Videos on Louisiana Traditional Culture
The State Library of Louisiana has most of the following videos (and many more) on Louisiana culture available on loan. Many filmmakers have also given permission for public screenings that do not charge a fee. To borrow a film, contact your nearest parish library with the title of the desired film and the date(s) which you wish to reserve it. The film will be shipped to your parish library for pick up. Loan periods are typically for one week.
The state library also handles loans of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities videos. Contact your parish library or refer to the State Library online catalog for available titles.
Alligator Hunters: A Louisiana Legacy (60 min) documents the tradition of alligator hunting in the marshes of Vermilion Parish.
Allons á Louisiana Cajun Country (30 min) Governor Edwin Edwards introduces this look at Cajun culture.
Always for Pleasure (58 min) An insider's look at the New Orleans Mardi Gras with its musical traditions.
Anything I Catch: The Handfishing Story (30 min) explores the custom of wading into bayous to catch catfish and turtles that live in underwater stumps.
Cajun Crossroads (60 min) accurately portrays the range of Cajun lifestyles from bayou to prairie, rural to urban, oil rig to fisherman.
Cajun in Search of Their Roots (28 min) visits with descendants of Acadians who remained in Canada and who went to Louisiana.
The Chitimacha (12 min) presents an overview of this Native American tribe in Charenton, Louisiana.
Dance for a Chicken: The Cajun Mardi Gras (60 min) presents the rural Cajun tradition with authentic presentation of the run, historical background and cultural interpretation are given.
Gumbo (28 min) looks at South Louisiana cooking.
Haunted Waters, Fragile Lands (60 min) is a case study of the Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary of national environmental problems of land and water usage that have been caused by historical and cultural factors.
Hidden Nation (57 min) explores the traditions of the French-speaking Houma Indians of Dulac, Louisiana, and their search for federal recognition.
Islands of Saints and Souls(30 min) explores ethnic Catholicism in New Orleans, examining holiday traditions such as All Saints day, St. Joseph's Day altars, and St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Les Blues de Balfa (28 min) presents Dewey Balfa tracing the development of his musical family and its contribution to Cajun music.
Les Creoles (28 min) A look at black Creoles and their music (in French).
Neville Brothers and Friends (58 min) A spicy hour of lively music recorded live at Storyville Jazz Hall in New Orleans.
New Orleans Jazz Funerals . . . from the inside.
New Orleans Voodoo . . . from the inside. Documents the history and current practice of this misunderstood religion.
Of Sugar Cane and Syrup. (15 min) chronicles syrup making in a Franklin Parish family.
Pirogue Maker (12 min) records the Acadian skill of carving a pirogue from a cypress log.
Rainin' in my Heart: A Blues Mosaic (60 min) discusses the distinctive form of blues that originated in Baton Rouge, featuring Moses "Whispering" Smith, Henry Gray, Tabby Thomas, Buddy Guy, and others.
Something Nobody Else Has: Turtle Trapping in Louisiana (29 min) explores turtle trapping in Vermillion Parish.
Spend It All (41 min) documents the lifestyles and environments of three groups of Cajun musicians, includes pig slaughter and barbecue.
Swapping Stories: Folktales from Louisiana (60 min) brings together some of the best storytellers in Louisiana including comedians A. J. Smith and Dave Petitjohn, Cajun storyteller Enola Mathews, and the late Bel Abbey and Colonel Ike Hamilton.
The 1985 Festival of American Folklife (15 min) excerpts demonstrations of Louisiana folklife artists appearing at the Smithsonian's national festival.
Yeah, You Rite (28 min) presents a linguistic tour of New Orleans dialects in various part of the city and discusses the social function of language and the cultural ramifications of the differences.
