Cannibalism

I happened to watch quite an interesting documentary on Netflix earlier this morning called  
Eating With Cannibals which followed a British explorer into the remote regions of Papua New Guinea to find a tribe that allegedly ate human beings at one time or another. Eventually he found what he was looking for as the elderly tribe members spoke openly about the times when cannibalism was common practice in their culture. Surprisingly however, the practice of eating human flesh was never about a means of survival for these people but rather a way to seek revenge on neighboring tribes for killing their loved ones. Also, cannibalism was practiced after successfully hunting and killing "magic men" who were accused of practicing witch craft and evil magic. To the tribal elders, once a person was killed, they knew they could not waste the meat as it was very rare to have it in those remote regions and it was an invaluable source of protein.



Now I will explain to you why this information is relevant:

Several hundred years ago between southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana  lived several tribes of native americans known as Ishak however, they are more commonly known as the Atakapa. Atakapa is a Choctaw word meaning "man eater". It is said that these people practiced cannibalism and it is even said that one of the members of a group of men sent to explore the western region of Louisiana by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne's was captured and eaten by these people. It is unclear clear why exactly the man was eaten but that cannibalism but the documentary suggests that such practice largely had to do with seeking revenge on one's enemy.

French Quarter Festival

In 1984 the Louisiana World Exposition opened in New Orleans and the city was eager to show off its new improvements. They kicked it off with a festival, and the ending product of the festival ended up producing another festival- The French Quarter Festival. Second right behind JazzFest, this festival is the one of the most popular in New Orleans. In the last year it has grown so much that it has been bumped up from three to four whole days of events. 

Photo from last years French Quarter Festival

This year the festival is held from April 11 to April 14th. More than 1300 musicians are scheduled to perform over the course of the four days and more than 60 restaurants are going to be setting up shop in three key locations. 

This year, as the French Quarter Festival goes into its 30th year, it has since mushroomed into the second-largest festival held in New Orleans. Second only to JazzFest. It has grown so popular, in fact, that last year the event was expanded from three to four full days of events. Also on Saturday night there is going to be a firework display right over the Mississippi River. Last but not least, the best thing about it is that it's free! 

Levees in New Orleans

After reading the about Katrina and talking about it in class it led me to wonder even more about the storm. Although we talked about the religious responses and the effects of Katrina, but what I was most interested in was how the levee system failed and how it works.

Levee wall in New Orleans 

A levee is described as being an elongated naturally occurring ridge or it can be artificially constructed wall which regulates water levels. It is usually made of earth and they're often parallel to the course of a river or along low-lying coastlines. The actual word levee dervives from the French and it means "to raise", yet it is used in American English as well. It originated in New Orleans a few years after the city's founding in 1718. The trait come from the levee's ridges being raised higher than both the channel and the surrounding floodplains. 

The main function of the artificial levee is to prevent flooding and to slow the natural course changes in a waterway for there to be reliable shipping lanes. They are mainly found along the sea where dunes are not strong enough or along rivers and lakes for protection. These kinds of levees require substantial engineering and their surface must be protected from erosion. On the land side of the high side of the levees a low terrace of earth is added as another anti-erosion additive. On the river side, erosion from strong waves or currents cause a greater deal of threat to the stability of the levee. 

Living the Way of the Cross

Aside from the normal Easter festivities that New Orleans has cooked up annually, it also has special traditions for Good Friday.  One of these traditions is the Living the Way of the Cross.  This is a march through the Central Business District "designed to dramatize the continuing social problems that can trace their origins back to the teachings of Jesus 2,000 years ago" (WWLTV).  The march begins around 9 am at the St. Joseph's Church on Tulane Avenue near Claiborne.  It usually takes most of the morning.  This parade often stops at social landmarks to commemorate social problems in our city and nation.  I find it interesting that people go out and try to bring such social awareness on such a solemn day.  I would definitely love to go and watch to see exactly how this march works, because there is little to be found on the internet!  This sounds like a great way to get out and see all that New Orleans has to offer!

New Orleans Parades for Easter

The route for the first parade on Sunday!

New Orleans is a city known for its wide catholic community.  It's no surprise that because of this, Easter is a huge holiday in New Orleans.  Easter is always kicked off with parades in the French Quarter.  This year, Irene Burras will lead the horse-drawn carriages and convertibles through the parade.  This parade begins just before 10 o'clock in the morning and weaves it's way from 716 Antoine St. to Jackson Square.  In Jackson Square, the parade pauses at 11 in the morning for mass at the St. Louis Cathedral.  Throws include stuffed bunnies among other typical Easter treats.  Later, around 1 pm the Chris Owens French Quarter Parade will begin.  This parade consists of floats, convertibles, bands, and dance teams among many others.  Finally, after this parade, the Gay Easter Parade rolls with carriages, limousines, wagons and trolleys.  This parade is held as a benefit for the NO/AIDS Task Force's Food for Friends Program.  I love that they are raising awareness for a cause as well as how open New Orleans can be!  This is my first Easter parade and I'm very excited to experience it! 

Religious Responses To Hurricane Katrina

Religious Responses To Hurricane Katrina

After any natural disaster, personal dilemma, death of a loved one, or loss in general, the human brain searches for the answers in order to help explain why these events may have occurred. This usually relates to religion and may involve an intense spiritual response in order to help justify, or cope with an event of adversity.

While researching the religious responses of Hurricane Katrina, I came across a religious response from a fairly famous religious leader, Rev. Pat Robertson from the The 700 Club. However, his response to this devastating, life changing, and horrific storm was alarming, and disturbing to me. This man thinks that the events of Hurricane Katrina, and the terrorist attacks on our country are God's punishment for the abortions going on in the United States.

I cannot help but to be so angered by his statements. The fact that anyone could try and justify such a traumatic and tragic event with an explanation such as a "condemned punishment from God" is both insensitive, as well as ignorant.

I understand that people seek answers after heart-wrenching events occur, and often take a religious stance of the "why" of the event, but I truly think a more progressive viewpoint should be taken.

Citation

Voodoo Rituals

Voodoo Rituals

This video clip, presented by The History Channel, shows a clear representation of a Voodoo gris gris ritual performed by a Voodoo priest in New Orleans, Louisiana. The video is an interesting depiction on the modern representation of Voodoo, as presented by the media. The video begins with a topic in order to draw the audience in, New Orleans cemeteries. Voodoo is always connected with the unique burials in New Orleans, mainly because of the religious emphasis on rituals and beliefs on death.

Easter Parades

As we all know Easter is only a few days away and in New Orleans there is a parade for almost every holiday in this city. So I look around on the Internet and found that on March 31 (Easter Sunday), There will be three parades that will be rolling around the French Quarter. The first is the Historic French Quarter Easter Parade which begins at 9:30 in front of Antoine's Restaurant, at 713 St. Louis St, followed by the Chris Owens French Quarter Easter Parade which starts at 1:00 on Bourbon and Canal street, then the last parade, the New Orleans Gay Easter Parade, begins at 4:30 on North Rampart and St. Ann streets. For all those who are staying in the city these parade might be fun to go see.

Fleur-De-Lis

The fleur-de-lis, a symbol which has become synonymous with French heritage and pride in Louisiana has a history that goes far back in French history. According to this article, the fleur-de-lis which translated into English means "flower of the lily" represents perfection, light, and life. There are varying accounts about how the symbol came to be, but sources agree that between the reign of Louis VI and Louis VII, the symbol became incorporated into the French royal shield. Ever since, its been a symbol of French pride and continues to be a common ornamentation in Louisiana.

Hurricane Katrina

During Hurricane Katrina, the people of New Orleans dealt with the aftermath in different ways. I personally did not lose my house. The only damage we had to face was a leaking roof, but we didn't know how much damage we had when stuck in the hotel room. The bad thing was the hotel room had a TV which allowed us to see all the damage from the broken levees. So how did I deal with seeing my city underwater? To be honest I was scared that my house was gone. I wanted to cry and run home to find out if it was still there but I couldn't. So who did I rely on? I relied solely on God and my family. I prayed to him everyday that my house, family, and friends were okay. It ended up that they were, but my cousins as well as many other people lost everything. Knowing this, I started to question who God was and how he could do this to everyone. I later learned that everything happens for a reason. Because of my cousin's house being destroyed, they had to stay with us until they could get on their feet again. Through this spending time together we became closer which made my life better at the time. Without Hurricane Katrina, I probably wouldn't talk to my cousins or thank God as much as I should for everything that I have. You always have to remember the saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."    

Photo Credit: Google Images

St. Augustine Church

Throughout my experience at different churches, I have learned that the choir plays a huge part in the participation of the parish. My visit to St. Augustine Church has exemplified this participation the most. The choir at St. Augustine was so powerful that it got the community up and participating by their rhythm of clapping. At my church, there is only one singer. There is not as much enthusiasm as St. Augustine church, and therefore no one at my church really participates in the music part of mass. Even though the St. Augustine choir's singing prolonged the mass, nobody seemed to care. This devotion to singing and dancing together showed how strong their community really is, and I really enjoyed being able to participate in the experience.

Photo Credit: Google Images

  

Milestones for Barataria Baptist Church

Barataria Baptist Church

Saint Augustine Church was not the only one that went through hardships during and after a storm/hurricane. Just now, in fact, the Barataria Baptist Church finished reconstructing its sanctuary after Isaac struck New Orleans. They held their first Sunday service on the church grounds since the storm. Even though the sanctuary is still empty, the sense of community was still there as people walked in carrying their own chairs to go to service. This shows the spirit of New Orleans and how people here are not the type to give up but instead help each other out and stick together despite the threat of a storm or hurricane, and how they overcome these events together. Barataria Baptist Church is just another example of how religious community and spirit are a major role in New Orleans and how they will continue to be despite any challenges that face the people living here.

The Years Before Katrina

As we learned in class, Saint Augustine church was a very influential and community based church. The history of Saint Augustine proves that it was a very kind establishment who opened its doors to many people in times of need, even more so during disasters like Katrina. But even before that, history shows that Saint Augustine helped people during times of need. This church has been around for a while, as can be shown by this timeline and went through a lot, even before Katrina, but it still stands, after all that it has been through.

Saint Augustine Church

The Trials of St. Augustine Church

During our viewing of the documentary “Shake the Devil Off”, we saw that St. Augustine parish was to be shut down and merged with the near by parish of St. Peter Claver, as a result of a plan enacted by Archdiocese Hughes to consolidate the churches of New Orleans, after the massive amounts of property damages which had occurred in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. As a result of that Father Jerome LeDoux, who had been the minister of St. Augustine Church for 16 year would be replaced by Father Michael Jacques, who was the minister for St. Peter Claver Church. However this did not sit well with Father LeDoux or the Parishioners, who on many occasions petitioned the Archdiocese to reconsider his decision. Though, after many petitions by both the parishioners and people throughout New Orleans and one unsuccessful appeal the Archdiocese went and dissolved St. Augustine parish and Father LeDoux was order to leave for a congregation in Texas. Even with the parish dissolved and the minister gone, this was not the end for some parishioners who protested the Archdiocese decision by barricading themselves along with volunteering students within the rectory of the church and by protesting Father Jacques during his service. These protest finally came to a head when on April 8, the Archdiocese and a Mediator for the Pastor Council negotiated for the St. Augustine parish to be reopened on the conditions that they meet the twelve benchmarks set by the Archdiocese within the period of eighteen months. Another condition set up by the Archdiocese was that Father LeDoux was only allowed to return a specified amount of time each year, which left the church with a minister for a few months. Having met these benchmarks and gained a new minister the question still remains as to why father LeDoux was forced to leave his congregation, which he had been minister for sixteen years, when his congregation was nearly halfway back to its usual number of parishioners, and the church only sustained minimal damages from Katrina.              

Ruby Bridges

RUBY BRIDGES

The Problem we All Live With
By Norman Rockwell

Segregation has always been a big part of U.S. history. Many large cities and towns were widely segregated for most of the 20th century. Whites and blacks weren't allowed to eat, work, go to school, or even use the bathroom at the same places. With the help of the NCAAP, in 1960, 6 black students were chosen to attend white schools and make them the first integrated schools of New Orleans. On November 14, 1960 Ruby and 3 others started their first days at school. Unfortunately, Ruby had to attend William Frantz Elementary all by herself while the other black students got to go to school together. On her way to school the first day, she was called inappropriate names and threatened multiple times. When she finally arrived at school, she was treated even worse than her walk their. Parents started pulling their kids out of the school and teachers refused to teach while she was in the school. Reluctantly, one teacher, Barbara Henry, decided she would teach Ruby. For the entire year, Ruby was her only student. On her second day of school, she was treated even worse. A woman came to the school, put a black baby doll into a coffin and threatened to poison her. From then on, FDR dispatched US Marshalls to walk Ruby to and from school and to only eat foods that she brought from home. Ruby continued her year at William Frantz and recieved counseling from child psychiatrist Robert Coles. The transition was hard on her entire family, her father lost his job, the grocery store they went to refused to sell them anything and her grandparents were turned away  from their sharecropping land. But Ruby had support from members of the community who watched over her and the house and even gave her father a job 

The Gurdwara Sahib

The Gurdwara Sahib

Guru Nanak

        Sikhism was founded in the 15th century by Guru Nanak. Nanak was born April 15 1469 and died September 22 1539. Nanak was a Sheppard who became an accountant. At the age of 30 he had a spiritual vision. He disappeared for 3 days and upon his return did not talk until the next day. When he finally spoke, he said, " There is neither Hindu nor Mussulman (Muslim) so whose path shall I follow? I shall follow God's path. God is neither Hindu nor Mussulman and the path which I follow is God's." He said he had been taken to God's Court. There he was given a cup of nectar and a commandment "This is the cup of the adoration of God's name. Drink it. I am with you. I bless you and raise you up. Whoever remembers you will enjoy my favour. Go, rejoice of my name and teach others to do so. I have bestowed the gift of my name upon you. Let this be your calling" And from that day on he became a guru. 

       . The Gurdwara Sahib of New Orleans was built in 1994 and is where the Sikh Society of South holds there weekly services. The Gurdwara Sahib is located at 8433 Morrison Road and is based on the Sikh religion which practices 3 teachings: Vaṇḍ Chakkō: Sharing with others, helping those with less who are in need, Kirat Karō: Earning/making a living honestly, without exploitation or fraud,and Naam Japna: Chanting the Holy Name and thus remembering God at all times (ceaseless devotion to God). Their scripture is the Guru Granth Sahib which was written in Gurmukhi, an old Punjab alphabet

The War of the Pews

The War of the Pews

Upon reading the historical significance of St. Augustine Church in New Orleans, Louisiana, I discovered that "The War of the Pews" was an important event that helped shaped the historical background of the church. 

This "War of the Pews" refers to a time when social, cultural, and racial tension began to cause a dispute over the pews located in St. Augustine Church. 

Several white people wanted to buy out more pews in the church than free people of color. This led to "The War of the Pews" and to the first  Catholic safe haven for slaves in the city of New Orleans. This event is highly relevant to the historical significance of this church in New Orleans.

While searching for more information, I discovered that there is a book titled War of the Pews written by Father Jerome LeDoux which explores this topic in great detail. I am going to try and purchase this book, as this topic is not only intriguing but is also historically significant to the city of New Orleans, as well as it's religious background. 

St. Augustine Catholic Church

St. Augustine Catholic Church

A Historical Background

The plot of land that is home to St. Augustine Church in New Orleans was originally a plantation estate. Claude and Julie Treme owned the land, and sought a profit through the selling of land divisions to people who migrated to New Orleans from Haiti. In 1874, Jeanne Marie Aliquot purchased the land and created the first Catholic Church for free people of color, and a small number of slaves in the City of New Orleans.

The Ursuline nuns had possession over the property in 1836, and donated the plot after the free people of color gained permission to have their own church. Several adversities were faced due to how much racial tension existed at this time in history. Several free people of color bought pews in the church for their family members, yet white people in the neighborhood sought to purchase a greater number. However, the free people of color bought more pews, as they purchases three pews to every white person. Pews were given to slaves as a safe haven for worship. 

This is a church of significant, and important history. Not only in St. Augustine Church a place of divine worship, but it is also a historical gem for the city of New Orleans.

New Orleans Jazz Fest

The creation of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival gave jazz musicians a way to constantly get gigs. It was founded in 1970. A ticket cost $3. Before the festival bands could only become big through bar gigs. The first band they booked, Snooks, was a street performer. The proceeds from the festival go towards the non-profit The Jazz and Heritage Foundation. The Foundation organizes many free events and programs year-round that help preserve New Orleans’s music tradition. 

Fairview Baptist Church

The Fairview Baptist church in New Orleans helped revive brass bands in new Orleans. Danny created the Fairview Baptist Church Marching band in 1970. It was for the youth in the city. The band grew in popularity and began to have many gigs. Eventually the musicians union claimed he was exploiting the children and he had to stop. But many of the children went on to create their own brass bands.  

Fairview Baptist Church

Black Hawk

Black Hawk was born about 1767 . He was born into the thunder clan and his father was Pyesa.  He was born into a warroir clas and killed his first man at the age of 15.he became an excellant warroiras he grew older.  He fought along side the British in the War of 1812 and refused to give up his friendship with them after the war ended. He was married to a woman named Assewequa and they had fibe childern three boys and two girls.  Black Hawk War 1832 was the last Indian war east of the Mississippi. 
As we read in Jason Berry's book "The Spirit of BlackHawk"  we learn that Black Hawk forms a band after the Cheifs of his tribe are riped off. He becomes angery and forms a band of his own. he refuse to give up the land that he feels is rightfully his. He becomes a Heor and a leged of his time. someone who fought hard for what he thppught was right who tired with all his might to not give up his land. In the end the great warrior is forced to leave the land he once called home. His story is a sad one that we can all learn from.

http://www.blackhawkpark.org/History/Black_Hawk.html

New Vicar of Christ!

With the recent election of the new pope, the Catholic Church resumes its missionary work for the world. The Church holds a lot of expectations for the new pope as he reigns over a Catholic Church currently faced with worldly challenges. Fortunately, the Cardinals choose Pope Francis to lead the Church as he is a likely candidate to address and fix these issues. He served as a previous archbishop of Buenos Aires during a time when the government was faced with social issues. He spoke out against the government legalization of same-sex marriages and abortion. Pope Francis remains highly conservative on issues such as abortion, ordination of women, and liberation theology. Hopefully, Pope Francis will address and resolve such issues and lead the Church in the path to Christ.
Read more about Pope Francis here.

Tunica Tribe

French first encountered the Tunica tribe in 1698 when three Roman Catholic priest, s Francois Jolliet de Mantigny, Jean Francois Buisson de St. Cosmes and  Albert Davion. They described the tribe as peaceful and agricultural people. Their religion was focused  around a temple. Unfortunately they were not able to learn much about. Albert Davion started a missionary for the tribe in 1699. They later settled among the Houma tribe, in 1706 they attacked the Houma tribe to establish better fur trade with the French. The French became close to this tribe and relied on them for salt, cattle, and rice.  They also relied on them for allies during times of conflicted between rival tribes.
You can read more at http://www.knowla.org/entry.php?rec=623.

Tomorrow's Visit

Here's there website!

On the Website you can find numerous amounts of information. 

They have a summary of the churches history, and a chronology of churches history and more!

Look around. 

Who is Saint Augustine?

We've been hearing the name a lot recently. There are churches and schools named after him, but what has he done?

Saint Augustine of Hippo was a bishop. His church's writings helped formed Western Christianity.

He lived in a Roman province located in Africa, Hippo (which is in present day Algeria.) Saint Augustine after converting to Christianity had a different approach and theology of Christianity. He made Christianity more acceptable to a variety of people, he translated it into a more relatable belief system. In addition to that he formed the concepts of just war and original sin.

He is the patron saint of many things including: brewers, printers, theologians, and other things. His memorial is celebrated on August 28, which is the day of his death.

March 2nd

            On March 2^nd, I was treated to a walking tour of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. During this tour, we got to go to the Ursulines Convent, Saint Louis Cathedral and Voodoo Authentica. These three locations each revealed an important aspect of Religion in New Orleans.

            First on our tour, we went to the Voodoo Authentica. While there, the shopkeepers answered our questions about voodoo and provided us with further information on their own voodoo practices. For instance, they gave us in depth descriptions and motivations to how their store was set up regarding the various altars located in each room. Also, they explained some of the history of the voodoo in New Orleans.

            Going to the Voodoo Authentica provided me with my first real experience with authentic voodoo objects. I found the gris gris section of the store most interesting. Behind all of the ritual masks, altars and voodoo dolls was an entire stock of vials and glass containers full of miscellaneous voodoo ingredients (plant extracts and natural ingredients) used to make gris gris bags for bathing or carrying around. I noticed that there was not one toxic or poisonous ingredient. I was informed by one of the shopkeepers that although natural toxins and poisons are used in voodoo for black magic, the Voodoo Authentica was devoted only to positive voodoo magic and consequently, they had never, and would never carry such items. This was as much of a surprise to me as originally stepping through the door as I had the impression that all voodoo shops would sell ingredients for anything. It’s for the best though!

            Our second stop was the Ursulines convent. There we took a walking tour of the historic buildings. Inside were objects dating as far back as the 1700-1800’s when the building was first built. It showed a history of the building from its usage as a hospital to an orphanage, to a place where the state legislature gathered to a school. Most usages of the building were devoted to charity and improving the overall well-being of the city of New Orleans.

            Off to the side was the Ursuline church. It is a magnificent building full of impressive woodwork, metal decorations, statues and anything one would expect in a magnificent church. I did not see when the church itself was built but it surprised me as I was under the impression that the Ursulines spent all their money on social programs and providing services to the community, not building ridiculously impressive churches.

            Our final stop was the Saint Louis Cathedral. This church was also magnificent. It had even more decorations, statues and beautiful woodwork as the convent church. There was a very French style to this church. From the various French symbols scattered about the church to the large statue of, who I thought was, saint Joan of Arc at the entrance (am I wrong about this? It sure looked like Joan of Arc), the whole cathedral was very French. This showed the influence that the French left on New Orleans, both culturally and aesthetically in the cities historical buildings.

            All three locations provided a taste of the contributing factors that led to current New Orleans. From the French style of the French quarters buildings, to the historic importance of the Ursulines convent, to the importance of the Voodoo supply shop, all showed off the diversity of this American city. 

Passed Loyola Event

            Treme’s Underground Carnival was an event on Loyolas campus where Dr. Kim Vaz and two members from the skeleton gang spoke about historical and traditional New Orleans culture. This is relevant because the history described by Dr. Kim Vaz and the members of the Skeleton gang reveal the grass roots from which present New Orleans culture formed.

            Dr. Kim Vaz spoke about the Baby Doll tradition in New Orleans. This is a tradition that originated with prostitutes who worked in the New Orleans red light district. Basically, for festivities, these African American prostitutes all dressed up as Baby Dolls. Apparently, this tradition took off as it has expanded from the black prostitutes that started it to regular people and is a tradition that is continued through to this day.

Skull and Bones Gang

            The two members from the Skeleton gang talked about their roles in the Mardi Gras traditions. Apparently, they are out on fat Tuesday knocking on doors, dancing in the streets and terrifying young kids to be good citizens in the city (by doing homework, obeying parents, being good in general). Also, they said that their gang is supposed to represent Baron Samedi and his position as the guardian of the crossroads between life and death (living, dancing skeletons, a hybrid of life and death).

            This is relevant to several topics covered in class. First of all, the Skeleton gang reflects the African rooted religions and voodoo that exists in New Orleans. Referring to Papa Gede and dressing as skeletons, which is common elsewhere in the Caribbean and South America, is directly related to New Orleans voodoo.

            

Ogun Possession

I found this video of a voodoo priest in Haiti reportedly being "turned into a snake." Really to me, it appears this man has perhaps been possessed by the spirit of Damballa whose symbol is the snake. Notice the chants that both he and the worshipers make as well as the hissing noises he uses to personify the spirit.

St. Patrick

In New Orleans, Saint Patrick’s Day is a big event. The most exciting event is the parades. These parades throw not only beads and stuff animals but also food. These foods consist of cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and onions. But why? It is not because catching random food is really fun. It is because these are the ingredients to make Irish stew. St. Patrick was captured and brought to Ireland when he was a young man, and this represents it. The question that is really bothering me is who was Saint Patrick and what did he do to achieve his title? After escaping captivity, Patrick went home. He later heard a voice that told him to go back to Ireland. When he returned, he banished all of the snakes out of Ireland, but they did not really have snakes in that area. In the Christian religion, the snakes represents evil, so instead of banishing real snakes from Ireland, he really just expelled evil from the land.