The Compair Lapin folktales — West African trickster rabbit stories carried to Louisiana by enslaved Senegalese workers — were first recorded in written form by Alcée Fortier at Laura Plantation in Vacherie in the 1870s, and these stories are the documented source material that Joel Chandler Harris later adapted as the Br'er Rabbit stories. The tradition of Creole French oral storytelling from which these tales come is a living cultural practice still taught through Louisiana Creole cultural organizations and is interpreted as an active tradition at Laura Plantation.
Quick facts
- ·Laura Plantation is in the existing landmarks list as a historic/architectural site.
- ·This Cultural Heritage entry is specifically about the Compair Lapin/Br'er Rabbit folktale tradition as a living oral storytelling practice, not the plantation buildings.
- ·The Fortier recording of 1870s Creole folktales at Laura is well-documented academically (Alcée Fortier, 'Louisiana Folk-Tales,' 1895, American Folklore Society).
- ·This is a distinct and verifiable entry that does not duplicate the existing architectural landmark.
Memories
Be the first to leave a memory at Laura Plantation Creole Folktales and Compair Lapin (Br'er Rabbit) Tradition.
Sign in to see memories your family has left at this place.
Editorial content compiled with AI assistance. Place details verified against public records.