About the Book

Cane Riveralso known as Isle Brevelleis reputedly the oldest American settlement founded by and for people of color. Its origins date back to the late eighteenth century when Claude-Thomas-Pierre Metoyer, a French merchant, and his wife Marie Thrse Coin-Coin, an enslaved African, established it as a sanctuary for their family. Over two centuries and several generations later, Cane River, Louisiana, remains home to descendants of its original founders.That Was Then, Memories of Cane River is documentation through Joseph Morans photographs of the historic settlement. As a resident of Cane River for twenty years Moran sought to express his reverence for the home of his ancestors by photographing average inhabitants, folk practitioners, and community life.