CABILDO - PAGE 4

PIROGUE SCRIPT

A pirogue is a dugout canoe used by Native Americans of the American South and the Carribean basin. The name derives from the Taino Indian word piragua, which was likely introduced to Louisiana vernacular by Spanish settlers. In a wetland environment like Louisiana, the pirogue was the fundamental form of transportation for the Indians and early settlers, who quickly adopted the use of the boat.

This pirogue was found in a river bank near Port Gibson, Mississippi, and was likely made by a member of the Choctaw Nation. As the French first settled the lower Mississippi Valley in the early 1700s,, The Choctaw became major allied of the French, and later became allies of the United States. Today, the Choctaw have reservations in both Mississippi and Oklahoma.

The pirogues are made of cypress, in which the inside was burned and scraped. Cypress is ideal wood for boats, as it is rot resistant. This pirogue was covered with tar to add additional water proofing. 4 to 5 persons could ride in it as well as items for trading. Passengers propelled the pirogue with long poles or paddles. While the bottom of this pirogue is curved, many modern pirogues have a flat bottom allowing passengers to pass over very shallow mud flats.

In 1879 Thomas S. Hardy created a map of New Orleans and the surrounding settlements. It was known as the most accurate map of the city during this time period.

The map shows that the population of New Orleans centered on the natural high-ground levee along the river and bayou ridges to avoid the seasonal flooding of the Mississippi River or summer monsoons. The natural levee was formed by thousands of years of the Mississippi depositing sediment and building up land as it flows towards the Gulf of Mexico.

The map also shows that a large amount of the area occupied by the current city was at that time cypress swamp wetland. These low-lying areas were eventually developed in the 1900s as the need for city land increased and engineering feats enabled people to live in these former wetlands. However, these former wetland areas were also the parts of the city that flooded during Hurricane Katrina. As such, the map also shows indirectly the areas that flooded and did not flood in Katrina.

Tignon

By: Lea Phan & Zachary Bradshaw

The tignon is a headgear that was created in Spanish colonial Louisiana to signify Creole women of their status, ethnic background, and religion. It was also used to lessen the popularity of the “people of color”. Esteban Rodriguez Miro, the creator of the “tignon laws” or “Miro’s Law’’, was born in 1744 in Catalona, Spain. He became governor of Louisiana and held office until December 30, 1791. His first act during his rule was to ban cohabitation. He also made what was known as “the dress code”. This code banned jewels and plumes from being used as items in the hair. The women were forced to wear them if their hairstyle was too high. He criticized Creole women for their “idleness and libertinism”.

However, the tignon was not made by Miro, it originated from Josephine Bonaparte when she brought the tignon from Martinique to Paris. From then on the tignon was a fashion statement. The Creole women had a creative way to make the tignon look beautiful. Since they couldn’t put jewels and plumes in their hair, they put it on the tignon. They also had different textile fabrics for their tignon. When going to a social occasion, Creole women wore a tignon made of silk. Regular tignons for everyday use were made of basic fabrics and patterns such as plaid. Different knot styles were used to signify a slave or someone who was free. Other knot styles were used just for looks. The tignon will always have a historical significance in some countries, and also in Louisiana.