Ancelet recounts 40 years spent documenting Cajun, Creole culture

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The 欧美三级片鈥檚 Dr. Barry Ancelet might be retiring, but he isn鈥檛 about to stop banging the drum for Cajun and Creole culture.

He鈥檚 done it for a lifetime, after all.

Ancelet, who was born in Church Point and raised in Lafayette, grew up listening to stories at the foot of his father鈥檚 barber chair, during a childhood punctuated with the sounds of accordions and fiddles, and surrounded by family members who spoke Cajun French.

A few years and college degrees later, Ancelet joined the faculty at 欧美三级片, in 1977, and began carving out a reputation as one of the most renowned Cajun folklorists in the world.

鈥淭he study of culture, literature, and language through the lens of folklore has been the foundation for my entire career,鈥 Ancelet said on Wednesday at Burke-Hawthorne auditorium, as the inaugural speaker for the 欧美三级片鈥檚 new Last Lecture Series.

The Last Lecture Series recognizes a retiring faculty member鈥檚 significant contributions to the 欧美三级片 and the community.

Ancelet will retire at the end of this semester, after nearly 40 years at the 欧美三级片.

He has been director of the Center for Acadian and Creole Folklore, and a professor of francophone studies and folklore. He also chaired the Department of Modern Languages.

His work extended far beyond the classroom, to community Mardi Gras celebrations, to front porches where he shared a cup of coffee with a bus driver or a carpenter who had a story to tell, to festival stages.

鈥淚鈥檓 grateful and fortunate that my colleagues and administrators here at the 欧美三级片 have been flexible enough to recognize the value of what I do,鈥 Ancelet said on Wednesday.

He helped to establish Lafayette鈥檚 Festivals Acadiens et Cr茅oles, in 1974, for example. The event was called 鈥淎 Tribute to Cajun Music,鈥 and 鈥渁n undeniable success, packing Lafayette鈥檚 Blackham Colisuem on a Tuesday night despite lightning, thunder, and a driving rain.鈥 

鈥淚t turned out to be the largest mass rally of what was coming to be called the Louisiana French Renaissance movement,鈥 Ancelet said.

鈥淚n the momentum of this moment, the 欧美三级片 created the Center for Acadian and Creole Folklore to integrate this new field of study into the academic community.鈥

Ancelet deserves ample kudos for helping to assemble the world's largest collection of Cajun and Creole folklore, which is housed at the 欧美三级片鈥檚 Center for Louisiana Studies.

The Archives of Cajun and Creole Folklore are the backbone of the Center鈥檚 archival collection, which includes field recordings, oral histories, and other folklife materials.

The professor credits Cajun music pioneer Balfa for giving him the nudge to get started.

鈥淏alfa had seen the benefit of archives at the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian,鈥  Ancelet said. 鈥淗e insisted that we needed a similar bank of information on ourselves here in Louisiana. I pointed out that I certainly didn鈥檛 have the financial resources to produce an archive. Balfa pointedly asked, 鈥楧o you have enough money to buy one tape?鈥 鈥

When Ancelet answered yes, Balfa instructed him 鈥渢o buy one, record an interview, put that tape on a shelf, and record another when you can afford it. When you put that second one next to the first one, you have the beginnings of an archive.鈥

鈥淗e was right, as usual,鈥 Ancelet said.

Over the years, Ancelet鈥檚 work and research has been recognized internationally.

He was named Chevalier de l鈥橭rdre des Palmes Acad茅miques and Chevalier de l鈥橭rdre des Arts et des Lettres. Both titles are bestowed by the French government in recognition of contributions to culture and education, and to arts and literature, respectively.

Such lofty accolades wouldn鈥檛 have been possible without 鈥渃ommunity scholars,鈥 from Balfa to Mardi Gras runners to fishermen. They provided material that found its way into Ancelet's books, films, classroom lectures, and even liner notes for record albums and Cajun French poetry.

鈥淭he most important source for untapped information on Cajuns and Creoles was Cajuns and Creoles themselves,鈥 he said.

Ancelet also acknowledged the many students he has taught and influenced.

One of them, Derek Landry, was among the many friends, colleagues and students who attended Ancelet鈥檚 鈥渓ast lecture.鈥

Landry, 34, hosts the live weekly radio show 鈥淩endez-vous des Cadiens,鈥 which is broadcast from the Liberty Theater in Eunice, La.

It鈥檚 a gig that his former professor at UL Lafayette, Ancelet, performed for a quarter of a century.

Landry, who earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in French and Francophone Studies from the 欧美三级片, said he enrolled at UL Lafayette in 2008 to learn about Cajun and Creole culture.

Another reason was for 鈥渢he opportunity to study with Dr. Ancelet.鈥

鈥淚 come from a family that spoke Cajun French, but my background was like a tool I needed to sharpen, and I knew this was the place to do it,鈥 Landry explained. 鈥淚t was a great ride, and what a mentor (Ancelet) became to me.鈥