Fall 2024

Fall 2024 | La Veillée

Before Plessy: The Louisiana Creole Pioneers against Segregation | La Veillée

A look at Homere Adolphe Plessy, the French-speaking New Orleans Creole at the heart of the infamous Plessy vs. Ferguson case and the Creole community organizations that mobilized to fight for freedom and equality. In Louisiana French with English subtitles.

The Last Frenchies: Cajun French Veterans of WWII | La Veillée

During WWII, young men across the United States joined the army to fight the Nazis and liberate France. In Louisiana, a significant portion of these young recruits had a hidden asset: their native language was French. These Cajun-French-speaking soldiers became known as "Frenchies" as their language skills proved indispensable to the war effort in France. Now, 80 years after D-Day, only three known Frenchies remain: Prigeon Fontenot of Rayne, Norris Morvant of Thibodaux, and Shirley Guidry of Jennings. We speak with these heroes about their experience in the war, their fight for freedom, their upbringing in Louisiana, and their Francophone identity.

Sunpie: Sustaining Creole Language, Culture & Music in New Orleans | La Veillée

Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes is a renowned culture bearer, naturalist, and musician in New Orleans who has developed his own style of Afro-Louisiana music, blending zydeco, blues, gospel, jazz, and African and Afro-Caribbean music. Sunpie also works to sustain the unique linguistic, cultural, and natural landscape of Louisiana, speaking Louisiana Creole fluently and serving as Big Chief of the North Side Skull and Bone Gang. As is common in many Louisiana musical families, Bruce was first introduced to music by his family—inheriting the name “Sunpie” from his uncle. In turn, Bruce has passed on his musical, linguistic, and cultural heritage—and the “Sunpie” name—to his son Aurélien “Sunpie” Barnes, a thrice-Grammy-nominated musician and trumpetist for the Rumble. In this episode of La Veillée, we speak to Sunpie and his son about what makes New Orleans music unique, how they have learned from their roots, and why they are so committed to carrying Louisiana traditions including our music and French and Creole languages into the future.

Zydeco: A Louisiana Creole Musical Evolution | La Veillée

Zydeco is one of the most famous genres of Louisiana music. At the 50th anniversary of Festivals Acadiens et Creoles, we interview contemporary Zydeco musicians Cedric Watson, Ed Poullard, and CJ Chenier on what makes Zydeco music unique and how the genre has evolved since the days of legends like Clifton Chenier and Ida Guillory.

The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana: A People of Peoples | La Veillée

This week, we visit one of Louisiana's four federally recognized Native American Tribes: the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, based near Marksville in Avoyelles Parish. Drawing on archival and present day interviews in French, we learn about the Tribe's diverse origins linked to several Indigenous Nations, its relationship with French and Spanish colonial powers, and its fight for federal recognition and land sovereignty. We also explore the Tribe's central place in Louisiana's cultural fabric and specifically the interrelationship between Louisiana French and Tunica, one of the Tribe's indigenous languages.

Alligator Hunting: How It’s Done and Why It Matters | La Veillée

In the season 3 premiere of La Veillée on LPB, the team revisits the topic of alligator hunting with a focus on the process of hunting and its economic and cultural significance. To this end, we first visit musician Jourdan Thibodeaux at Cypress Cove in St. Martin Parish where he takes us on a hunt in the Atchafalaya and explains the steps in the process. We then talk to longtime alligator hunter Ernie Calais in French and Creole about his upbringing in this area and the impact of alligator hunting on local food, artisanry, and culture.