[StBernard] DUCKS, DECOYS AND DECIMAS ON DISPLAY AT DUCROS MUSEUM

Westley Annis westley at da-parish.com
Fri Jan 25 20:08:01 EST 2013


DUCKS, DECOYS AND DECIMAS ON DISPLAY AT DUCROS MUSEUM

St. Bernard Parish Government is proud to announce the exhibition of Ducks,
Decoys and Decimas at the Louis Alfred Ducros Museum and Research Library in
eastern St. Bernard Parish. Parish Historian William Hyland said this is
the first exhibition in Ducros since Hurricane Katrina devastated the
facility in 2005. Exhibition hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 11:00
a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and will remain opened until April 28, 2013. The Ducros
Museum is located at 1345 -1357 Bayou Road, St. Bernard, LA.

HISTORY OF DUCKS, DECOYS AND DECIMAS



A pivotal element in the history of Louisiana is the story of how western
European colonists and African slaves coalesced with the indigenous Native
Americans to forge a cultural identity unique to Louisiana. This cultural
fusion established a distinct cultural identity, called by many scholars
Creole. Although Canary Islanders settled in Louisiana between 1778 and
1783 and brought with them the Canarian dialect of Spanish and many of their
cultural traditions, the colonists had to adapt to an environment completely
foreign to them. The Canaries have a very arid climate. The archipelago is
volcanic in origin with very high mountains. Indeed, la Montana de Teide in
Tenerife Island, an active volcano, is the tallest mountain in Spain. On
average, the Canaries receive no more than two inches of rain annually.
Imagine the astonishment which those first Canary Islands colonists must
have experienced upon their arrival in the sub-tropical lushness of
Louisiana.



Duck hunting was learned by the Canary Islanders or Islenos from the Native
Americans and other Western European colonists. The indigenous people
hunted ducks as a part of their diet. They fashioned dug-out pirogues and
were the first to carve duck decoys for thousands of years before the advent
of western Europeans and Africans in what would become Louisiana. Native
Americans generously imparted their knowledge of the terrain, wild
vegetation and hunting to all who settled in this region. As time passed,
the hunting techniques evolved as others assimilated these practices into
their cultural identities. The decorative "show duck" of the 21st century
bears little resemblance to the original decoys carved by the Native
Americans thousands of years ago. It has been argued that the duck decoys
carved by the prehistoric Native Americans constitute the earliest known
folk art form in the Americas.



The carved decoys, paddles, dug-out pirogue and other exhibition items are
reflective of the cultural diversity which comprises modern day Creole
culture of Louisiana. Alejandro "Call" Menesses made by hand the rare
dug-out pirogue featured in the exhibition about 1870. Beautiful decoys
carved by Islenos, Creoles of Color, Houma Native Americans, Acadian-French
descendants, Dalmatian descendants and others present a wide array of styles
of decoys from "gunner" working decoys to decorative "show" duck decoys.
The stories behind the intricate execution of art which each decoy
represents cannot be told in this limited space. Regretfully, there are no
decimas which are known to survive in the Isleno repertoire about duck
hunting though there must have been many.



This exhibition has been conceived and organized by Donna Mumfrey-Martin and
her husband, Michael Martin. The concept to feature this highly important
yet little recognized genre of folk art in our first exhibition in the Louis
Alfred Ducros, M.D. Museum and Research Library since Hurricane Katrina
originated with this gifted couple. Donna retired as director of
exhibitions from Lakeside Shopping Center after more than twenty-five years.
She brings with her an incredible array of professional experiences and
professional-personal contacts which made this exhibition possible. Mike
designed and built all the exhibition cases in use in Ducks, Decoys and
Decimas. He also brought considerable contacts and knowledge about decoy
carving and modern day carvers and collectors into this equation. Both
Donna and Mike are natives of St. Bernard Parish, proud products of the
distinct cultural identity of this community. Donna copied or wrote the
biographical narratives of each folk artist whose beautiful work is
represented in the exhibition. She researched various books about the decoy
art form as well as newspapers and the internet to develop an important
record of the artists and their carvings.



St. Bernard Parish and Los Islenos Heritage and Cultural Society have
successfully partnered to bring together the resources necessary to have
this exhibition. The Society has assisted Parish Government in the
development of the facility, owned by St. Bernard Parish Government, since
1997. Working in unity, both entities have raised millions of dollars to
develop and restore Los Islenos Museum Complex. This excellent relationship
brought the Museum Complex from utter destruction after Hurricane Katrina to
its present state of development.



Duck decoys are widely believed to be representative of one of the only art
forms completely originating from American roots. This collection has never
before been assembled and it is a singular honor to host this fascinating
exhibition. The exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Irvan J. Perez,
decima singer, hunter and duck decoy carver par excellence. Join us as we
begin to learn more about this historical and cultural manifestation which
is quintessentially Creole de la Louisiane.











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