‘On est tou Creole’

By: ELIZABETH WEST
Associate Editor

With John LaFleur uttering the words “On est tou Creole” (We are all Creole) and “Louisiana is our cultural mother,” the bottle of champagne was popped. That kicked off Sunday’s Bastille Day Commemoration and International Heritage Festival, which honored the culture and people of the Louisiana Creole heritage.
President of the St. Landry Genealogy Society Etha Amling enjoyed her time at last weekend’s event.
“It was beautiful,” Amling said. “I know that this event will continue to get bigger and bigger, which is great,” said Amling.
James Douget, who was attending the festival for the third time, sees the history that the festival shares as a very important and educational experience for adults and children.
“Events like this one are important because they keep our heritage alive as well as inform people about the history we have right here in our backyard,” Douget said. “People don’t realize the history that is right here.”
The festival paid tribute to our ancestors who settled in Louisiana back in the 1600s and created a culture that can only be understood by the people living here today.
Father Jason Vidrine performed a Catholic Mass at the beginning of the festival, which was primarily performed in French. The French mass was one of Amling’s favorite parts of the festival.
“It connected me back to my childhood because I learned my prayers in French from my grandmother first,” Amling said. “I didn’t learn them in English until I went to school.”
This festival reminds people that Creole is not a particular race but it is one culture that was formed by people who came from a variety of different backgrounds, including Native American, French, African, German and many more.
“We are all Creole here in Louisiana,” LaFleur added.
To continue paying tribute to the different cultures that have influenced the Creole culture, Indian Chief John Mayeux of the Avoyelles Choctaw Association, who identifies as Creole, performed an Indian Benediction.
Before giving the benediction Mayeaux explained, “A story has been passed down from generation to generation of how Native Americans were told that the white man would come to this land one day and they would not know how to live off of the land here. It would be our duty to teach them how.”
As the day continued there were a variety of fun activities set up for adults and children to partake in along with authentic creole food for those in attendance to enjoy. There was a Creole Ladies Beaux Chapeaux (Beautiful Hat) Contest that ladies entered into, La Valse et la Danse de Creoles et de Cajuns Contest (The waltz and the Dance of Creoles and of Cajuns) for couples to enter, and also a competition for the children in attendance called The Game of Graces.
As Horace Trahan’s band played on, the people in attendance at the festival were able to spend their afternoon enjoying sharing in a way of life.