Every year, the Louisiana Folklife Program and the Louisiana Folklore Society coordinate with institutions across the state to select and honor six people or groups as Louisiana Tradition Bearers. Chosen by Folklife Ambassadors who are themselves active in cultural preservation work, these honorees represent some of the truest examples of Louisiana residents maintaining the traditions that mean so much to our state and its residents. For more on Folklife Month, including a full list of related programs taking place across the state, visit louisianafolklife.org. 

Monique Metrailer
Quilter
Baton Rouge
Folklife Ambassador: Jim Hogg 

Monique Metrailer was raised in rural Arkansas, where she first began quilting with a group of ladies as a little girl. When she moved to Baton Rouge thirty-three years ago, she became an even more avid quilter both in her personal life and at LSU’s Rural Life Museum. In the mid-’90s, she taught guests and junior docents how to quilt after discovering uncomplete quilt tops left by the museum’s founder, Steel Burden. Today, Metrailer helps carry forth cultural history and the legacies of craftswomen who have passed away by finishing quilts that had been left uncomplete.  

Dianne Honoré
Black Masking Indian
New Orleans
Folklife Ambassador: Dr. Mona Lisa Saloy 

Dianne Honoré is a seventh-generation New Orleanian who grew up in her family’s legendary 6th Ward Creole restaurant, Hank’s. Following careers in tourism and nursing, Honoré placed her focus on “exploring marginalized histories and creating truthful narratives that evoke social change and aid in healing historical trauma.” She masks as Big Queen of the Yellow Pocahontas Hunters Black Masking Indian tribe. Honoré believes in the importance of active participation as a form of preservation. She regularly leads classes, presentations, and tours on subjects ranging from Black Masking Indian beadwork to Louisiana’s Creole foodways. She is also the founder of the Black Storyville Baby Dolls as well as the Amazons Benevolent Society.  

C.J. Chenier
Zydeco Musician
Opelousas
Folklife Ambassadors: John Sharp, Herman Fuselier 

Following the 1987 death of his father, Clifton Chenier, C.J. Chenier picked up the accordion to carry forth the legacy of the Red Hot Louisiana Band, which has been recognized with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Before pivoting to his father’s genre of zydeco, C.J. was primarily a funk and jazz player; his first gig was at the legendary venue Antone’s in Austin, Texas. C.J. has collaborated with stars including Paul Simon, John Mayall, Ray Parker Jr., Joe Sample, Jimmie Vaughan, Sonny Landreth, and Buckwheat Zydeco.  

Geraldine Robertson
Split Oak Basket Maker
Houma
Folklife Ambassador: Jonathan Foret 

Originally from Washington, Louisiana, Geraldine Robertson grew up learning to weave white oak baskets from her father, who instilled in her the technical skill as well as the cultural significance of split oak basketry. She has further refined her craft through the decades, including hand choosing and splitting the oak and intricately weaving patterns that are beautiful as well as structurally sound. Robertson’s work has been displayed across America and Europe, and she continues to teach the craft of weaving to others to ensure the traditional artform continues to endure for future generations.  

Smithfield Fair
Roots Band
Alexandria
Folklife Ambassador: Dr. Shane Ramussen 

In 1973, Alexandria singer/guitarist Dudley Smith founded Charmer (today Smithfield Fair) to play vocal and acoustic-centric original roots music. He was soon joined by his two brothers, Bob on acoustic bass and Joel on acoustic guitar; though the lineup has changed at points, including the addition of Jan Dedon Smith in 1983. The band—which changed its name to Smithfield Fair in 1989 as a celebration of the group’s Scottish heritage and influence—has become regarded internationally as “one of North America’s foremost presenters of Scottish traditional music and original songs written in traditional styles.” These days they play more expansively across the roots-based genre.