Bayou Bijou

By: Dominique Mitchell

When people think of Louisiana and the southern United States in general, time and again they think of bodies of water. One that often comes to mind is a bayou. A bayou is a sluggish stream that meanders through lowlands, marshes, or plantation grounds. The word was first used by the English in Louisiana and is thought to originate from the Choctaw word bayuk, which means "small stream." Because of its critical role in blockbusters such as The Skeleton Key and The Reaping, people are fascinated with the subject of Louisiana’s bayous. I believe that the bayou represents Louisiana, because it contains much of the wildlife and aspects of Louisiana’s culture. Louisiana contains several of these bodies of water and the one featured in the picture is the New Orleans Bayou.
A bayou is frequently depicted as a dark and scary place surrounded by trees and run down little shacks that can only be reached by pirogue. As people who live in Louisiana know, this is not the case. As the sun hits the water in the picture the scene looks calm and picturesque. It could almost make you want to dive right into the water, but that would be dangerous. It could be a risk because beneath the murky waters lie some of Louisiana’s native creatures. An example would be the alligator which is the state reptile. Many bayous are home to less dangerous species. Crawfish and shrimp live and thrive in the muddy waters. These crustaceans are often representative of the state because crawfish and shrimp boils are a staple in Louisiana. Louisiana produces 90 percent of the crawfish in the world and consumes 70 percent locally. Besides fishing bayous have had other more spiritual uses. Back in the days when churches did not have baptismals they baptized people in whatever water they were near. For Louisiana the only water near by was often the bayou. In order to make use of nearby water southerners had to have men stand watch for alligators as the process took place.
Surrounding the bayou in the picture you can see Cyprus trees hung heavily with Spanish moss. The Bald Cypress is one of the few trees that will harbor Spanish moss. The Bald Cyprus tree has been the official state tree since 1963. They grow well in water and their water resistant wood is often highly prized for wood carvings. The moss of the trees holds a little bit of history for a number of people and families. My great-grandmother tells the story of how the slaves took the moss down from the trees, washed it in the river, let it dry and used it to stuff mattresses.
People often seek out bayous for their natural beauty or to fish, crab, or hunt in peace. After all where is the loneliest bayou in the world? Bayouself.