Dr. Dana David Gravot highlights a local understanding of traitement, or treatment as it is called in English, a healing tradition specific to Francophone Louisiana. After the Acadian resettlement in Louisiana—a Spanish colony at the time—the Cajuns developed a unique, blended culture in response to both a physical environment (which included swamps, bayous, marshes, and prairies) and a social environment that mixed continental and Caribbean French peoples, Germans, Spaniards, Indigenous peoples, and African and Anglo-Americans. Sharing the need for medical attention, the practice of traitement—and the importance of traiteurs—was born. The presentation will highlight uses of local plants to address illnesses.

Vermilionville's weekly Cajun Jam Saturday afternoons 1-3 PM is led by some of the area’s finest musicians. The free jam is held in the Performance Center of Vermilionville and is open to all skill levels-beginner to professional. Admission is free but does not include entry to the park. Special thanks to the Cajun French Music Association for sponsoring our weekly jams!