Women of Spirit // Geaux Girl
by Jessica Taylor, Features Editor Faith plays an important role in the lives of people in South Louisiana. From Native-American religious ceremonies, to voodoo rituals and Christian masses, faith in the South has multiple faces. Native American Much more than a personal relationship between the faithful and their devotion, women in South Louisiana are proud to share their faith and to help others to find their faith as well. One of the spiritual groups in South Louisiana is a small community of American Indians in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. Native American cultures began to form rituals, which were practices formed around their methods of acquiring food, from hunting to agriculture. They also embrace ceremonies and rituals that provided power to conquer the difficulties of life, as well as events and milestones. To Native Americans, religion does stem from the notions of God, but it is also formulated around their beliefs of powers. Therefore, their religious ceremonies focus on God and power. Voodoo Another common and interesting practice is Voodoo, something often associated with Louisiana. Tina Granger, sociology professor at Nicholls State University, explains that Marie Laveau, known as the Voodoo Queen, changed how Voodoo is practiced today. “Although Voodoo originated in Africa (Afro- Caribbean Vodou), Laveau’s religious rite on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain on St. John’s Eve in 1874 attracted 12,000 black and white New Orleanians, which brought the practice of Voodoo to South Louisiana,” Granger says. Once news spread of her power, she began to dominate the other Voodoo leaders of New Orleans. Laveau, who was also a Catholic, incorporated some practices of Catholicism into the Voodoo belief system we know today. “It’s not uncommon for those who practice voodoo to worship at the Catholic Church every Sunday and then worship voodoo that same evening,” Granger says There are four phases of a voodoo ritual. They are all identifiable by the song being sung; preparation, invocation, possession and farewell. The songs are used to open the gate between the deities and the human world and invites the spirits to possess someone. The core beliefs of Louisiana Voodoo include the recognition of one God who does not interfere in people’s daily lives and spirits that preside over daily life. Connections with these spirits can be achieved through dance, music, singing, and the use of snakes. A strong sense of faith is one of the main shared characteristics of women down the bayou, regardless of religion. Christianity Although the Nicholls Community is a diverse body of people with different sets of beliefs, Christianity is one of the most predominant religions on campus. Maegan Martin, a missionary with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), interacts with other women of faith in the area on a daily basis. Originally from Cuero, Texas, Martin came to Nicholls State University to work with athletes and students to help guide them in their faith. “As a former collegiate athlete, I lead FCA [Fellowship Christian Athletes] at Nicholls State and mentor athletes in their faith,” Martin says. “As an athlete, injuries can happen, school can become difficult, and many other things can come into play, making it difficult to have faith and believe in God’s plan.” She helps student-athletes as well as other students to keep faithful and to try to understand that, despite all adversities, God has a bigger plan for everyone’s lives. Although Martin hasn’t been a resident here long, she says that, unlike anywhere else, she has encountered a large percentage of women who are strong in their faith in South Louisiana. Whether it’s related to athletics, family or school, faith is often needed to overcome many obstacles in life. Annie Knight, a sophomore mass communications student at Nicholls State University, is a faith-filled, passionate young woman who attends mass weekly. Like many students, Knight has a full-time class schedule filled with school work and extracurricular activities. Despite her busy life, her faith is a substantial part of her day. “I pray throughout my day with scripture through psalms. Also, during rough times or whenever I need guidance, I seek counsel from religious leaders such as a priest or the available leaders on campus,” Knight says. Knight explains her faith helps her be the best version of herself, which right now consists of her being the best student she can be. Along with Martin, Jocelyn Gosman is also a missionary and is the team director of FOCUS at Nicholls State. Gosman, who was raised by a family of faith, explains how she fell away from her faith when she started college and rekindled in her faith through a Bible study she joined on campus. Now that she’s a team director and a leader for FOCUS, she has grown even deeper in her faith. “As a team director and leader, I start my day with an hour of prayer and I also try to engage others in faith and allow them to see how much they are loved by the Father as I have been loved through my personal experiences,” Gosman says. Martin, Knight and Gosman are the prime examples of South Louisiana women who, connected by their faith, create the hospitable, charitable, warm culture of South Louisiana. So “Look at This” to learn more about other women of spirit from South Louisiana. Meet these Bayou Women of Spirit
Garfish Scale Art // United Houma Nation
by Tatum Gehbauer, Video/Audio Editor Meet these Bayou Women of Spirit
Cajun Faith & Healing // Traiteurs
by Angelle Gaspard, Managing Editor Traiteur. Treater. Healer by faith. What was once a common practice in South Louisiana has since died down. Gheens is a small town that follows a long, rough road between Matthews and Raceland. Edna Quick lives in the middle of this small town. Quick is a practicing traiteur and the only one left within the town. “I have people from different places that come to be treated, and I do not refuse them because I’m doing the work of the lord,” she says with a soft Cajun accent. Quick sees people from within the state, and even others from states like Texas and Georgia. Word of her practices travel from one person to another. People now, and in the past, see traiteurs or bring their children to be treated for illnesses that may or may not otherwise be curable by modern medicine, and just as tradition shows, Quick does not accept payment for what she does. “This is the lord’s work, it’s not mine. I don’t heal, the lord does,” she says. Some people continue to visit traiteurs like Quick today for one reason, faith. People have faith in this woman and her abilities to heal ailments through prayer. Quick says people will call and set up appointments for ailments such as shingles. They meet her in her home and she first has them explain what the problem is and where it is located. She then takes them to an alter she has in her bedroom and says a particular prayer that she was taught and then she gives them instructions about what they need to do on their own. Part of the healing process is the prayers made by the traiteur, but another part is the patient’s ability to follow through with any additional prayers or practices they are instructed to do. In the past, medical care was not as affordable nor was it readily available in South Louisiana. “Treaters were common,” she reminisces. “That’s how we grew up. We had no money to go to the doctor.” Growing up, Quick was treated within her own home because she comes from a long family line of traiteurs. Her aunt, sister, and mother were all treaters. She explains that she was able to go to her family as well as three or four other treaters within the area. “Now I’m the only one left,” she says. “I think this is a dying practice, and it’s a very sad thing to be lost.” Quick learned all of her treatments and prayers from her mother and sister, who were both traiteurs. She says at first she did not want to learn any of it because she was too young to understand. As she grew older, her sister fell ill and asked that Quick learn their mother’s treatments. She says that she learned everything fairly quickly and at the time she was taught completely in French. The practice has been passed from one woman to another in Quick’s family, but she has not yet taught her daughters. “It’s gotta be somebody that want to do it and devote themselves,” she says passionately. “You’ve gotta devote yourself because if you call me today and ask me, I’m not going to refuse you.” She says she does not want to pass it on to someone who will not commit fully and be open to accepting anyone at anytime for treatment because it would be a waste. Traiteurs truly exhibit characteristics of selflessness. Because of modern medicine some people have turned away from older traditions and practices of traiteurs like Quick, but some still have faith in the old ways. The only way the tradition will live on is if others who share the gift are willing to take the time to learn the old treatments and prayers to keep this unique aspect of southern culture alive. Meet these Bayou Woman of Spirit