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The Hurricane Spell
I am a Louisianian, born and raised here and will probably never leave. I love it here. You live where people give you the head nod at the stop sign, you can buy alcohol at a drive through and everybody is family. We take the good with the bad and trust me, we have a ton of bad. We even take the hurricanes. People ask why do you stay and wait for something so devastating and the answer is this is my home. The Loudest Quiet There is a certain eeriness and surreal feel in the air when a hurricane is on its’ way. There is the loudest quiet. The…
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How I Grew Up
I literally grew up in a living, breathing hub of culture and history and preservation. My childhood was unusual in that I was a late in life child and was surrounded by adults. The work my Mom, Janet Ravare Colson, started doing to promote and preserve Creole culture meant that the adults I was surrounded by were academics, historians, storytellers, musicians and artists. I received an eclectic and priceless education about the arts, preservation and culture. Years before the Creole Heritage Center, at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA, was formed it existed in our living room. My Mom had her computer set up there and that’s where she did…
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3 Ways to Answer “What are you?” Without Losing Your Mind
What are you? If I had a penny, not a quarter or a dollar, just a penny for how many times someone asked me that I’d be a rich woman. It wasn’t just a growing up thing it’s been a lifetime thing. I have always wondered what possesses people to open their mouth and just let that fall out. What happens in someones’ head? What are they thinking to then decide well now I am going to ask a question in the most direct and inappropriate way that could potentially offend someone. It’s intrusive and can come off sounding rude. Why do people ask? This is especially weird when you…
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GumboLife is back
I started GumboLife in 2017 because I wanted Creole people to have a space that was about our stories, our culture and our experiences. I really didn’t do that great of a job. Life happened and in a big way, over and over again. For every step forward I got knocked three steps back, sometimes more. The past year and a half have been life changing for myself and for my family. My world looks entirely different now than what it did then. Losing my Mom in May of this year knocked me all the way down to the very bottom step. She was, and still is, my guiding light,…
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One Life Lived, Many Lives Changed
On May 4, 2020 the world stopped turning for us when my Mother passed away. The past few months have been some of the most difficult and most enlightening as we begin to understand what life without her looks like. We were so fortunate to have our honorary brother, Dr. Andrew Jolivette, to step in to take care of us and write a beautiful tribute to my Mom. We literally could not have put the words together to explain her incredible life the way he did. Here are his words: Mrs. Colson, age 75, a native of Natchitoches and resident of Opelousas, passed away on Monday, May 4, 2020 at…
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John Oswald Colson Louisiana Tradition Bearer Award
On October 27, 2018 the office of Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser presented my Dad, John Oswald Colson with a proclamation making him an Honorary Louisiana Tradition Bearer. This award celebrates his efforts to remember and honor the tradition of folklife culture. The presentation was at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame museum in Natchitoches, LA and was followed by a demonstration by my Dad and panel discussion. It was also announced that he will be inducted into the Folklife Hall of Fame in July 2019 at the Northwestern State University Folk Festival. This was a huge honor not only for my Dad but for our family to see him recognized…
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A Creole Love Story…What Happens in Vegas Doesn’t Always Stay There
In 2012, I was a struggling single mom raising two boys, 10 and 7. I was working two jobs, trying to be supermom and definitely not dating. I was 34 years old, divorced and okay with the fact that I would probably never get married again. I was over it and I found true contentment and happiness in the sweet, quiet life I had created for my boys and I. I wasn’t rich, I worried, I was tired one hundred percent of the time but I was happy. I felt like I had my cake and was eating it too in other words. One of my jobs at the time…
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I Lived in Town…A Sunday on Cane River Story
This is the story of every Sunday of my childhood, told from my little girl memories I lived in town. Even though I was just as Creole and Cane River as the other kids I still lived in town. I hated it, all the good stuff happened down the river and I was nine years old and wanted to live down there too. But at least I had my Sundays. Daddy and I went to church on Saturday afternoons at 4:00 in town. That’s when Mama took her nap and I had to be quiet. I hated that too, I wanted to be loud so Daddy decided that was a…
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The Filé Man
John Oswald Colson has been making filé most of his life. His mother and the generations before her all provided the Cane River community with fresh filé, red pepper and other seasonings. His process of making filé is now considered a folk art and the special flavor that seems so rich to his filé is the story in the hands that create it. He is known by many names and has lived a colorful life to say the least. He is full of stories of Cane River, the traditions, stories but most importantly the people. Born in 1937, John lived on Cane River until, like so many others in…
