The
Whitney Plantation Museum opens today, an indigo and sugar plantation upriver
from New Orleans once belonging to the Haydel family. Ibrahima Seck, a member
of the history department of Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Senegal, and
the academic director of the Whitney Heritage Plantation Corporation, has
written “Bouki Fait Gombo: A History of the Slave Population of Habitation
Haydel (Whitney Plantation) Louisiana, 1750-1860,” published by UNO Press.
Using
the “Habitation Haydel” as an example, the book is an exploration of slavery
and its impact on southern culture, tracing the route of African slaves to the “German
Coast” just upriver from New Orleans and examining slaves’ daily life on the
plantation. At the book’s center are the stories of the culinary and musical
cultures that grew out of slaves’ desires to reconnect with their home.
Seck
writes in the book’s introduction, “The history of slavery should not only be
the history of deportation and hard labor in the plantations. Beyond these
painful memories, we should always dig deep enough to find out how Africans
contributed tremendously to the making of Southern culture and American
identity.”
Attakapas Poste
Donald
J. Arceneaux has published “Attakapas Post in 1769: The First Nominal Census of
Colonial Settlers in Southwest Louisiana” that translates two documents made in
the twilight years of the Attakapas Post. The documents, both
written in French, are the circa-1769 census and a Dec. 9, 1769, oath of
allegiance. The
book offers details of early settlement in Southwest Louisiana at the beginning
of the Spanish colonial period, including identifying the settlers and slaves listed
with an index for genealogists. The
70-page book that includes portions of original documents is available from
Claitor’s Publishing Division in Baton Rouge.
Ursuline songs
The
oldest known musical document in Louisiana history has been published for the
first time by The Historic New Orleans Collection. “French Baroque Music of New
Orleans: Songs from the Ursuline Convent (1736)” features a full-color
facsimile of an 18th century illustrated collection of songs, which the Ursuline
convent received in 1754.
The
Ursuline Sisters were the first Catholic nuns to arrive in the New World and
were among the earliest European settlers of Louisiana. Their mission included
educating young women, many of them the daughters of French colonists. The
songs, called contrafacta, could be considered baroque versions of remixes:
poets took popular tunes by leading composers, such as Jean-Baptiste Lully and
François Couperin, and changed the lyrics from secular to sacred. Women and the
Catholic faithful were the intended audience for these compositions, the idea
being that devotional texts would allow them to enjoy the pleasures of current
music without compromising their virtue.
“This
document provides an unprecedented look behind the walls of the Ursuline
convent and school,” said Molly Reid, project editor for the book. “These women
and girls, far from home in a new environment, were able to enjoy the pleasures
of popular music and the connection to their homeland because of these songs.”
The
songs are accompanied by five scholarly essays — including four in English and
one in French — by Jennifer Gipson, Andrew Justice, Alfred E. Lemmn, Mark
McKnight and Jean Duron, edited by Alfred E. Lemmon.
For
more information, visit www.hnoc.org/frenchbaroquemusicbook.
Book events
Author’s
Alley Book Sale feature signings by area authors from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
today at South Regional Library in Lafayette.
Author
Wendy Duhe Woods and illustrator Sherry Rushing Martin will be signing copies
of their bilingual children’s book, “Welcome Home Indigeaux: A Louisiana
Adventure” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Winter Wonderland Festival at
St. Joseph’s Church in French Settlement.
Marvin
Allen, manager of the Carousel Bar at the Monteleone Hotel of New Orleans,
will talk about his new book, “Magic in a Shaker: A Year of Spirited
Libations” and the history of prohibition at 7 p.m. Tuesday at East Bank
Regional Library, 4747 West Napoleon Ave. in Metairie.
Ralph
Adamo, Ava Leavall Haymoth, Gina Ferrara and Andy
Young will share their poetry at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Octavia Books in New
Orleans.
Ron
Drez signs “The War of 1812: Conflict and Deception: The British Attempt to
Seize New Orleans and Nullify the Louisiana Purchase” at 6 p.m. Thursday at
Garden District Book Shop of New Orleans.
Muralist
Robert Dafford and photographer Philip Gould will discuss their new book, “The
Public Art of Robert Dafford,” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at South Regional Library
in Lafayette, part of Bayou State Book Talks, a free series offered by the UL-Lafayette
Center for Louisiana Studies and the Lafayette Public Library System.
Gretna
author Jennifer Comeaux will sign her latest book about ice skating titled “Crossing
the Ice” from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturday at the Gretna Art Walk and
Farmer's Market. Her first trilogy included “Life on the Edge,” “Edge of
the Past”' and “Fighting for the Edge.” “Crossing the Ice” begins a new series.
Richard
Ford signs “Let Me Be Frank with You: A Frank Bascombe Book” at 5 p.m.,
followed by a reading at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Lemuria Books in Jackson, Miss.,
and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, at Garden District Book Shop of New
Orleans.
Addie
K. Martin and Jeremy Martin sign copies of “Southeast Louisiana Food: A
Seasoned Tradition” from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. today at the West Baton Rouge
Museum Holiday Open House, 845 N Jefferson Ave. in Port Allen and at 3 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 14, at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. in
Baton Rouge.
Cheré Coen is the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom
Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A
Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding
Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.
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