On March 29, we welcomed Brian Hawkins to the Kansas City Public Library for a special afternoon celebrating Missouri’s French Creole
heritage. Brian screened two of his animated short films, Chasse Galerite and Les Vouèsins, both inspired by traditional
folktales from the Old Mines community and narrated in Paw Paw French. Following the screening, the
audience had the opportunity to participate in a lively Q&A with Brian, exploring the stories, language, culture, and history that
inspired his work.
Pawpaw Tales offers a fascinating glimpse into the French heritage of Missouri through the work of artist and filmmaker Brian Hawkins. The event explored the language, folklore, and traditions of the French Creole community of Old Mines, Missouri.
For more than 300 years, descendants of French settlers preserved their language and traditions in isolated communities in southeastern Missouri. Known locally as Paw Paw French, this distinctive variety of Missouri French became the language through which generations shared stories, songs, humor, and legends.
Brian Hawkins has spent years researching and collaborating with members of the Old Mines community, folklorists, and linguists. His beautifully crafted animated films bring these traditions to life through intricate cut-paper animation and storytelling.
Chasse Galerite tells the humorous and fantastical story of a young hunter whose adventures take him into the world of Missouri French folklore.
The film draws on a traditional tale from the Old Mines community and is narrated in Paw Paw French by a native speaker of the dialect. Hawkins combines watercolor and intricate cut-paper animation to create a distinctive visual world that reflects the imagination and humor of the original story.
The film has received international recognition, including Best Animation at the Verona International Film Festival, and has been screened at festivals including the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.
Watch Chasse Galerite:
bit.ly/ChasseGalerite
Les Vouèsins (The Neighbors) tells the story of Petit Jean, a farmer who happens to live next door to the Devil. The two work their fields together, but their peaceful relationship is put to the test when it comes time to divide the harvest.
Based on a traditional Missouri French folktale from the Old Mines community, the film explores themes of friendship, cunning, and community. Narrated in Paw Paw French with English subtitles, it combines oral tradition with Hawkins’s distinctive handmade animation style.
Les Vouèsins has received numerous accolades and was named Best Animated Short at the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Film Festival.
Brian Hawkins, a Missouri artist and filmmaker from Harrisonville, draws inspiration from the music, folklore, and history of his native state. His intricate cut-paper animations focus particularly on the stories and traditions of southeastern Missouri, including those of Old Mines, a community settled by French colonists in the 18th century.
Since 2016, Hawkins has collaborated with residents of Old Mines as well as folklorists and linguists to preserve and reinterpret Missouri French folklore through film. His work has been screened at festivals across the United States and internationally, including the prestigious Annecy International Animation Festival in France.
Hawkins’s work has recently received one of the most significant recognitions in the arts: in 2026, Brian Hawkins was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
The fellowship provides artists, scholars, and scientists with a stipend to pursue independent work “at the highest level under the freest possible conditions.” Hawkins is part of the 101st class of Guggenheim Fellows, which includes 223 exceptional individuals working across 55 disciplines in the arts, humanities, and sciences.
The fellowship recognizes Hawkins’s unique artistic contribution and will support his continued exploration of Missouri’s music, folklore, history, and cultural heritage.
His work is more than an artistic interpretation of the past. By working with stories preserved through generations, Hawkins documents a living cultural heritage and brings the voices of Missouri’s French Creole communities to new audiences.
Pawpaw Tales reminds us that French heritage in the United States extends far beyond the better-known French communities of Louisiana and New England.
In the small communities of southeastern Missouri, French language and culture developed in their own distinctive way—and survived for generations. Through animation, archival recordings, and storytelling, Brian Hawkins is helping ensure that these voices, stories, and traditions are not forgotten.
His work offers a fascinating encounter between French language, Missouri history, folklore, and contemporary art, showing
how an endangered cultural tradition can inspire new forms of storytelling and reach audiences far beyond the community where these stories
began.
If you want to know more, watch this fascinating video about History of the French Creole by Brian Hawkins:
https://shsmo.org/on-demand/missouri-french-creole-brian-hawkins
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