Barry Jean Ancelet
Encyclopedia
Barry Jean Ancelet is a Cajun
folklorist and expert in Cajun music
and Cajun French
. He has written several books, and under the pseudonym Jean Arceneaux he has written Cajun French poetry
and lyrics to Cajun French songs.
, he graduated from the nearby University of Louisiana
(then named the University of Southwestern Louisiana) with a bachelor's of art in French
in 1974.
He received a master's of art in folklore
from Indiana University
in 1977, when he began teaching French at the University of Louisiana. Later he also taught folklore
and Francophone
studies at the university.
Ancelet obtained a doctorate in Études Créoles (anthropology and linguistics) from the Université de Provence (Aix-Marseille I) in 1984.
He co-founded the Tribute to Cajun Music in 1974, which became the annual Festivals Acadiens.
Ancelet has served as chair of UL's Department of Modern Languages and as the first director of the university's Center for Acadian
and Creole
Folklore — regarded as the largest compilation of media resources pertaining to these two south Louisiana ethnic groups.
He hosted the Rendez-vous des Cajuns live weekly music radio program on KRVS
for more than a decade.
The French government awarded Ancelet the title of Chevalier
in l'Ordre des Palmes académiques, an honor reserved for those whose scholarly pursuits are deemed to contribute significantly to French culture.
In 2006, Ancelet was made a Chevalier in l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
de la République Francaise, which honors those who have made important contributions to art and literature. On receiving the award, Ancelet noted, "I thought it was a very lovely honor, but I was also sort of intrigued by the irony of being knighted apparently for spending my whole career trying to honor the culture of ordinary folks. . . . I feel it's an honor not only for myself, but the entire Cajun and Creole society that I have always been interested in exploring and celebrating and validating. I feel like I'm going to be wearing this award in the name of an awful lot of people."
In 2008, he won the Américo Paredes Prize by the American Folklore Society
.
In 2009, he was named Louisiana "Humanist of the Year" by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.
Ancelet is also a member of the l'Ordre des Francophones d'Amérique, in Quebec
, Canada
, a fellow of the American Folklore Society
, and a fellow of the Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism at UL
.
As Jean Arceneaux
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
folklorist and expert in Cajun music
Cajun music
Cajun music, an emblematic music of Louisiana, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based, Cajun-influenced zydeco form, both of Acadiana origin...
and Cajun French
Cajun French
Cajun French is a variety or dialects of the French language spoken primarily in Louisiana, specifically in the southern and southwestern parishes....
. He has written several books, and under the pseudonym Jean Arceneaux he has written Cajun French poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and lyrics to Cajun French songs.
Education and career
Born in Church Point, LouisianaChurch Point, Louisiana
Church Point is a town in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,756 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Crowley Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, he graduated from the nearby University of Louisiana
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
(then named the University of Southwestern Louisiana) with a bachelor's of art in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
in 1974.
He received a master's of art in folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
from Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
in 1977, when he began teaching French at the University of Louisiana. Later he also taught folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and Francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
studies at the university.
Ancelet obtained a doctorate in Études Créoles (anthropology and linguistics) from the Université de Provence (Aix-Marseille I) in 1984.
He co-founded the Tribute to Cajun Music in 1974, which became the annual Festivals Acadiens.
Ancelet has served as chair of UL's Department of Modern Languages and as the first director of the university's Center for Acadian
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
and Creole
Louisiana Creole people
Louisiana Creole people refers to those who are descended from the colonial settlers in Louisiana, especially those of French and Spanish descent. The term was first used during colonial times by the settlers to refer to those who were born in the colony, as opposed to those born in the Old World...
Folklore — regarded as the largest compilation of media resources pertaining to these two south Louisiana ethnic groups.
He hosted the Rendez-vous des Cajuns live weekly music radio program on KRVS
KRVS
KRVS is a radio station broadcasting a World Ethnic format. Licensed to Lafayette, Louisiana; it is currently owned by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and features programing from American Public Media, National Public Radio and Public Radio International.Programming covers various types...
for more than a decade.
Honors and awards
In 2005 Ancelet was named the Willis Granger and Tom Debaillon BORSF Professor of Francophone Studies at UL.The French government awarded Ancelet the title of Chevalier
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
in l'Ordre des Palmes académiques, an honor reserved for those whose scholarly pursuits are deemed to contribute significantly to French culture.
In 2006, Ancelet was made a Chevalier in l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
de la République Francaise, which honors those who have made important contributions to art and literature. On receiving the award, Ancelet noted, "I thought it was a very lovely honor, but I was also sort of intrigued by the irony of being knighted apparently for spending my whole career trying to honor the culture of ordinary folks. . . . I feel it's an honor not only for myself, but the entire Cajun and Creole society that I have always been interested in exploring and celebrating and validating. I feel like I'm going to be wearing this award in the name of an awful lot of people."
In 2008, he won the Américo Paredes Prize by the American Folklore Society
American Folklore Society
The American Folklore Society is the US-based professional association for folklorists, with members from the US, Canada, and around the world. It was founded in 1888 by William Wells Newell, who stood at the center of a diverse group of university-based scholars, museum anthropologists, and men...
.
In 2009, he was named Louisiana "Humanist of the Year" by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.
Ancelet is also a member of the l'Ordre des Francophones d'Amérique, in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, a fellow of the American Folklore Society
American Folklore Society
The American Folklore Society is the US-based professional association for folklorists, with members from the US, Canada, and around the world. It was founded in 1888 by William Wells Newell, who stood at the center of a diverse group of university-based scholars, museum anthropologists, and men...
, and a fellow of the Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism at UL
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
.
Publications
- The Makers of Cajun Music / Musiciens cadiens et créoles (1984)
- Cajun Music: Its Origins and Development (1989)
- Cajun Country (Folklife in the South Series) [contributor] (1991)
- Cajun and Creole Folktales: The French Oral Tradition of South Louisiana (1994)
- Capitaine, Voyage Ton Flag: The Traditional Cajun Country Mardi Gras (1989)
- Cajun and Creole Music Makers: Musicians Cadians Et Creoles [contributor] (1999)
- One Generation at a Time: Biography of a Cajun and Creole Music Festival [contributor] (2007)
- Cadiens D'Asteur - Today's Cajuns [contributor] (1984).
As Jean Arceneaux
- Je suis cadien (1994)
- Suite du loup (1998)
Films
- 1989 - J'ai Été Au Bal (dir. Les BlankLes BlankLes Blank is an American documentary filmmaker best known for his portraits of American traditional musicians....
; Ancelet is one of the narrators and appears in the film)