The Louisiana populist., 1897-02-26
Isle Breyelle.
written for the Item.)

written for the Item.)
The person travelling up or dowr
Cane river, will observe the pecu
liarities in manner, dress and dia
lect of the mixed blooded popu!a
ton of Isle Breyelle. Here is {
people who form q society an(
a world of their own. Descended
ffrom the early French settlers
and Indian and negro blood com
bined, and here and there a dash Of
Spanish, they live apart from all
other people Of their country,
The mixed blooded Creole of Isle
Brevelle is as primitive a people
as their ancestors, the Acadians,
who were brought South by the
British long, long ago. They are
all ardent Catholics, and the church
ut Isle Brevelle Mission is crowded
every Sunday with them. In eve
ry community some patriach tries
the differences, and settles disputes;
and no matter how the disputes
are being waged, his person is sa-
cred, and his word law. The
houses are mostly all adobe, or
mud walls, white washed. They
are fond Of dancing, music and
gay dressing, and some magnificent
types of brunette beauty are found
among them. And they are, as a
rule, rigidly virtuous. At a dance
will be seen big fire in the yard,
and a big pot of gumbo on it,
which, with cafe noir, is served
steaming hot to guests at intervals,
This gumbo is made from boiling
fresh meat or game with tho pull
verized leaves and stems of a dwarf
sassafras, which growso the hills,
and whittier these people 60 in
great numbers at the proper season
to gather it. The language spo-
ken Is a patois, or a dialect which
is puzzle to oany linguist. For 81
don't know the Isle Brevelle mix
ed-blood says: ''Mo pas connais.
In ''The Captains Story Mrs.
Townsend displays a knowledge of
this dialect. The finest cooks of
our State are in Isle Brevelle, and
they can beat the San Antonio Mex
lean making tamales. The Isle
Brevelle tamale is made of highly
seasoned chopped meats, and meal
made from corn treated with lye to
remove the husk and pounded in u
mortar. Their coffee is unexcell-
ed and if you call at a house, the
coffee mill is promptly set agoing.
and you are handed a cup of cafe
noir, such as you will always re-
member; that is, if you are on
good terms swith Jean Baptiste.
The Cane river lands arc above
overflow, and this, with their great
fertility, has created great de-
mand for them, and with the in
Aux Of population great changes
have been wrought, but these pc.
culiar people will not associate with
the negro; do not wish, or try to
have any social communication with
the whites, and are as primitive
to-day as an hundred years ago.
Men may come, and men may 90,
but no changes arc recorded in the
habits and appearance of these
folks. Bright strings Of pepper
and mats Of plated garlic hang
on the walls, and the wooden NOR
tar and pestle are seen at every
home. Baptoche, the great hun
ter, lived in Isle Brevelle and hunt
ed as the widest and greatest
hunter Of his time. Carroll
Jones lived in Isle Brevelle; he
was an inveterate horse racer.
Carroll was. born a slave and
bought his freedom. His house
on Cane river was headquarters for
horse drivers and race horse men
travelling through that country.
He owned a fine plantation and a
good and roomy dwelling on it.
Horse racing is indulged in to a
great extent in Isle Brevelle, and
at the 24-mile ferry nearly every
Sunday are congregated hundreds
OF people. Stands are erected,
and coffee, pies, cakes, pop, ami
sette ard other refreshments are
sold. Some of these Creole hors-
es are very fleet, and can beat
good horses at short distances
three or four arpents are popular
distances. Carroll owned many