in this remarkable study of the relationship between cultural and natural resources. Sadly, man's abuse of the bayous had unforeseen cultural impact and has virtually eliminated this vestige of the traditional folk community which served to bind families and neighbors together.)
--Wildflowers of the Cajun Prairie
(Beautiful wildflowers and grasses, some reaching shoulder height, once covered the southwest Louisiana prairie attracting a multitude of butterflies. Fragments of this natural prarie habitat are found in remnant strips along railroad right-of-ways that have never been cultivated. Wildflowers of the Cajun Prairie features the study and restoration efforts of the native southwest Louisiana prairie wildflower habitat.)
From Flower Films (El Cerrito California, (415) 525-0942):
--J'ai ete au bal (I went to the dance)
Vividly covers the history of Cajun and Zydeco music. Inspired and exhilarating, coherent and fascinating. Featuring the music of Michael Doucet, Beausoleil, Queen Ida, Wayne Toups, Marc and Ann Savoy, D.L. Menard, Joe and Cleoma Falcon, and many, many more. Music fans will love this one!
--Marc and Ann
The inside story of Marc and Ann Savoy, two of Cajun musics most beloved players. The movie explores how Cajun music is the glue that holds Marc and Anns relationship together and how it affects the culture they love.
From Yasha Aginsky:
--Les Blues De Balfa - The Dewey Balfa story.
--Cajun Visits . (Visit six Cajun homes and discuss the lifestyles with the residents).
THE ACADIAN CONNECTION
The LeBlanc Family in North America
NFB CINEMA
You'll find them in nearly every telephone book in North America!
They're
everywhere" More than 250,000! They're the Acadian LeBlancs and
they're all
descended from a single couple -- Daniel LeBlanc and FranÁoise
Gaudet,
French settlers who arrived in Acadia (Nova Scotia) in the early
1600s.
"The Acadian Connection" is filmmaker Monique LeBlanc's affectionate
tribute
to her far-flung clan. The film follows LeBlanc as she journeys
across
Canada and the United States discovering the qualities that have
enabled
her family and culture to thrive since the British expelled the
Acadians from
their lands in 1755. During her travels, she meets a fascinating
assortment
of Acadians and Cajuns whose energy and joie de vivre help explain
their
phenomenal success.
With upbeat humour, the filmmaker profiles ten of her distant
relatives.
There's Eric LeBlanc, a teenager from Richibucto, New Brunswick, who
hiked
the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine; Claudette LeBlanc from
Barrie,
Ontario, who's a world-renowned soprano; Hollywood hairdresser Paul
LeBlanc,
who won an Oscar for his work on Amadeus; Albert Leblanc from Maria,
QuÈbec,
who's cycled around the world four times; and "Big Daddy" George,
who
proudly takes the filmmaker for a spin in one of his custom-made
automobiles.
LeBlanc acknowledges the historic importance of the 1755 British
deportation
of Acadians, but avoids emphasizing the tragic aspects of her
people's
history. "This is not a film about defeat," she says. "I discovered a
group
of determined and independent-minded people with the courage to
pursue their
dreams," says LeBlanc. "I really believe this willpower has played
an
important role in our collective survival. This is not a film about
fiddles
and crawfish. It's about the traits that give a family and a people
the
strength to look to the future instead of dwelling on the past."
"The Acadian Connection" is a lively and loving tribute to the strong
and
often invisible ties that hold families and cultures together.
From
California to New Brunswick, from Ontario to Louisiana, Monique
LeBlanc
finds the dreams and determination of her ancestors living on in the
hearts
of her cousins, no matter where they make their homes. "The
Acadian
Connection" is about the profound ties that bind family and culture
in a
world where so many people seek a sense of belonging.
This film appeals to anyone who cares about family, history and
identity,
especially if they have an interest in Acadian or Cajun culture.
The 80-minute "The Acadian Connection" is available on home video
for
$24.95 (Canadian) and can be ordered through the National Film Board
at
(212) 629-8890 or on their website at: http://www.nfb.ca/
Also available:
Evangeline's Quest
Published in 1847, Evangeline. A Tale of Acadie
has enjoyed such outstanding success that its heroine has become
legendary as a universal symbol of courage and fidelity. This tale of
a young Acadian woman who was separated from her fiancé during
the 1755 Deporation has been translated into 130 languages and
published in 300 editions. This fascinating documentary examines the
breadth of the Evangeline phenomenon, from literary success to myth,
trademark and muse. Peppered with anecdotes and other details,
Evangelin's Quest takes us from Grand-Pré to Louisiana,
through Cambridge and Moncton. During the voyage, we see the world
through our heroine's eyes and words. Although Evangelin is a
fictional character, through this voyage of imagination, we
appreciate her very real impact on contemporary culture. For millions
around the world who are familiar with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's
creation--as well as for those who are not--Evangeline's Quest
promises to be a rich source of discovery and fascination.
http://www.nfb.ca/
Music:
Cajun French Music Association (CFMA)
Dedicated to promoting Cajun French music, this site also hosts a Cajun music Hall of Fame, radio programs, biographies, a discussion group, some historical information. A very good site. Biographies of Cajun and Zydeco musicians: http://www.cajunfrenchmusic.org/biographies/ and http://www.cajunfrenchmusic.org/
Gary Hayman's ZydE-Magic Music & Dance Site http://www.erols.com/ghayman/
LouisianaRadio.com
Music? Sure, we have music. Louisianaradio.com specializes in broadcasting Louisiana music over the Internet. In addition to Cajun music, the firm broadcasts French language broadcasts on Sundays, as well as Zydeco, and other forms of Louisiana music. Visit them at: http://www.louisianaradio.com
Zyde.com
Zyde.com - "The Internet Magazine for Louisiana Music". A not-for-profit project dedicated to preserving and promoting Cajun, Jazz, Blues, Zydeco, Rock and all Louisiana music. http://members.aol.com/zydecom/page1.htm