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        Background music: "P'tits Yeux Noirs", John Dubois.
Our goal for "On the Bayou"  is to capture and document as many of our Acadian oral histories for Louisiana. Oral history is the oldest form of history. These histories are spoken, electronically recorded or written, either by the person with the story or by interviews, or in testimonies by oral history experts. The histories are usually passed down from one generation to the other and are part of our local tradition and culture. They include all of those family stories that so many of us have heard from our grandparents, parents, aunts or uncles, and later wished we could remember. By virtue of its nature, oral history, is highly perishable and unfortunately, so much of the detail and substance of those histories are lost over time. This is especially true for the generations of the past century where our families have been so mobile, making it difficult to teach those histories to the younger generations. Fortunately, a relatively small part of our oral history is documented anecdotally and in some cases, some often serve as the basis for research which eventually become part of our documented history. Hopefully, our effort in this section will augment the number of oral histories that are documented. 

To build on our work here, we invite you to submit your family stories to us in a new section to our 'La Jaseuse' blog (After going to the blog, click "On the Bayou: More Stories" in the 'Our Postings' section in the left side bar of the blog.). We invite all of our Louisiana Theriot family members to tell your stories that you may have experienced first-hand any time prior to the 1950's, or that were told to you by your family elders. They can be short (many are) or they can be long. Here are examples of a few oral histories or family stories.) This is a good way to make sure these stories are not lost. Let's start writing down some of those stories!

Aline Theriot Meaux... to us: MizMo!From the launching of our website in 1999, one of our first and most loyal visitors was a sweet lady from Vermilion Parish in Louisiana who we call 'MizMo'. She came into this world in 1922 as Aline Elizabeth Theriot, a daughter of Alexandre Telesphore Theriot and grand-daughter of Telesphore and Maria Theriot, head of the Great-Branch. Later, a Mr. Joseph Edias Meaux asked for her hand and the two raised a family of nine children. So, today we have 'MizMo':  a sister, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, genealogist, Cajun cook, and most important to us, a story-teller, who is very well connected to the World-Wide Web!

As you will see, MizMo has a way with words. Her short stories offer a rare glimpse of Cajun life in Louisiana. Each is a virtual gem revealing the hard but happy life of the Acadian families. The customs and traditions of the period are woven into her warm and cozy tales of life in a Cajun home. Her short stories of life ON THE BAYOU (including one or two poems) are listed below from the earliest (at the top) to the most recently published.

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An early Acadian settler and his home in the Attakapas region...
An early Acadian settler and his home in the Attakapas region of
Louisiana. (from "The Acadian Miracle", by Dudley J. LeBlanc)


WHAT IS A CAJUN?

What shall I say about a Cajun?
They are utterly impractical, never predictable,
Something irascible, quite inexplicable, Cajun..
Strange blend of shyness, pride and conceit.
And stubborn refusal to bow in defeat..
He's spoiling and ready to argue and fight, 
Yet the smile of a child fills his soul with delight..
His eyes are the quickest to well up in tears,
Yet his strength is the strongest to banish your fears...
His faith is as fierce as his devotion is grand..
And there's no middle ground on which he will stand..
He's wild and he's gentle, he's good and he's bad,
He's proud and he's humble, he's happy and sad..
He's in love with the ocean, the earth and the skies.
He's enamored with beauty wherever it lies..
He's victor and victim, a star and a clod, 
But mostly he's Cajun and in love with his God..

Author Unknown


FRIENDS OF MIZMO: 
...their favorite stories
ROY'S STORIES
SHIRLEY'S POULTRY-PHOBIA
GREATAUNT ESTHER'S MAGICAL CHRISTMAS

FABLES (CONTES FOLKLORIQUE)
...D'Un Cadien de la Savane de Gueydan
 
MINETTE A VOLÉ MES ROULETTES
LA CHASSE AUX COCODRILS
COMPÈRE LAPIN ET MADAME CARENCRO
Old Story-Telling Traditions:
LIFE ON THE BAYOU...
by MizMo
 
 
ON THE BAYOU
A MEAUX REUNION
MY DAD
FAISSON DU BOUDIN
THOSE THERIOT'S!
ON GRANDPA OZEME
'NONC SENIAS' WHISKEY
ON OLD COFFEE-MAKING TRADITIONS
MOTHER'S GARDEN
MY BIG BROTHER, GEORGE
INDIGO BLUE AND SILVER SPOONS
THE PICKLE IN THE MIDDLE
SCHOOL DAYS: LESSONS IN JUSTICE
CUTTING THE LEVÉE
AN ACT OF CONTRITION
BECOMING HIGH-WATER THERIOT'S
CAJUN EXCHANGE
A HEROINE'S MOMENT
HARVESTING OYSTERS
STORIES MY FATHER TOLD
KAPLAN: THE GARY'S RENT HOUSE
LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER
KAPLAN: THE CASTANZA'S RENT HOUSE
ON TO PERRY: PLENTIFUL DEPRESSION YEARS
MY BIG SISTER, NAN
DR. MOULEDOUS AND 'LA TRAITEUSE'
MORE LESSONS IN JUSTICE
SECOND-HAND STORIES
ACADIAN (CAJUN) WAYS
MY OTHER MOM AND DAD
MOTHER'S HEART OF GOLD
OUR HUNTING DOGS, LADY AND REX
CHER NONC FRANK AND TANTE JEANNE
 MEDICINE... AND DOCTORS
"...AND DON'T LET THE BEDBUGS BITE!"
JOY OF LIVING ...WITHOUT ELECTRICITY
OF SPANISH MOSS AND PALMETTO LEAVES
 SUMMER WITH PUTSY AND QUEBELLE
SUMMERTIME AT CHENIERE AU TIGRE...
THE KAPLAN NEIGHBORHOOD
OLD HOME CURE FOR WARTS
 LI'L ORPHAN ANNIE, CAJUN-STYLE
DAY'S CATCH FROM VERMILION BAY
RIVER BOAT CASINO 'HARRY LEE'
FLYING MACHINES OF BASTILLE DAY
MEAUX'S OF VERMILION PARISH
OLD PERRY, BY THE BRIDGE
PUG REMEMBERS EMIC AN' OLA
CAJUN STAPLES: RICE AND CRAWFISH
SWEET VERMILION'S SUGAR CANE
A CAJUN GIRL'S CHRISTMAS
MOMENTS OF HORROR
BIRTHDAY PARTIES AND SCHOOL DANCES
THE SWAMP ANGELS
DAYS IN SELMA
TANT LOUL
THE BESSIE FOREMAN STORY
EN FAMILLE...
 CAMPING ON THE GALVESTON JETTY...
THE MIRACLE OF HURRICANE 'LILI'
 MY FIRST ROUX
 I WASN'T WORRIED, HONEY
...ON A MORE PERSONAL NOTE
TRINITY