An Enduring Legacy: Louisiana’s Croatian-Americans

By James Catano. Little-known even in their home state, the Croatians of Lower Plaquemines Parish have used grit and determination to build an oystering industry that has made Louisiana famous. Follow the lives of four figures who embody the 150-year Croatian experience in Louisiana and share in the history of this unique tight-knit community.

The Croatians of Lower Plaquemines parish have used grit and determination to build an oystering industry that has made Louisiana famous. Little-known even in their home state, the history of the tight-knit Croatian-American community is portrayed in this documentary through the lives of four figures who embody the 150-year Croatian experience in Louisiana: George Barisich, Domenica Cibilich, John Tesvich, and Pete Vujnovich. Seen at work on the water, in home movies, at social gatherings and in interviews in their homes, these figures put an immediate and compelling face on a people who have endured economic privation, hurricanes, loss of their homes, oil spills, and the never-ending toil of a watery farming existence. As their stories unfold, it becomes clear that these individuals offer a premier example of the American dream—and of the drama that lies behind this quintessentially American saga.

Watch this Program

Already a Friend of LPB? - View on Passport.

Not a Friend of LPB? - Join here.

Get a copy on DVD.

Get a digital download.

Search on Passport for more great programs!

Production Funding

REEL SOUTH is a co-production of UNC-TV, South Carolina ETV, and the Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) with major funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.