C U LT U R A L P R E S E R VAT I O N
Speaking My Language
CULTURAL REVITALIZATION AT THE SAINT-LUC FRENCH IMMERSION AND CULTURAL CAMPUS Story and photos by Jonathan Olivier
A
lthough rarer these days, there still exists a clan of old timers in Acadiana who remember the caramel-tinted cotton of days past. Very unlike the fluffy white balls most of us are familiar with, it was dubbed coton jaune (yellow cotton) in French, but in English it’s known as Acadian brown cotton. “People made night gowns and underwear with it,” said Arnaudville native Mavis Arnaud Frugé, eightytwo. “It didn’t matter if it was washed in a creek that wasn’t clear, because it wouldn’t stain it. It had a yellow cast to it.” The plant has its origins in South America, and was likely brought to South Louisiana via trade routes where Creoles, Acadians, and others saw its value. Although brown cotton had smaller yields than white cotton, the plant grew easily and, most importantly,
its seeds could be removed by hand instead of necessitating a gin. “That made it more accessible,” Frugé said. “It was the less-than-wealthy people who were using it to spin and weave.” People began to rely on coton jaune as women in the region became skilled spinners, thus weaving the plant into the fabric of Acadiana. Although as commercial options became available in the twentieth century, Frugé explained that families simply quit the practice, and the art was on its way to being forgotten. Recent revitalization efforts have brought the plant and its history back to light, due in large part to the organization Acadian Brown Cotton and the 2015 documentary Coton Jaune: Acadian Brown Cotton, a Cajun Love Story. Today, many farmers around Acadiana are again growing coton jaune to preserve the heritage seeds, and to continue its storied tradition.
Frugé figured that if she wanted to preserve an important part of her culture, she had better do something about it herself, too. This year she tended to a one-acre patch of coton jaune in her backyard, harvesting by hand from July to December and yielding almost one thousand pounds of fiber. “Growing coton jaune got me thinking that those talents of growing cotton, spinning and weaving; they are on the decline just like the French language is in Louisiana,” Frugé said. She has approached growing cotton in the same way that she serves as a steward of her maternal French language, with vigor and unwavering stamina. Known as a frequent host of French tables and of francophone visitors, Frugé is a wellrecognized force in Louisiana’s world of language preservation. Currently, she is the president of the non-profit, the Saint-Luc French Immersion and
Cultural Campus in Arnaudville, which is a forthcoming organization that will soon offer immersion classes in French and instruction in Louisiana Creole and other local heritage languages; it will be the first program of its kind in the nation. Frugé said organizers are also heavily invested in incorporating Louisiana’s distinct cultural elements into the program—which is where she thinks her coton jaune can shine. “I have selected a large room in SaintLuc with five spinning wheels and seven looms,” she said. “In addition to keeping French in Louisiana alive, we’ll be reviving traditions such as weaving with coton jaune through workshops in our programming.” But before Frugé and other organizers at the Saint-Luc campus can even consider hosting their first program, the old building—which sat vacant for over a decade before the board purchased it in
Arnaudville narive Mavis Frugé grew up speaking Louisiana French, and today is considered a leader in the efforts to revitalize the language for the next generation. Over the years, she has organized French Tables, shared the region’s culture with visitors, and is currently the force behind the Saint-Luc French Immersion Center nonprofit.
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