The Louisiana Folklife Commission, in collaboration with the Louisiana Folklore Society, will honor tradition bearers during events throughout the month of October to celebrate the eighth annual Folklife Month.
Six tradition bearers, individuals who have continuously perpetuated the state’s traditional cultures, will be recognized at various events in Louisiana for their work. The honorees are Mary Alice Vanderwaters, Andrew Miller, Alton Armstrong, Lonnie “Butch” Cooksy Jr., Nelson Harris and Rhonda Remedies Gauthier.
Maida Owens, the folklife program director, emphasized the importance of rewarding the individuals.
“It’s a way to spotlight and reward people who have frequently spent decades and decades to make sure that their traditions are passed on within their communities,” Owens said.
Owens explained that the tradition bearers are a part of Louisiana’s indigenous communities — descendants of the early settlers of European and African communities that have been here for hundreds of years. They are selected by local folklorists and other culture workers to increase appreciation for the role they play in sustaining Louisiana’s folkways.
Mary Alice Vanderwaters, a singer and songwriter from Rapides Parish, made her own guitar out of a piece of board and rubber bands at 7 years old after her brother wouldn’t let her play his guitar. She joined her first bluegrass band as a teenager and began writing songs. She is a long-time member of the Nashville Songwriting Association and now performs at songwriting rounds, churches and festivals. She will be honored 6:30 p.m. Oct. 19 at Troubadours Songwriter Night at Fighting Hand Brewing Company, 1600 Military Highway, Pineville.
Andrew “Chef Drew” Miller learned how to create food with lots of love from the best chef he knew: his late mother, Eleanor B. Miller. Drew studied the art of cuisine at Sclafani’s Cooking School and soon began working in the field. In 2000, Chef Drew started Miller Thyme Catering. When he wanted to add something sweet to the menu, he thought of bread pudding. After experimenting with the recipe and adding his own flair, Bananas Foster Bread Pudding was born. It quickly became a signature menu item and one of his most sought-after dishes. He will be honored 3 p.m. Oct. 26 at Dillard University in the Georges Auditorium, 2601 Gentilly Blvd. in New Orleans.
Alton “Lil’ Tiger” Armstrong has been participating in the Creole Mardi Gras box hat and screen mask tradition since 1969. Lafayette’s oldest Creole Mardi Gras masking and performance tradition features vibrantly colored costumes, usually with a painted wire mask and square mortarboard-style hat made of cardboard, featuring strands of crepe paper streamers as part of the decoration. Armstrong is one of the few remaining participants in this tradition, which he is attempting to pass along to new generations, including his grandsons. He will be honored 11:30 a.m. Oct. 15 at Festivals Acadiens et Créoles on the Atelier Stage, 500 Girard Park Drive in Lafayette.
From the age of eight, Lonnie “Butch” Cooksey Jr. played guitar in his family gospel and bluegrass band, The Cooksey Family. Throughout his 63-year career, he has become both an inspiration and a sustaining resource to young people learning this traditional musical form and the instruments it uses: banjo, mandolin, guitar, fiddle, and dobro. Cooksey is also a successful sound technician, supporting performances at bluegrass festivals, churches, and other venues. He will be honored 11:00 a.m., Oct. 16 at Faith Apostolic Church, 26660 James Capel Road in Holden.
When he was in his twenties, Nelson Harris came across Melvin Williams drumming in a park, who invited Harris to try his hand at drumming on congas. From that point on, Williams became his teacher. Since then, Harris has become well known in Terrebonne Parish for playing bongo and conga drums in both traditional and African styles. When asked how drumming makes him feel, Harris said, “When I’m playing drums, I can actually hear it coming off the walls. I can hear it coming off the floors. I can hear the ringing in it. I can play so many different ways, that a lot of times, I try to capture that in one sound, and it’ll lose me, so I chase it.” He will be honored 3:00 p.m., Oct. 23 at the Rougarou Festival Main Stage, 132 Library Drive in Houma.
An Adeasonos and member of the Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb, Louisiana, and president of Ho Minti Society, Inc., Rhonda Gauthier grew up outside of Zwolle. As a young girl she began learning traditional arts from the women in her immediate and extended family, including crochet, embroidery, hand sewing, quilting, cooking, baking, and animal tending. Her grandmother taught her midwifery, the use of natural herbs to treat common ailments, and herb gardening. After earning a BA in anthropology and history from Northwestern State University, she pursued a successful career in historical interpretation and cultural preservation at various sites across northwestern Louisiana. After her retirement, she has continued to volunteer. She was honored on Oct. 8 at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum in Natchitoches.
