Talking with Tebé: 
Clementine Hunter, Memory Artist

(Houghton Mifflin Company, Fall 1998. ISBN 0-395-72031.)

Clementine Hunter was born in Louisiana in 1886. Called Tebé by her family, Hunter lived and worked on Melrose Plantation for more than 75 years. Her art tells the southern laborer's story. In colors as bright as the Louisiana sky, she shows the backbreaking work required to pick cotton, gather figs, cut sugar cane, and harvest pecans. Tebé's art portrays good times, too. Scenes of baptisms, weddings, and church socials celebrate a rich community life.

Mary Lyons gathered this text from Clementine Hunter's own words in magazine and newspaper articles and taped interviews. Step into these pages to meet Tebé. Sit loose and enjoy your talk with her. Let the artist's lively words and colorful pictures carry you way down yonder to Cane River as it was one hundred years ago.

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ORAL HISTORY

Much of Tebé's narrative is taken from taped interviews made over twenty-five years ago. Spoken, or oral history, is important. Without the tapes, many of Tebé's thoughts, feelings, and memories would be lost forever.

Step One:
Prepare questions about the past, especially things about which you are curious. For example, what was school like in the old days? Entertainment, food, sports, clothing?

Step Two:
Ask the oldest person you know to answer your questions. Tape if possible. Write down the results, including the location of the interview and your feelings about the interviewee.

Step Three:
Illustrate with photos if available. Make copies for the interviewee and her/his family members.

 

BE A TEACHER

Do you have a preschool brother or sister?

1. Use the paintings in Talking with Tebé to teach him or her the names of colors: blue, red, orange, green, yellow, brown, black, white.

2. Teach the names of people and things: woman, man, girl, boy, worker, church, horse, wagon, dress, flower, tree, rainbow, angel, chair, table, ladder.

3. Locate the following paintings in the book: "It's Tour Time"; "Fishing on Cane River"; "Pecan Threshing"; "Cotton Picking." Use them to teach the meanings of these words: above, below, in front of, behind, over, under.