Folk Regions
The Florida Parishes: An Overview --
Joel Gardner
Material Cultural Landscape of the Florida
Parishes in Historical Perspective – Milton B. Newton, Jr.
St. Tammany Parish - The Northshore –
Janice Dee Gilbert
East Baton Rouge and Livingston Parishes
– Joyce M. Jackson and Maida Owens
The Felicianas – Susan Garrett Davis
The Piney Woods - Tangipahoa, St. Helena,
Washington Parishes – Joy J. Jackson
Three Ethnic
Perspectives
Indians and Folklife in the Florida Parishes
of Louisiana -- H. F. "Pete" Gregory
Hungarian Folklife in the Florida Parishes
of Louisiana – Virginia Romero
Customs, Traditions, and Folklore of
a Rural Southern Italian-American Community -- Harry P. Becnel, Jr.
Folk Music of the Florida
Parishes
"Don’t Give up Your Day Job": Country
Music – Terry A. Seelinger
Music of the Black Churches – Joyce
M. Jackson
From Country to City: The Blues and Gospel
in the Florida Parishes and Baton Rouge – Ben Sandmel
People of the Florida
Parishes
In Retrospect
Original copyright 1988 Louisiana Division
of the Arts
Second edition with editorial revisions,
copyright 2000 Louisiana Division of the Arts
These essays originally appeared in
the book, Folklife in the Florida Parishes, co-published in 1988
by the Louisiana Folklife Program within the Louisiana Division of the
Arts and the Center for Regional Studies at Southeastern Louisiana University,
and reflects fieldwork done in 1984. This second online edition includes
minor editorial changes. Refer to Florida Parishes Folklife Project: In
Retrospect for a report on the project. While supplies last, free copies
of the book are available to Florida Parishes school libraries.
About the Writers
Harry P. Becnel, Jr. documented
the Independence community while living there and teaching at Southeastern
Louisiana University in the Department of Sociology, Social Welfare, and
Criminal Justice.
Nancy Bernstein is an anthropologist
who was freelancing in Louisiana at the time.
Susan Garrett Davis, a native
Felicianan, was a writer at Louisiana State University and is now a craftsperson.
Joel Gardner is an oral historian
now in New Jersey specializing in oral history and history of corporations.
Janice Dee Gilbert was a journalist
in St. Tammany Parish until her death.
H. F. "Pete" Gregory is an anthropologist
at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
Joy J. Jackson was an oral historian
at the Center for Regional Studies at Southeastern Louisiana University.
Joyce Marie Jackson is an anthropologist
in the Department of Geography and Anthropology at Louisiana State University.
Maida Owens is an anthropologist
and director of the Louisiana Folklife Program.
Virginia Romero taught at Albany
High School in the 1970s and researched the Hungarian community.
Ben Sandmel is a music writer
based in New Orleans.
