532. Eli Langley, part 2

532. Part 2 of our conversation with Eli Langley, a member of the Coushatta Tribe and a graduate of Harvard. “Eli Langley ’21 grew up in a family devoted to safeguarding the culture, history, and language of the Coushatta Tribe. His father, a tribal cultural adviser, and his mother, an anthropologist and tribal historian, nourished him with Native folktales and inspired him early on to take pride in his roots. At 12, he asked his parents to send him to a boarding school to challenge himself academically. At 18, he learned Koasati, the language of his tribe, becoming its youngest speaker, and in 2016, he became the first member of the Coushatta Tribe to be admitted to Harvard. Now, upon his graduation this month, he will become the first tribal member to use their Native language to fulfill the College’s second language requirement.... 'My story is a continuation of my people’s story,' said Langley. 'I’m a cog in the wheel, and I stand on the shoulders of giants. I know that I’m only able to undertake these things with the strength and the knowledge of my culture.'” (Harvard Gazette)

1. This week in Louisiana history. July 21 1861 William T Sherman (former head of LSU) was the Union General to lead forces at the battle of Manassas, Va.
2. This week in New Orleans history. The Carondelet streetcar began its run on July 29, 1866.  This uptown line ran on its namesake street from Canal Street to Napoleon Ave. At its most extensive, it also ran on Freret Street from Napoleon to Broadway, on trackage that eventually became part of the Freret line, and it crossed Canal Street into the French Quarter, pioneering the route of the later Desire line. It ceased on September 7, 1924.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Sabine National Wildlife Refuge
   3000 Holly Beach Highway
   Hackberry, LA 70645
   Email sabine@fws.gov
   Sabine National Wildlife Refuge ,about 8 miles south of Hackberry, on State Highway 27, was established in 1937 to provide habitat for migratory waterfowl and other birds. The refuge consists of a basin of wetlands located between the Gulf's beach cheniers (oak ridges)and the coastal prairie, which is one of the most productive and fertile areas of North America. It encompasses 124,511 acres of fresh,intermediate and brackish marshes and is one of the largest estuarine-dependent marine species nurseries in southwest Louisiana. It has also been designated as an "Internationally Important Bird Area" due to the numerous wading, water and marsh birds that utilize it throughout the year. Over 280,000 people visit the refuge annually. The exhibits in the refuge visitor center and the Wetland Walkway are considered two of the principal tourist attractions in southwest Louisiana. The refuge is an integral part of the Creole Nature Trail All American Road
   
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Single Malt Please with Maude Caillat at the BMC Bar on Decatur St. in New Orleans.

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