ENROLLED
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 9
BY REPRESENTATIVE COX
A RESOLUTION
To commend John Oswald Colson upon his 2019 induction into the Louisiana Folklife
Center Hall of Master Folk Artists.
WHEREAS, established in 1976, the Louisiana Folklife Center is a research facility
that serves as an archival repository of eight hundred artist and subject files, one thousand
five hundred audio recordings, one hundred videotapes, a growing print library of books and
periodicals, and five thousand photographs; these resources have been used by CBS Evening
News, Turner Broadcasting Company, and Louisiana Public Broadcasting and other
individuals, groups, and agencies; its faculty also coordinates the Natchitoches-Northwestern
State University Folklife Festival; and
WHEREAS, an agency of Northwestern State University, the Center's mission is to
identify, document, and present Louisiana's rich history of folklore and folklife; and
WHEREAS, deeply rooted in Louisiana's folklife is its inimitable cuisine, and John
Oswald Colson is a purveyor of the roux upon which much of the state's deliciously edible
and choice cuisine is based; he is a consummate filé maker, having acquired the skill from
his mother and the generations before her; for more than sixty years, John has continued the
tradition of the Colson family to provide filé for the Cane River community; he also is a tour
guide and an oral historian; and
WHEREAS, John Colson participates annually in the Natchitoches-Northwestern
State University Folklife Festival and contributes to projects and events for the Cane River
Creole National Historical Park, the Cane River National Heritage Area, Northwestern State
University's Creole Heritage Center, the National Center for Preservation Technology and
Training, the St. Augustine Society of Isle Brevelle, the Experience Louisiana Festival in
Eunice, Creole Culture Day at Vermilionville, the Sassafras Festival in Texas, and summer
workshops at the Tunica-Biloxi Museum in Marksville; and
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WHEREAS, in October 2018, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser officially
recognized John Oswald Colson as a Louisiana Tradition Bearer; his expertise in the
preparation of filé seasoning, his vast knowledge of Cane River, and his ability to relate the
histories of his hometown community have simmered together in John to produce a cultural
and historical human gumbo with the distinct flavor of Louisiana; John Oswald Colson
merits a special measure of commendation upon his 2019 induction into the Louisiana
Folklife Center Hall of Master Folk Artists.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend John Oswald Colson upon his 2019
induction into the Louisiana Folklife Center Hall of Master Folk Artists; does hereby
congratulate him on his sterling ambassadorship of Louisiana's culture and history and the
preservation of a staple of its cuisine; and does hereby extend to him every good wish for
continued success, prosperity, and happiness in the future.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to John Oswald Colson.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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