Passing It On workshops are one of the types of workshops supported by the Bayou Culture Collaborative.  They are taught by a tradition bearer who would like to pass on their tradition. through a workshop that provides deep learning. Priority is for tradition bearers and traditions in parishes endangered by environmental changes or who practice a highly endangered tradition. We provide funds to an organization or the tradition bearer for workshops or mini-apprenticeships. Expenses generally cover the teacher honorarium and supplies. Contact: Maida Owens, Louisiana Folklife Program, folklife@crt.la.gov to explore possibilities. 


2023-2024 Passing It On Workshops

We are now accepting request for Passing It On workshops that would happen by June 30, 2024. 


Past Passing It On Workshops

Since 2019, 46 Passing It On workshops have been supported with over $85,000 in funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Louisiana Division of the Arts. 

Below is a sampling of those workshops. Learn more about the tradition bearers, traditions, and their community connections in the Passing it on Workshops Database.

Tradition Bearers’ Completed Workshops

  • Vermilion Parish Cajun Songs and Dance Traditions, Abbeville
  • French Idioms and Expressions, Thibodaux
  • Mardi Gras costume designing, Krewe of Tradition, Houma
  • Cajun music, Cajun Music Preservation Society, Thibodaux
  • Houma Indian gumbo making, Chauvin
  • Wood carving, Terrebonne Folklife Center, Houma
  • Houma Indian Palmetto weaving, Janie Luster, Theriot
  • Traditional plant storytelling, Pointe-au-Chien
  • Pointe-au-Chien traditions, Pointe-au-Chien
  • Houma half-hitch palmetto weaving and Spanish moss doll making, Janie Luster and Ann Luster Robichaux, Theriot
  • Brown cotton weaving, Elaine Bourque, Lafayette
  • Sewing regalia, Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw, Chauvin
  • Indian foodways, Atakapa-Ishak Chawasha, Grand Bayou Indian Village 
  • Cypress paddle making, Center for Traditional Louisiana Boat Building, Lockport
  • Cloth doll making, Jessica Brown, Houma
  • Cypress dugout pirogue restoration, Center for Traditional Louisiana Boat Building, Lockport
  • Medicinal herbs and the traiteuse tradition, Marlène Toups, Thibodaux
  • Traditions and storytelling, United Houma Nation, Golden Meadow 
  • Adding Curved Roofs to Buildings, Quang Huynh, Independence
  • Grayhawk's Shaving Horse Program, Grayhawk Perkins
  • Grayhawk's Storytelling Program, Grayhawk Perkins
  • French Storytelling Program, Richard Landry
  • French Singing, St. Martinville 
  • Bousillage, Dale Pierrottie
  • Adding Curved Roofs to Vietnamese Buildings, New Orleans/Independence  
  • Waxed Paper Flowers, Thibodaux
  • Creole Storytelling, New Roads
  • Caning, St Martinville 
  • Crochet, Arnaudville
  • Aztec dance, New Orleans
  • Split oak basketmaking, Port Allen
  • drum making, Houma

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