Title
From Pointe-a-Pitre To New Orleans: The Bunel Family
Files
Interviewee
Jack Bunel; Annette Ligniere Bunel
Description
Kinchen explores her family’s French-American heritage by interviewing her great-grandparents, Jack and Annette Bunel. The Bunels were born in Guadeloupe and immigrated to the United States, eventually settling in New Orleans in the 1950s. The Bunel’s experiences as descendants of wealthy plantation owners lend insight into the dynamics of Guadeloupe in the 20th century when oppressed populations sought to address inequalities caused by centuries of colonization. Kinchen also reflects on her upbringing in Hammond, how she maintained connections to Louisiana while living in Wisconsin, and the role her late Uncle Sonny played in understanding her French heritage.
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
2017
Publisher
Neighborhood Story Project
City
New Orleans
Keywords
Heritage; Immigration; Race; French-Americans; Creole; Guadeloupe; Colonialism; West Indies; Lesser Antilles; Ford Motor Company; Pan-American World Airways; Francophone; World War II
Location
New Orleans, Louisiana; Guadeloupe; Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe; Hammond, Louisiana; Metairie, Louisiana; Covington, Louisiana; Normandy, France; Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe;
Disciplines
Social and Cultural Anthropology
Recommended Citation
Kinchen, Drew. “From Pointe-a-Pitre To New Orleans: The Bunel Family.” A Guide to South Louisiana: Stories of Uncommon Culture, edited by Rachel Breunlin, Neighborhood Story Project, 2017.
Comments
The ethnographies in Guide to South Louisiana were created by students in Rachel Breunlin’s “Storytelling and Culture” course for the Department of Anthropology at the University of New Orleans in the Spring of 2017.