Susan Lightcap interview with Joseph DuBois, Mrs. Joseph DuBois, Samuel Melenson, Exalta Romero, Wilson Louviere, Mrs. Everett Dionne, Doris Decoux, and Theotis Denise

The John Burrison Georgia Folklore Archive recordings contains unedited versions of all interviews. Some material may contain descriptions of violence, offensive language, or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. There are instances of racist language and description, particularly in regards to African Americans. These items are presented as part of the historical record. This project is a repository for the stories, accounts, and memories of those who chose to share their experiences for educational purposes. The viewpoints expressed in this project do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the Atlanta History Center or any of its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. The Atlanta History Center makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interviews and expressly disclaims any liability therefore. If you believe you are the copyright holder of any of the content published in this collection and do not want it publicly available, please contact the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center at 404-814-4040 or reference@atlantahistorycenter.com.
This recording starts with Mrs. Joseph DuBois demonstrating how to cook soft shell crabs, a popular dish from Avery Island, Louisiana. DuBois describes Wilson Louviere's healing abilities before showing Lightcap how to cook "Sauce Piquante," a spicy crab and shrimp meal served with tomato sauce. They then discuss Mardis Gras, when Dubois travelled to Lafayette, Louisiana, where celebrants dressed in costumes, wore masks, and greeted people house to house. 6:36: Next, Joseph DuBois discusses the French dialect spoken in Louisiana and his French and Nova Scotian heritage. Mrs. DuBois shares some expressions and superstitions she grew up with, and her husband talks about finding and preparing coffee. Mrs. DuBois then sings Ave Maria and a children's nonsense song, explaining that congregants at her church sang hymns in French but later switched to English. 10:43: Susan Lightcap then interviews Samuel Melenson, a French-speaking traiteur, a Catholic faith healer in Louisiana, and his translator, Doris Decoux. They discuss superstition and traditional medicine, including the supposition that French prayers heal bleeding, sprains and dislocations, and sunstroke. Exalta Romera demonstrates some of these prayers and explains their meaning. 16:31: Next, Mrs. Everett Dionne sings Minuit Cretians, translated to Midnight Christians; Sainte Nuit, translated to Holy Night; and Il Pleut, translated to It's Raining. She then discusses superstitions that cause bad luck and ends with a childrens song about an old drunkard. 27:25: Lightcap discusses William Louviere, a traiteur best known for his snake bite and backache cures; she provides examples, and translations, of Louviere's French prayers. Lightcap requested an interview with Louviere but he refused because he believed that the recording would steal his power. 37:23: Next, Lightcap interviews children who attend her church, asking them what they study at school and what they want for Christmas. The children point out various items in their house, discuss drawings and when Santa Claus visited their school, then sing Mary Had a Little Lamb, Three Blind Mice, and a drinking song. 50:54: Back on the topic of superstitions, Theotis Denise discusses witches and ladders. Denise outlines his background as a house painter and a self-taught guitarist who plays in a Creole-Cajun dialect band. Denise plays an upbeat style of music called "fais do-do," or dancehall Cajun music. 1:02:40: Denise explains that his father was a traiteur taught by an old Indian who taught him how to cure snake bites and people afflicted by the gris gris. Denise concludes with a discussion about his childhood education, his children, and crawfish recipes. 1:25:19: The recording ends with live music at 7 speed along with a description of the accompanied two-step dancing and a deputy sheriff checking the identification of attendees.
Joseph DuBois (1922-2016) was born on Avery Island, Louisiana, to Drozan DuBois and Antoinette Broussard DuBois, and worked as a foreman for McIlhenny's Tobasco plant. Loucinda LeMaire DuBois (1924-2019) was born to John Lee Maire (1899-1959) and Ozia Bernadette LeBlanc LeMaire (1900-1984). She was a bomb inspector at Thibodeaux Boiler Works during World War II before marrying Joseph DuBois in 1946. They moved to Avery Island and had six children. Lucinda Dubois taught French and was a member of the Ladies Altar Society at St. Marcellus Catholic Church in Rynella, Louisiana. Exalta Romero (1904-1980) was born on Avery Island. He married Blanche Romero (1908-1982) and had one son, Exalta Joseph Romero (1934-1984). Wilson Louviere (1896-1976) was born in New Iberia, Louisiana. He enlisted in the United States Military during both World War I and II and married Edna L. Louviere (1895-1971). Doris Joseph Decoux (1923-2006) was born in Erath, Louisiana, to Cyriac Decoux (1876-1955) and Laura Menard Decoux (1900-1956). He served in the United States Army during World War II and worked in the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development for 27 years. A member of the American Legion and the Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church, Decoux was an accordion player who enjoyed gardening. Theotis Denise (1914-1975) grew up in New Iberia where he worked as a house painter and musician. He married Annie Suire Denise (1917-2001) and had three children: Virgie Denise Copell (1935-2013), Verlis Joseph Denise (1939-2015), and Dianna Eve Denise Sonnier (1943-2016). No biographical information about Mrs. Everett Dionne has been determined.
Family history; Catholic Church
SIDE I Lightcap- Today is November 4, 1966. I am at Avery Island, Louisiana, which is just outside of New Iberia in Iberia Parish. Mrs. J. Dubois- You ready? It's very simple to make. All I do--I just season it with salt and pepper and usually Tobask (Tobasco sauce), and I just, uh, um, pass it through a corn meal bath--just plain old corn meal, you know, and fry it in deep fat. Lightcap- And that's all there is to it? Dubois- That's all there is to it. Lightcap- I'm speaking with Mrs. Joseph DuBois on how to make fried soft shell crabs, which is a local dish of Avery Island. Dubois- Some of them treat for, uh, different things--bites of different kinds. I don't know which method they use in doing it. Lightcap- Hm mm. Dubois- But, uh, some people seem to think it works. Ive never, I never really gone to any of them, 'cause I don't believe in them. Lightcap- Are there very many around here? Dubois- You know who does that? Lightcap- Who? Dubois- A Mr. Wilson Louviere. Lightcap- Mr. Wilson who? Dubois- Louviere ... L-O-U-V-I-E-R-E. He treats for that ... sprained ankle. Lightcap- How does he do it? DuBois- I don't know. I really, I, I, I couldn't tell you how he does it, but I know he does treat for that. Lightcap- Does he ever treat for broken bones? DuBois- I doubt it. Lightcap- You said that he treated for bites. What kinds of bites--like a snake bite? DuBois- No, I think it ,would be more or less insect bi tes of Same kind, different kinds. I don't, uh, really know exactly what he is good for, but I know he does treat. Now he treats for,uh, knees arthritis, maybe? Some things like that. Lightcap- And this is Mr. Wilson Louviere? Dubois- Louviere ... let' s see if you got the name right. Lightcap- Louviere? DuBois- If there's any doubt, if there's any doubt in your mind you stop on the road. Wilson Louviere, Mister. Lightcap- Right. DuBois- Right. He's a fairly, uh, he's a greyheaded man; he's a fairly good age. Lightcap- How old is he? Dubois- He's about, I would say, in his late sixties? Lightcap- Has he been practicing this for a long time? DuBois- No--well, I really don't know. Lightcap- That's amazing. DuBois- That's not too much help to you, is it? Lightcap- Oh, it is! Lightcap- What's the name of that again? DuBois- Sauce Piquante. Lightcap- Sauce Piquante? DuBois- Yes. Lightcap- How do you make that? DuBois- Oh, you, uh, ... well, it's a crab, it's a crab and shrimp di, uh, meal. You, uh, saute, some onions, celery, bell pepper until they're, uh, you know, simmered quite a bit. Then you, uh, take some tomato paste--it all depends on the amount of people you're gonna serve--I usually use a couple of cans. I have six children, my husband, and I--and a couple of cans of tomato paste, and I just cook it down. Then I take a little, a pinch of soda, just out of my box, and, uh, to take that bitter taste out. Lightcap- Out of what? Dubois- Out of the tomato. Lightcap- Oh. DuBois- See the taste--has that bitter taste. I take a little pinch of soda and drop in there and let it cook for a little while. Course, you got to stir constantly, 'cause it will stick. Lightcap- Hm mmm. DuBois- Then I just, uh, put my I'later and let it cook for awhile; then, when it's just about, when I've let it cook for about a couple of hours, I put my crab and shrimp in there and season it according to. . . Lightcap- How do you prepare the crab to be cooked? DuBois- Well, I just peel the shrimp and the crab, well, uh, if you prefer crab meat, you just get the regular crab meat. If you prefer the regular crab, you get crab. Lightcap- Have people been eating that around here for a long time? DuBois- Oh, yes, ever since I can remember. Lightcap- Do you celebrate Mardi Gras here? DuBois- Hmmm? Lightcap- Do you celebrate Mardi Gras here? DuBois- Yes, we do. Lightcap- On Avery Island? DuBois- Oh, no, no. Well, they have a celebration in Lafayette and New Orleans; thats the closest celebration we have around here. Lightcap- Do you ever go to the one in Lafayette? DuBois- Yes, I haven't gone lately in the last few years, but when I was a child, I'd go every year. Lightcap - And what do they have 'I DuBois- Well, they have, uh, masquers, and uh, most of the people dress up, and, uh, they have, uh, parades. Lightcap- Whats a masquer? DuBois- Well, it's the people, people that dress up in costumes. Lightcap- Hm mmm. DuBois- They wear a Mardi Gras mask on the face, and they, um, they imitate some--for instance, some of them dress as Batman (!). Some of them-of course, the old masquers who celebrated Mardi Gras were people -who used to get on horseback, and they would go from house to house. And they'd knock on the door and just walk in and shake hands with everybody, and nobody knew who they were, and they were dressed up. Lightcap- They were dressed up? Dullois- Yes. Lightcap- How were they dressed? DuBois- Well, a lot of them would, uh, fix costumes with this burlap sacking. Most of the costumes were made with burlap sacking in those days, but now theyve gone to more, uh, elaborate costumes than they did in those days. Lightcap- Hm mmm. Did they ever come to your house on horseback? DuBois- No, that was before my time. Lightcap- That was before your day? DuBois- I remember when I was a little bitty girl, some, uh, some, uh, uh, younger boys had masked and they had come to my mother's house, and when we saw those Mardi Gras'ers, well, we were terrified. Lightcap- (laugh) DuBois- We hid in a corner, and then they finally found us and scared the daylights out of us. Lightcap- Did they? DuBois- Course our parents knew who they were, but we didnt. Lightcap- Right. DuBois- Course, it really wasn't the proper thing to do, because they left us to, well, we were hysterical, my sister and I, but, uh, you very seldom find some doing that now. It's mostly the children, more or less, who dress up. Lightcap- Hm mmm. DuBois- Go from house to house. Theres not too many round here, I mean, on the-island itself. Lightcap- Right. DuBois- You really have to go out; you have to go either to Lafayette or New Orleans to find a Mardi Gras. Lightcap- Is Mardi Gras a religious celebration? DuBois- No, it's just the beginning of Lent, that's really what it is. I mean, um, Ash Wednesday. Merry making is really what it is. Lightcap -Oh, so it's just kind of an excuse to have fun before Lent? DuBois- Right, exactly. Lightcap- I see. (laugh) DuBois- The children used to pay a nickel and the grownups would pay a dime to get into church. Lightcap- Why did they make you pay? DuBois- For the upkeep of the church. Money wasn't, they didn't, money wasn't plentiful like it is now. Lightcap- Did they pass a collection plate? DuBois- No, you just pay at the door, as you go in. Lightcap- I see. (laugh) Mr. Joseph DuBois- It's the French language of Normandy, around Le Havre, France. Uh, all our words, except we have a lot our words mixed with English-- you know, its been two--three hundred years since we been down in this part. Lightcap- Where did you come from originally? J. Dubois- Well, most of our ancestors come up from Nova Scotia. Lightcap - And where did they come from before that? J. DuBois- From, from Le Havre, France--as far as we can check back. Lightcap- I see. J. DuBois- So the French is the same as Le Havre area French, only a lot of our words are mixed with English. Lightcap- So, so when you, uh, speaking with someone in your family, say, in intimate conversation, your language will not be like our English. It would just be French and English mixed together. J. DuBois- French and English, yeah. Lghtcap- I see, I see. At 1unch- - (we had soft shell crab, French fried potatoes, green salad, & black coffee for dessert- delicious!) Mrs. DuBois- .. . breaks either a glass, a cup, or a saucer, and you will break seven more. Lightcap- Where did you learn that? DuBois- It's just an old saying. J. DuBois- Some the old mother, grandmother, and descendents--some of the old sayings, the old stuff. Lightcap- Do you know anymore like that? DuBois- Don't cut a boy's until after he's, uh, until his first birthday. Lightcap- They won't cut a boy's hair until after his first birthday? DuBois- No. Lightcap- Why not? DuBois- I don't, I don't really know what was the reason for it, but it's superstitious, but they, uh, a lot of people will not do it. Course, I don't believe it--I cut mine's hair. They were born with a lot of hair, so I just cut their hair when they were old enough to more or less hold their head up. Lightcap- What was that other superstition you were telling me about? DuBois- Not cutting a baby's fingernails. Lightcap- Why not? DuBois- 'Cause he going to be a thief when he gets older. Lightcap- You were telling me about the coffee grinders and the coffee beans. J. DuBois- Yeah. The coffee beans--you buy 'em at the generals stores--and you used to take a black iron pot and put it on the hot stove, and just put your green coffee beans in it and just keep stirring there and parch 'em to either dark-dark or light-dark, or whatever you like. If you'd like 'em dark, then you parch your beans 'til they're black. Lightcap- Hm mmm. J. DuBois- Then you put 'em in a container, and whenever you needed, you run em through a little hand grinder and just grind it 'til the amount of coffee you want to make. Lightcap- Would the beans keep for a long time? J. DuBois- Keep a long time after they were parched. Lightcap- They don't do that anymore? J. DuBois- Not anymore. The store, you see, the store--you buy packaged coffee. Lightcap- What kind of coffee do you buy? J. DuBois- We use, uh, Luzianne coffee. Lightcap- Luzianne coffee--that has the chicory in it, doesn't it? J. DuBois- No, it doesn't; just the black, dark roast coffee. Lightcap- I see, I see. Lightcap- What's the name of that song that you were telling me about before? DuBois- "Ave Maria" Lightcap- "Ave Maria" DuBois- Hm mmm. Lightcap- Do you want to sing it for me? DuBois- SONG. Lightcap- Thank you, Lightcap- Is this a nonsense song that you're going to sing next? DuBois- Yes. Lightcap- And it's a kind of little play verse or something that children use? DuBois- Yes. Lightcap- Okay. You want to sing it for me? DuBois- SONG. Lightcap- And that's all? DuBois- That's all. (Laugh) Lightcap- Do you sing the French hymns in your church here? DuBois- Well, we used to; we don't anymore. Lightcap- You don't sing the French anymore. DuBois- No, No, they've mostly gone back to English--most everything we have now in church is English. Lightcap- Do you attend church in New Iberia? DuBois- No, at the chapel right here. Lightcap- I see. DuBois- The church, we, in fact, it was just made a parish in the last four years, and we attend mass there. Lightcap- Hm mmm. That's grand. Let's see how that came ... (referring to the delicious gumbo which she was cooking.) Lightcap- I'm now at the State Highway Department in New Iberia, I'm talking with Mr. Samuel Melenson who will record in French some of his formulas and beliefs. He is a traiteur. The French will be translated and read back by Mr. Doris Decoux, who speaks French and is also a native of New Iberia. Melenson- Prayer Decoux- "Blood, I take you an' I put you in a 'calbas and trow you, trow you in de river, an wind do whatever he want with you." Lightcap- The "calbas" mentioned in the preceding prayer Or incantation used by Mr. Melenson in his healing is a calabash or gourd, and the blood is put into the gourd and thrown in a river, It's used to stop internal bleeding or external bleeding of wounds, et cetera. The following saying from Mr. Melenson is to cure or help a dislocated arm or a sprained ankle. Melenson- Prayer Lightcap- My informant is unsure as to the translation of this phrase. Uh, there were others present at this recording, and we finally came to a, a synthesis of translations. One translation would be that it would be, uh, "Shame," and the "second word would be something like "enter and then go out again"---in other words the shame or the hurt is in the, the, uh, afflicted joint or the sprained ankle and that it is recognized, that it is recognized as being in the joint and thal it is pUlled out. Another, uh, man present at this session said that it sounded to him like he was calling upon the hurt to be pulled out as a tree would be uprooted. Now the way that this is done is that Mr. Melenson, in demonstrating on my arm, took my arm, took my hand in his and over my wrist he, made the sign of the cross four times and repeated the saying, one word at a time, as he made each arm of the cross, and after repeating it four times on a believer, this heals the sprained joint, and the person no longer feels the pain. Exalta Romero- Prayer .... Well, you supposed to do that nine times, uh, that what I generally do, Miss. And after you through with that one, you, you, three Saint Mary's. Lightcap- You made the sign of the cross on yourself before you started-- Romero- Yes, Ma'am. Lightcap- And then you make a triangle on the man's head, going from the top of the head to the ear, across the forehead to the other ear, and back up to the top of the head, and you say the phrase. What is the translation of that phrase; do you know? Romero- Uh, the... what? Lightcap- What is the translation of the saying you said as you made the triangle on his head? Romero- Non, c'est comme, uh, it's just like, you go 'round his head like this. Lightcap- And what, what do the words mean that you're saying as you're making that sign on his head? Romero- Well, it's, uh, the Saint, uh, that's the way the treatment goes---it's, uh, um, you treat them on they Saint name, you see. Lightcap- And you calI on his Saint's name? Romero- And after you said it seven or nine times, whatever you want, or five; it's got to be, uh, not a even number. Lightcap- I see. Observer (unknown)- It can't be an even number. Romero- It can't be. Lightcap- Why can't it be an even number? Observer- That's the treatment. Romero- Well, that's the treatment. Lightcap- That's the treatment. And then after you've made this, this, triangle on his head five, seven, or nine times, do you say ... three ... Romero- Saint Mary's. Lightcap- . . .Saint,Mary's. And that completes the treatment. Romero- Yes, Ma'am. Lightcap- And what is this treatment for? Romero- Sunstroke. Observer- Sunstroke. Melenson- Yes, if you don't treat bim, you see, if you don't heal bim, be's blind. Lightcap- Right. Decoux- And suppose he still have it, he can retreat it back. Romero- Uh, yeah, you can retreat him three time. Like you can treat him three time today, and you can treat him tomorrow. Decoux- But it's better to treat him when the sun am going down. Romero- Yah, if's, if you know, if you caught the sunstroke in the evening, you, you treat him in the evening. Generally, that when they catch him in the evening, late. Lightcap- Right. Decoux- You don't leave no wart or nothing onem; they get dry. Lightcap- Do you know any other ways to treat people? Romero- No. Lightcap- Okay ... thank you, sir. The preceding speaker was Mr. Exalta Romero, who is a traiteur in this area of New Iberia. Uh, Mr. Romero has just given me a translation for the treatment which is used for the relief of sunstroke, and he says, The treatment of Saint Joseph help you; the treatment of Saint Joseph help you, over and over, for the five, seven, or nine times. Mr. Melenson has just added a post script to his prayer to stop bleeding: He just told me that if I would say the prayer three times, and then stop and wait for fifteen minutes, and say it three more times, and stop and wait for fifteen minutes; then after awhile the bleeding will stop, and this will work, and it will effect a cure. Lightcap- Today is November 5, 1966, I am again at Avery Island, in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, and I'm talking with Mrs. Joseph DuBois. Uh, Mrs. DuBois, you had some superstitions you were telling me about. You want to put those on tape for me? DuBois- Yeah. Well, there's this old saying that whenever you move from one house to another not to move a broom. Lightcap- Why not? DuBois- 'Cause it brings you bad luck. Lightcap- Do you leave the broom in old house? DuBois- Leave the broom in the old house and just buy you a new one. Lightcap- I see. And what's the other one you were telling me about? DuBois- Not, uh, they, uh, we have a saying on Good Friday, not to dig in the dirt, 'cause you will find blood. Lightcap- I see. Thank you. Lightcap- I'm talking with Mrs. Everett Dionne of New Iberia. Her husband owns a small store which is on the road to Avery Island from New Iberia, and she is going to sing some songs for me which her mother taught her. Dionne- I'll try; if I just ... Lightcap- What, what, song are you going to sing for me now? Dionne- Oh; which, uh, ... Lightcap- "Minuit"? Dionne- "Minuit Cretians". Lightcap- What does that mean? Dionne- "Midnight Christians". Song. (Mrs. Dionne forgot the song about halfway through.) Lightcap- You can't remember? Want to start over? Dionne- I'm so sorry---that's why I didn't want to sing it overl And one it just came like that; can you imagine? Lightcap- Here you want ... ? What, what? Dionne- I don't have the words; its just from memory, but it's pretty, I think, you know? Lightcap- Yea, it is. Dionee- Its, its, its, uh, . . . Lightcap- What are you going to sing now? Dionne- "Sainte Nuit" ... "Holy Night". Lightcap- All right. Dionne- (whisper) Holy Night. Song. Lightcap- Oh, that's pretty! It really is! Do you know any more songs? Do you know songs that maybe your mother taught you? Dionne- I know, uh, this one, but it has more lines to that. You know, it, there's more to it than this? Lightcap- What, what, uh, do you know part of it? Can you sing part of it for me? Dionne- Let's see ... it goes Song. Lightcap- And what is, what is that? Dionne- That means: It's raining, it's raining, 'bergere': Take in your sheep. You know? And then, what I just sang ... would you like me to tell you about that? Lightcap- Yes, Ma'am. Dionne- That means---I can translate it for you. It says: Holy night, blessed night, In the sky he is. In the fields Everything is quiet, And the air is fresh and pure. The brilliant choirs of angels Go to the crib and appear. Oh, blessed night , Oh, holy night. The shepherds are instructed By the voice of God. They have come to adore their Jesus; And Jesus, in exchange, smiles sweetly. Lightcap- Isn't that beautiful! Dionne- That, that's nice. Lightcap- It really is. Dionne- I think I might've skipped a couple of words, but that's the meaning of it. Lightcap- Oh, it's beautiful. Dionne- But the other one, I ..... Lightcap- In the little song that you sang; "II Pleut"? Dionne- "It's raining, it's raining ... " Lightcap- Yes. Dionne- "II pleut, il pleut." Lightcap- Did you sing, sing that as a child? Dionne- Yes, Mama used to sing that for us, you see. Lightcap- Was it like a lullabye? Dionne- Oh, yes, uh, huh. Or sometimes she would, whenever the ,whenever the weather was cloudy, you know, and uh, she wanted us to come in, you know, she'd just hum or sing that little song. Lightcap- And she'd sing it to you to bring you inside! Dionne- Uh huh, yes. Lightcap- Isn't that wonderful! Dionne- Come inside, yes, uh huh. Lightcap- Did she ever have any little things she'd say to you, like little verses or other little songs? Dionne- Yes, yes. Many. But I just, you know, right now nothing registers. Lightcap- Right. Dionne- Were you ever in that position? Lightcap- Yes, Ma'am. Dionne- Well, uh, I wish she was here, because I don't remember. Lightcap- Did she ever tell you any stories when you were little? Did she have bedtime stories that she'd tell you? Did she ever tell you stories about the saints? Dionne- Oh, yes, she, she always told us, but I really wouldn't remember. Uh, um, we do, um, one or I can remember telling a story. Lightcap- You said that you mother was from Belgium. When did she come here? Dionne- Her mother. Lightcap- Her mother was. Dionne- Yes. Lightcap- And how long has your family been here? Dionne- My mother was born here, and she's seventy-five. Lightcap- Hm mmm. Dionne- So I don't know when Grandmother came. I don't know. That's true; she was not married. She married here. Lightcap- Oh, she came over here and married. Dionne- Yes. Lightcap- So you've been, your family's been here for a good while, hasn't it? Dionne- Oh, yes. Lightcap- Long time. That's grand. Did you ever hear any, uh, sayings? Or did you every hear any beliefs? (cough) 'Scuse me. Dionne- Oh, yes. I have to tell you this. There is an old lady who lives near here, and she generally sews things for herself. Lightcap- Hm mmm. Dionne- And, uh, she says, "I must never cut this dress on Friday, because it will be a mess." Lightcap- Never cut out a dress on Friday? Is that only Good Friday or any Friday? Dionne- Any Friday. Don't begin any work on Friday, because it's an unlucky day. Lightcap- Why is it unlucky? It's just something that she belives? Dionne- That's one of those beliefs like the broom when she moved. Lightcap- Yes. Dionne- It's just one of those. Lightcap- But this lady, Mrs. Bourgeois, who we were talking to before believes those things. Dionne- She sure does. Lightcap- Do you know any others like about the dress, not cutting out the dress on Friday? Dionne- No, my folks didn't believe too much, you know, they don't believe those things, so I didn't hear too much of ... I hear more of those things now that Im in the store, you know. Lightcap- I guess you do. What, what kind of things do you hear in the store? Dionne- Well, for instance, what I just said, you know, about cutting the dress on Friday or beginning to build a house. Lightcap- You can't begin to build a house on Friday? Dionne- Oh, no, you should never begin anything. Lightcap- Oh, my goodness! (laugh) That makes it a long weekend! Dionne- Oh, there's just, just oodles of things, you know, like ... Lightcap- Right. That's a lot. Lightcap- What kind of a song is this that you're going to sing now? Dionne- Oh, oh, this is an old drunkard. Lightcap- An old drunkard! Dionne- (Laughing) yeah .... Lightcap- And where did you hear it? Dionne- (still laughing) Oh, well, practically everyone around here knows it, I'm sure. I mean, I hear the young kids when they want to act silly---that's what they sing. Lightcap- I see. Dionne- And, uh, Song. Lightcap- And what, what does it mean? Dionne- It means: "Where are you going?", and he says, To Lafayette,"; imagine, right there, Laf ... And she says, "What are you going to do?" He says, "I'm going to change my name." And, and, um, she says, um, "What are you going to call yourself?" "Madame Canard Commaux"---that means rascal, Mrs. Commaux, because he things it's her; she's "canard", she's rascal. "Carnard" is rascal. Lightcap- Hmmmm. Dionne- I think it's the nearest explanation I can give. Lightcap & Dionne- (laugh). Dionne- There's a lot more to that song, but that just is what I know. But there's a lot more to it. Lightcap- Uh, do you know, do you know any of the, uh, stories about, oh, about animals and things like that? Do they ever tell stories about that? Dionne- Not my folks---I mean, I don't remember. Lightcap- I have just finished talking with Mr. Wilson Louviere, who lives on the LeLeux Road, just off the Avery Island Road, in New Iberia. Several of my informants, including the traiteurs, Mr. Samuel Melenson and Mr. Exalta Romero, have told me that Mr. Louviere is one of the foremost traiteurs in this area. So I went out to speak with him this afternoon. He refused to let me tape his voice, as he was afraid that part of his power or all of his power might be trapped on the recording tape, and he would lose the power. So we sat on his back porch; his wife and Mr. Louviere and I, along with his two little dogs, and talked about his curing power, powers. Mrs. Louviere also knows how to cure, but she usually acts as a sort of nurse or a helper for Mr. Louviere. Mr. Louviere's mother taught him how to cure sprained ankle when he was ten years old. He says that one will know if he is a traiteur by doing a cure. If it works, then he has the power; if it doesn't, then, of course, he doesn't have the power. Most of the cures are in French, and Mr. Louviere has taught several people how to cure. I asked him if he believed that he should wait until he were going to die or very ill and near the end of his life before he taught his power, and he said oh, no, that this power was a gift of God and should be passed on. He never charges for the cure, because he feels that it's a sin to charge money to do the work of God. But he says, of course, if the people offer him a gift, which he says is usually in the form of a shirt, or a pie, or some--the use of a farm implement, or sometimes money, of course, he'll never turn it down. Mr. Louviere does not believe in the "gris gris." He does, uh, he has never seen someone who has been bewitched and who has had a "gris gris." He's never known anyone to die of the "gris gris," and he seemed very, very suspicious when I asked him about it. Some of Mr. Louviere's cures are: for a sprain, as with an ankle or a wrist, he takes the afflicted limb in his hand and makes twelve crosses with the thumb, and at each crosspiece of the cross he says, "Lon-te (longtemps?) Se parle Lon-te. " And when he makes, when he says "Lon-te''' the first time, he makes one arm, one arm of the cross. "Se parle"---that's the second arm of the cross. "Lon-te" is the first arm of another cross, and he does this twelve times, once every day for three days. The first day, he makes the sign of the cross twelve times; the second day, the sign of the cross six times; and the third day, three times. And this cures the sprain. Another cure which Mr. Louviere uses is in stopping blood. He makes the sign of the cross on himself when he starts, and says the following words--- "Jesus, Ie sang, trois fois, Jesus, Ie croix, trois fois, Jesus, Ie sang, trois fois, Jesus, Ie croix, trois fois. He can stop blood across the water with these words, as long as he knows the name of the person whose blood he is stopping, and he doesn't say this little prayer in the name of the person. He simply has the person's name in mind. The translation of the prayer is: Jesus, the 'blood, three times, Jesus, the cross, three times, Jesus, the blood, three times, Jesus, the cross, three times." Now he did not have a specified number of times that this prayer was to be said, but he said that he would say it until the blood was stopped, and that sometimes it would take a long time, that the wound might start bleeding again, but that eventually, it would work on the wound. Mr. Louviere also had a cure which I had not found from anyone else and which they felt he was best known for. It was a snake bite cure. He would hold the limb which had been snake bitten in his hand, look at the bite and say the following charm: "Yom, yom, yom. Petite yom. Grosse yum. Marte yom. Yom." Now in writing this down, I wasn't exactly sure how to write it out, but he explained it as best he could. He doesn't know what "yom" means, but it would seem to be the name of the evil which is afflicting the person; in this case, it was a snake bite. What he's saying is: "Yom, yom, yom. Little yom. Big yom. Dead yom. Yom" And when he ways "Dead yom," he puts quite a lot of emphasis on it and makes a guttural sound. It's a, it's a"morte yom" when he says it. And this cure always works for snake bite. I didn't ask him about poisonous or nonpoisonous snake; he said any kind of snake bite, it'll work. Mr. Louviere employs one of his most powerful prayers in curing the backache. He can also take off warts with it, and it's good for burns, and it works for almost anything. It was taught to Mr. Louviere by an old Negro. He takes the middle finger of his right hand and passes it over the area which aches three times and makes the sign of the cross three times. So he makes a circle three times and the sign of the cross three times, and he says in French, which, and he would not say it in French for me, he says: "In the name of the Father; In the name of the Son; In the name of the Holy Spirit." For migraine headaches, he repeats the chant I just said only once, and it always works. And both he and his wife cited cases where people had come to them with terrible headaches and with sunstroke, with bleeding, and that it had worked. And I talked with people whom he had cured. Mr. Louviere can also work his, uh, curing power on animals, and he has cured cows of being dry. He has cured all kinds of farm animals of barrenness and he has also cured the male farm animals of sterility. And he) says usually the chant: "In the name of the Father; In the name of the Son; In the name of the Holy Spirit," while going over the animal with the middle finger of his right hand, making circles and crosses all over the animal. Mr. Louviere was very glad to help me and said that he had been approached once before by a girl from Lafayette, which is a town in Lafayette Parish, just right next door to Iberia Parish going west. And he said that she wanted to put his voice on tape, but that he was afraid to have it done, because, as I've said, he might lose his power. Another interesting belief which Mr. Louviere held, and all of these beliefs which he holds and these cures he believes in completely, and he isn't vehement about them. He isn't excited about them; he simply accepts them as fact, and there is no doubt in his mind whatsoever that they are absolutely true. But, the, uh, the belief I was going to mention was about curing sunstroke. He does not like to cure sunstroke and usually sends the victims of sunstroke to Mr. Romero. Um, Mr. Romero has taught Mr. Louviere how to cure sunstroke, but he doesn't want to do it, because he has been told, and he has heard that if a traiteur cures for sunstroke, that he will have the sunstroke or that he will have a "token" headache, so to speak, of the cure. And Mr. Louviere says that it's not worth having a headache to cure someone of the sunstroke.
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Professor John Burrison founded the Atlanta Folklore Archive Project in 1967 at Georgia State University. He trained undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in his folklore curriculum to conduct oral history interviews. Students interviewed men, women, and children of various demographics in Georgia and across the southeast on crafts, storytelling, music, religion, rural life, and traditions.
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