The 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 Dr. Barry Ancelet might be retiring, but he isn小蝌蚪APP檛 about to stop banging the drum for Cajun and Creole culture.
He小蝌蚪APP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小蝌蚪APP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 小蝌蚪APP, in 1977, and began carving out a reputation as one of the most renowned Cajun folklorists in the world.
小蝌蚪APP淭he study of culture, literature, and language through the lens of folklore has been the foundation for my entire career,小蝌蚪APP Ancelet said on Wednesday at Burke-Hawthorne auditorium, as the inaugural speaker for the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 new Last Lecture Series.
The Last Lecture Series recognizes a retiring faculty member小蝌蚪APP檚 significant contributions to the 小蝌蚪APP and the community.
Ancelet will retire at the end of this semester, after nearly 40 years at the 小蝌蚪APP.
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.
小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檓 grateful and fortunate that my colleagues and administrators here at the 小蝌蚪APP have been flexible enough to recognize the value of what I do,小蝌蚪APP Ancelet said on Wednesday.
He helped to establish Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 Festivals Acadiens et Cr茅oles, in 1974, for example. The event was called 小蝌蚪APP淎 Tribute to Cajun Music,小蝌蚪APP and 小蝌蚪APP渁n undeniable success, packing Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 Blackham Colisuem on a Tuesday night despite lightning, thunder, and a driving rain.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淚t turned out to be the largest mass rally of what was coming to be called the Louisiana French Renaissance movement,小蝌蚪APP Ancelet said.
小蝌蚪APP淚n the momentum of this moment, the 小蝌蚪APP created the Center for Acadian and Creole Folklore to integrate this new field of study into the academic community.小蝌蚪APP
Ancelet deserves ample kudos for helping to assemble the world's largest collection of Cajun and Creole folklore, which is housed at the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 Center for Louisiana Studies.
The Archives of Cajun and Creole Folklore are the backbone of the Center小蝌蚪APP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.
小蝌蚪APP淏alfa had seen the benefit of archives at the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian,小蝌蚪APP Ancelet said. 小蝌蚪APP淗e insisted that we needed a similar bank of information on ourselves here in Louisiana. I pointed out that I certainly didn小蝌蚪APP檛 have the financial resources to produce an archive. Balfa pointedly asked, 小蝌蚪APP楧o you have enough money to buy one tape?小蝌蚪APP 小蝌蚪APP
When Ancelet answered yes, Balfa instructed him 小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淗e was right, as usual,小蝌蚪APP Ancelet said.
Over the years, Ancelet小蝌蚪APP檚 work and research has been recognized internationally.
He was named Chevalier de l小蝌蚪APP橭rdre des Palmes Acad茅miques and Chevalier de l小蝌蚪APP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小蝌蚪APP檛 have been possible without 小蝌蚪APP渃ommunity scholars,小蝌蚪APP 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.
小蝌蚪APP淭he most important source for untapped information on Cajuns and Creoles was Cajuns and Creoles themselves,小蝌蚪APP 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小蝌蚪APP檚 小蝌蚪APP渓ast lecture.小蝌蚪APP
Landry, 34, hosts the live weekly radio show 小蝌蚪APP淩endez-vous des Cadiens,小蝌蚪APP which is broadcast from the Liberty Theater in Eunice, La.
It小蝌蚪APP檚 a gig that his former professor at UL Lafayette, Ancelet, performed for a quarter of a century.
Landry, who earned a bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree in French and Francophone Studies from the 小蝌蚪APP, said he enrolled at UL Lafayette in 2008 to learn about Cajun and Creole culture.
Another reason was for 小蝌蚪APP渢he opportunity to study with Dr. Ancelet.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP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,小蝌蚪APP Landry explained. 小蝌蚪APP淚t was a great ride, and what a mentor (Ancelet) became to me.小蝌蚪APP