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The Louisiana Folklore Council, in partnership with the Louisiana Folklore Society, will honor heritage bearers throughout October in celebration of the eighth annual Folklore Month.
Six heritage bearers, individuals who continue to perpetuate the state’s heritage, will be recognized for their work at various Louisiana events. The recipients are Mary Alice Vanderwaters, Andrew Miller, Alton Armstrong, Lonnie “Butch” Cooksy Jr., Nelson Harris and Rhonda Remedies Gauthier.
Maida Owens, director of the Folklife Program, emphasized the importance of rewarding individuals.
“It’s a way of paying attention and rewarding those who often spend decades and decades making sure their traditions live on within their communities,” Owens said.
Owens explained that heritage bearers are part of Louisiana’s indigenous communities — descendants of early settlers from European and African communities that have lived here for hundreds of years. They are selected by local folklorists and other cultural workers to increase appreciation for the role they play in maintaining Louisiana folklore.
Singer-songwriter Mary Alice Vanderwaters from Rapides Parish made her own guitar at the age of 7 out of a plank and rubber bands after her brother wouldn’t let her play it. She joined her first bluegrass band and started writing songs as a teenager. She is a longtime member of the Nashville Songwriting Society and now performs at songwriting rounds, churches and festivals. She will be honored at Troubadours Songwriter Night at Fighting Hand Brewing Company at 1600 Military Highway in Pineville on October 19 at 6:30pm.
Andrew “Chef Drew” Miller learned how to make food with love from the best chef he knew: his late mother, Eleanor B. Miller. Drew studied culinary arts at Sclafani’s culinary school and soon began working in the field. In 2000, Chef Drew founded Miller Thyme Catering. When he wanted to add something sweet to the menu, he thought of bread pudding. After trying this recipe and adding his own flair, Banana Foster Bread Pudding was born. It quickly became a signature dish and one of his most popular dishes. He will be honored Oct. 26 at 3 p.m. at Dillard University’s Georges Auditorium (2601 Gentilly Blvd). in New Orleans.
Alton “Lil’ Tiger” Armstrong has been part of the Creole carnival box hat and screen mask tradition since 1969. Lafayette’s oldest Creole carnival mask and performance tradition features brightly colored costumes, often with painted wire masks and square mortar-style hats, made of cardboard and decorated with strips of crepe paper. a part of. Armstrong is one of the few remaining participants in the tradition, which he is trying to pass on to a new generation, including his grandson. He will be honored at the Festivals Acadiens et Créoles on October 15th at 11:30am at the Atelier Stage, 500 Girard Park Drive, Lafayette.
Beginning at age eight, Lonnie “Butch” Cooksey Jr. played guitar in his family gospel and bluegrass band The Cooksey Family. During his 63-year career, he has been an inspiration and a continuing resource for young people learning this traditional form of music and the instruments it uses: banjo, mandolin, guitar, violin, and dubro. Cooksey is also a successful sound technician, supporting performances at bluegrass festivals, churches and other venues. He will be honored at Faith Apostolic Church, 26660 James Capel Road, Houghton, on 16 October at 11:00am.
When Nelson Harris was in his 20s, he met Melvin Williams, who was playing drums at the park, who invited Harris to try his hand at conga drums. Since then, Williams has been his teacher. Since then, Harris has become well known at Terrebonne Parish for playing traditional and African styles of bongos and congas. When asked about how playing the drums made him feel, Harris said: “When I play the drums, I can really hear it coming down the wall. I can hear it falling off the floor. I can hear it. Ringtones inside. I can play it a lot of different ways and a lot of times I try to capture it with one sound and it loses me so I chase it.” He will be at Houma Books on October 23 at 3:00pm Honored on the main stage of the Rougarou Festival at 132 Guan Avenue.
Rhonda Gauthier, a member of the Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebar, Louisiana and president of the Ho Minti Society, Inc., grew up outside of Zwolle. As a young girl, she began to learn traditional arts from women in her immediate and extended family, including crocheting, embroidery, hand sewing, quilting, cooking, baking and animal care. Her grandmother taught her midwifery, using natural herbs to treat common ailments and growing herbs. After earning a BA in Anthropology and History from Northwestern State University, she pursued a successful career in historical interpretation and cultural preservation at various locations in Northwest Louisiana. After retirement, she continued to volunteer. She was honored on October 8 at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Northwest Louisiana History Museum in Natchtosh.
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