In collaboration with Theresa and Donald Dardar of the Biloxi Chitimacha Chocktaw Indian Tribe.
MISSION AND VISION OF THE POINTE AU CHIEN INDIAN TRIBE
The Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribal Community is located in lower Pointe-au-Chene, a traditional village of their ancestors, the Chitimacha. The Tribe has approximately 680 members and inhabit the southern part of Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes along Bayou Pointe-au-Chien. The Pointe-au-Chien are the caretakers of an area continuously inhabited by indigenous tribes of South Louisiana, and descend from tribes historical to Louisiana and the Mississippi River Valley. This small French-speaking tribe continues to comprise a distinct community despite colonization, land loss, lack of status as a federally recognized tribe, exploitation of the land and people, and denial of educational opportunities. While the heart of PACIT remains along lower Bayou Pointe-au-Chien, tribal members have had to move in order to adapt to salt water intrusion and the rapid land loss in recent years. The once fertile land provided nourishment for the Indians. The Tribe is currently involved in many projects to increase the self-sufficiency. A Book Project is in the works- to Document History, Culture, and Traditions of Tribe. Even without funding, tribal members have been engaged in documenting oral histories and completing tribal historical research. Another project example is the ongoing work for the Tribe to gain federal recognition. The process is time consuming, expensive, and requires expert assistance. Today, rapid land loss due to the salinization of water, corrosion of the coast, petroleum industry canal dredging and sea level rise is the largest obstacle the Tribe faces.
IN 2014 I traveled with the activist group Plenty International plenty.org to deliver aid and Xmas gifts to Biloxi Chitimacha Choctaw Tribal communities of Isle De Jean Charles and Pointe Aux Chien. These people live in the devastated Bayou region of southern Louisiana and are losing their ancestral lands at an unprecedented rate due to rapid sea level rise, abusive practices of the Petroleum Industry and extreme weather conditions. These communities have been referred to as “North America’s first climate refugees”. My time in the Bayous inspired new pieces that explored the geopolitical, economic and physical interconnectedness of the Gulf Coast, The Arctic Circle and The Tar Sands of Northern Alberta.