Photo Courtesy of David Simpson
juré
Opelousas, Louisiana
The Broussard house in Opelousas, Louisiana, was always full of music. Every member of the family sang or played an instrument, and several are renowned zydeco musicians. During Lent, though, according to Millie Broussard, “You weren’t supposed to be going to the dancehalls,” or playing instrumental music—they sang juré instead. Most people outside of Louisiana have not heard of this a cappella tradition, and it is rarely performed outside the state, until recently. Growing up in the tradition, the Broussard Sisters—Sandra Broussard Davis, Virginia Ballard, Tavian Seraile, and sister-in-law Millie—have assumed the role of cultural stewards and ambassadors, keeping the music alive for the next generation and sharing it with audiences in Louisiana and beyond.
The call-and-response songs found in juré, accompanied by percussive stomping and clapping, are part of a tradition that goes back centuries, connected to Afro-diasporic singing and dance traditions found across West Africa, the Caribbean, and in Gullah ring shout traditions. Juré dates back to the antebellum period, where it was a vital mode of survival. “During slavery times, this was a way of communication,” explains Millie. “We were forbidden to speak about escaping.” But, through music, her ancestors could communicate without enslavers understanding their messages.
Juré is also about communicating with God. It is spiritual music that carries a divine message of salvation. The name comes for the French word “testify” or “sworn,” and the lyrics are about praise and worship. At the start of a performance, one of the Broussard Sisters will begin, “Juré my God”; the others will respond, “Lord, Lord, Lord,” while clapping and stomping. Although lines feel improvised, the sisters learned these songs from the singing of their mothers and aunts, who heard them from their elders before them. To Millie, this music feels older, adding “We don’t want it to stray away from the tradition, we want to stay right at the roots.”
In 1996, the Broussard Sisters—originally Sandra, Virginia, and Tavian, and Vivian Edwards—began performing professionally, moving from singing juré at house parties during Lent to performing on stages across Louisiana: the Acadiana Center for the Arts, the Blackpot Festival, Creole Culture Days, and Festivals Acadiens et Créoles. A quarter century later, in 2023, the Broussard Family Juré was inducted into the Louisiana Folklife Center’s Hall of Master Folk Artists.
Sustaining and sharing this treasured and timeless inheritance from their ancestors is of primary importance to the Broussard Sisters. As some of the original members have grown older, Millie Broussard began joining her sisters-in-law on stage after managing them for years. “We want it to continue, to have the kids and the grandkids keep this going,” she says. “We never want to take for granted where we’ve been and where we are now.” For Sandra Broussard Davis, the music has to be experienced, preferably in person. “We can tell people what it is, but they need to come out and see for themselves,” she explains.