Bayou Roots & Reclamation
A Descendant Engagement Initiative in collaboration with
Shadows-on-the-Teche and the Descendant and Family Stewardship Initiative
The goal of Bayou Roots & Reclamation is to build meaningful, collaborative, and restorative relationships with descendants of the enslaved men, women, and children who lived and labored at The Shadows and other Weeks family properties, including Weeks Island, and descendants of Reconstruction-era contract laborers.
Through this initiative, we seek to create opportunities for descendants to share their perspectives, experiences, and family histories while helping shape how these histories are researched, interpreted, and shared. As this initiative grows, we aim to expand this engagement to include descendants of the broader eight-parish Acadiana region.
Who is included in this descendant community?
The Shadows descendant community includes individuals descended from people who were enslaved at The Shadows and other Weeks family properties, as well as descendants of Reconstruction-era contract laborers connected to the Weeks family properties and the broader Acadiana region.
The Acadiana Region is defined as the eight parishes in south-central Louisiana: Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, and Vermilion.
Your Voice Matters
As we begin this journey with the descendant community, we invite you to share your perspectives, experiences, and hopes for the future of this initiative.
Your responses will help shape the future of site interpretation, research priorities, public programming, and institutional governance. We recognize that meaningful engagement begins with listening, and we want the descendant community's voices to help guide this work.
After the Cane Fields: Continuing Their Stories Through You
The history of The Shadows did not end with Emancipation or Reconstruction. It continued through generations of resilience, community, and lives built across Acadiana and beyond.
As part of Bayou Roots & Reclamation, we are developing a permanent exhibit in the Visitor Center, scheduled to debut in summer 2027. The exhibit will honor the long arc from enslavement and Reconstruction-era contract labor to the lives, families, and legacies of descendants today.
For this exhibit, we are focusing on families with direct ancestral ties to Shadows-on-the-Teche and/or Weeks Island.
How You Can Be a Part of It
Use the contact form to send an email to the Mimie Laurant, Associate Manager of Descendant Engagement, or complete the community survey above to express interest.
Join the Exhibit Committee
Collaborate directly with us from November 2026 through March 2027 to shape the exhibit and how your family’s history is shared.
Share Your Family’s Story
Even if you are unable to join the committee, we welcome opportunities to learn about your family’s history. Family photographs, heirlooms, and oral histories will be part of the exhibit.
Bayou Roots & Reclamation is funded by the Descendant and Family Stewardship Initiative, a project of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.