Nov 29 – Today’s adventure was a visit to Vermilionville Historic Village to learn about early Cajun culture. Vermilionville was the named of this area before it became Lafayette. The word Cajun is a corruption of the word Acadian, the French people who were forced to flee here from Nova Scotia in the mid 1700s to get away from the British. All the signage here is in French first, then English.
I like the primitive religious paintingsHandmade quiltsNative Houma handicraftsAn old cabin with part of the wall removed to show the Spanish moss mixed with mud used for insulationSeveral of the houses contained folksy re-enactors with stories to tell. This gentleman in the schoolhouse told how children were punished for speaking their native French dialectsThe poster showed different expressions in Cajun, Creole, French and EnglishThis lady has been hand stitching quilts here for 12 yearsThe quilt-in-progress is stretched on a frame that can be raised up to the ceiling so that the room can be used as a bedroom after the day’s work is doneA finished quilt hanging on the wall Here’s the petit bayou ferry – just pick up the center rope and pull yourself across!Product placement? How did that Tabasco barrel get here?The restaurant at Vermilionville offered great Cajun gumbo……and a baked potato filled with an excellent crawfish étouffée After lunch we walked over to a performance hall where local musicians gathered for an afternoon jam session. They chatted together for a few minutes, somebody started a song, then everyone else joined in.Guitars, fiddles, an accordion and a washtub bassFine music Nov 30 – A rainy gray morning, somehow befitting that we are visiting a cemetery today to see the Little Cajun Saint. Jim is interested in stories of miracles.In 1959, 12 year old Charlene Richard died of leukemia. Her priest was impressed that she did not fear death, and used her name to raise funds for a new church.Over the next 20 years, people prayed to Charlene, visited her grave and reported miracles of healing.Charlene has been nominated for sainthood, a long process that requires the Church to verify at least two miracles. Hundreds of people visit her grave every week.There is a box of index cards here where people write down their petitions and leave them for Charlene. So far, Charlene has been named a Servant of God.
Taking Our Time 