Students at DeQueen Elementary School recently took part in a Creole Heritage lesson led by Pete and Rita Manuel and John Manuel. The visit was timed to Creole History Month. Pete Manuel is an accordion-playing Zydeco musician, Rita Manuel is a photographer who documents Zydeco musicians, and John Manuel is an artist. The three brought two accordions, a washboard, photographs, books, newspaper articles and paintings to the school on Wednesday. Some students tried playing the accordion and washboard.
Rita Manuel said she and her husband were born in Louisiana. She said Creole is a culture built on customs and traditions, not a race. She said her DNA results show mixed ancestry, including Black, Native American, Spanish, Irish, European and Cuban roots. Kayla Crook, a Life Skills teacher at DeQueen, said she was glad to see the program and wished she had similar lessons as a child.
The Creole Heritage Center at Northwestern State University describes Louisiana Creoles as a distinct people with roots in the French and Spanish colonial eras. According to the center, their identity is based on shared language, faith, family, food, music and community traditions. Some Louisiana Creoles have moved to Southeast Texas and other areas, the center said.