AWARDS

Tradition Bearer Award

Louisiana Folklife Month recognizes the rich diversity of Louisiana’s living traditions and showcases an array of tradition bearers across the state. A Louisiana Folklife Month Event honoring Tradition Bearer Carl Parfait for his work preserving the art of trawl net making will held at the Rougarou Fest on Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 3 PM on the Tailing Community Stage.

Carl Parfait, a native of Dulac, Louisiana, was raised along the waterways of Terrebonne Parish, where he learned the shrimping trade from an early age. Inspired by his father, who prepared his own trawl nets each season, Carl began trawling for shrimp and trapping for animal skins as a boy. At just 14, he left formal schooling to work full-time on the water, gaining an education from the bayous themselves and developing a deep understanding of the craft.

By age 16, Carl had begun learning to make trawl nets, and by 18, while working on larger boats, he was building his own. He further honed his skills under the guidance of Abel “DaDa” Boudreaux, a respected net maker who taught him the technical details of net construction, including different net types and specialized techniques like setback nets. Over two years, Carl absorbed invaluable knowledge that shaped his future in the trade.

Working closely with his Uncle Wilbert, Carl also engaged in hands-on experimentation, designing nets through trial and error to maximize shrimp catches while minimizing unwanted species like crabs. This dedication to innovation and craftsmanship helped him earn a stellar reputation as one of the region’s finest net builders.

Now 63 years old, Carl has spent 47 years perfecting his craft. He operated his own net shop from 1988 to 1994 and continues to build nets today at his own pace, creating custom skimmer nets that take about 10 hours per set.

Carl Parfait stands as a true culture bearer of Louisiana’s shrimping heritage. His lifelong commitment to preserving and sharing traditional knowledge ensures that the art of trawl net making will continue to thrive for generations to come.

Previous recipients include: Waylon Thibodeaux, Brunella Luke, Terry Lapeyrouse, Janie Luster, and Geraldine Robertson.

A project of the Louisiana Folklife Commission in collaboration with the Louisiana Folklore Society and numerous community partners, Louisiana Folklife Month is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.

Tradition Bearer Award

Louisiana Folklife Month recognizes the rich diversity of Louisiana’s living traditions and showcases an array of tradition bearers across the state. A Louisiana Folklife Month Event honoring Tradition Bearer Ivy Billiot for his work as a a self-taught woodcarver  will held at the Rougarou Fest on Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 3 PM on the Tailing Community Stage.

A member of the United Houma Nation, Ivy Billiot is a self-taught woodcarver who creates colorful, meticulously rendered fish, birds, reptiles, and other wildlife out of native Louisiana woods. Honing his skills in a community of master craftsmen and working in a traditional American Indian medium, Billiot employs modern flourishes to create lively, often whimsical forms. His representations of indigenous species speak to the state’s diverse terrestrial and marine fauna and are held in public and private collections across the southeast.

Billiot was born in 1945 in Grand Cailou, Louisiana, to Alfreda Molinere Billiot and Cyril Joseph Billiot. One of three children, Billiot learned about traditional Houma culture as well as the state’s indigenous animals from his mother. His artistic interests, however, derived largely from his father, an accomplished craftsman. The senior Billiot executed unpainted cypress woodcarvings of birds, crawfish, alligators, and crabs, but he was most highly regarded for his split-cypress baskets, an endangered tribal art form.

Growing up in the town of Houma, where he still lives today, Ivy Billiot began carving around the age of five. His earliest creations were miniature pirogues, the small flat-bottomed boats ubiquitous to the region’s shallow waterways. By his teen years, Billiot had progressed to building larger works such as model seaplanes. He continued to carve and craft wooden objects even as he worked for Terrebonne Parish, clearing bayou channels and other drainage ways. Years of felling and cutting trees allowed him to become a nimble chainsaw operator, a skill that would serve him well when he began working as a full-time artist in the 1980s.

Billiot uses such mechanized equipment to rough out large segments of wood, primarily water tupelo. The precise paring and incising, the most time-intensive part of the artistic process, is done manually with a knife and other small hand tools. His earliest pieces remained unpainted like his father’s, but today he carefully applies hand-blended acrylic paints, often finished with a clear glaze topcoat. The detailed use of color—whether in the white-tipped feathers of a mockingbird or the eyespots appearing on the tail of a Louisiana redfish—gives his creations a lifelike realism. Carefully placed synthetic eyes and meticulously rendered tusks, gills, and decorative plumage further enhance the verisimilitude.

Drawn from the imagination or the careful study of photographic images, most of Billiot’s creations are modest in scale. Such pieces include life-sized songbirds and gulf coast fish, as well as miniature panthers, buffalo, and black bears. On occasion, he carves much larger works, such as towering blue herons and open-mouthed alligators extending several feet. While wildlife, both indigenous and exotic, dominates his current artistic output, Billiot once also carved blowguns, historically used by the Houma people for hunting small game and birds. He mastered the form after an elder tribal craftsman, Antoine Billiot, ceased making them. Using the tube-like stem of elderberry plants, the younger Billiot embellished his works with feathers, leather, and depictions of animals.

Billiot appears regularly at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival’s Native American Village, as well as other fairs and cultural events throughout the region. He and his father, along with master basket weaver Marie Dean (1916-2010), were the featured artists in the 1999 exhibition Houma Indian Arts: Triptych. Billiot’s work is in the collection of the Louisiana State Museum, shown at art galleries in Louisiana, Texas, North Carolina, and sold at prominent folk art auctions.

Woodard Award

The Woodard Award recognizes an individual for his or her work to preserve, protect, restore, and educate on coastal Louisiana. John and Juana Woodard were instrumental in establishing the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center; therefore, this award is given in their honor.

This year’s recipient is Dr. Denise Reed. Dr. Reed is a coastal geomorphologist and an expert in coastal marsh sustainability, whose research has been instrumental in shaping Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan and advancing our understanding of wetland loss and restoration. Originally from the United Kingdom, Dr. Reed earned her B.A. and Ph.D. in Geography from University of Cambridge before beginning what would become a more than 40-year career dedicated to coastal science—much of it rooted here in Louisiana. Her early experiences in places like Cocodrie introduced her to the unique challenges and culture of Louisiana’s working coast, shaping the direction of her life’s work.

Following her time at LUMCON, Dr. Reed served as a faculty member at the University of New Orleans, where she has been a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and a leader within the Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences. She also served as Chief Scientist at The Water Institute of the Gulf from 2012 to 2017, helping guide applied research that directly informs coastal policy and restoration efforts. Nationally and internationally recognized, Dr. Reed has served on numerous advisory boards, including the NOAA Science Advisory Board and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Advisory Board. Through her decades of research, leadership, and dedication, Dr. Reed has helped transform how we understand and restore Louisiana’s coast. Her work continues to guide efforts to protect these vital landscapes for future generations.

This award will be presented at the Rougarou Fest on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 2 PM on the Woodside Energy Main Stage.

Previous recipients include: Dr. Joseph Orgeron, Maida Owens, Nathan Cotten, Gordon Dove, Reggie Dupre, Dr. Gary LaFleur, P.J. and Marv Marshall, Mickey Thomas, Michel Claudet, and Kerry St. Pe.

Coastal Champion Award

The Coastal Champion Award recognizes a business or nonprofit organization for its efforts to protect and preserve coastal Louisiana. This year’s recipient is Restore the Mississippi River Delta (RMRD). RMRD is a coalition of leading organizations—including Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, and Pontchartrain Conservancy—working together to rebuild coastal Louisiana’s nationally significant landscape and protect the people, wildlife, and industries that depend on it. The coalition advances an equitable, safer, and more sustainable future for Louisiana’s communities, ecosystems, and economy. Their work brings together science, policy, and community voices to promote large-scale restoration solutions grounded in both research and lived experience. At the heart of their efforts is a commitment to restoring the natural processes of the Mississippi River—reconnecting it to its delta to rebuild land, strengthen ecosystems, and reduce risk for coastal communities. Through coordinated advocacy and science-based leadership, the coalition plays a critical role in shaping restoration priorities and policies at the state and federal levels. Their work is rooted in strong core values: centering equity in decision-making, building trust through transparency and collaboration, advancing knowledge through science and traditional ecological expertise, and demonstrating unwavering dedication to bold, effective solutions for coastal resilience. Supported by strong partners, Restore the Mississippi River Delta continues to be a leading voice for a sustainable and thriving Louisiana coast.

This award will be presented at the Rougarou Fest on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 2 PM on the Woodside Energy Main Stage.

Previous recipients include: Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, Anna Marie Shrimp, T. Baker Smith, and Submar.

Leader of the Pack Awards

The Leader of the Pack Awards recognize outstanding volunteer leaders who go above and beyond to make Rougarou Fest a successful and memorable experience. This award celebrates the individuals who take the lead in organizing, managing, and bringing their booth or area to life while helping create the welcoming, fun, and unique atmosphere that makes the festival special. Recipients are selected in recognition of their leadership, dedication, creativity, and commitment to the festival.

The awards will be presented at Rougarou Fest on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 2PM on the Woodside Energy Main Stage.