Chitimacha
The Chitimacha are a Native American tribe primarily located on their reservation in Charenton, Louisiana, with a documented population of approximately 761 as of 2022. Historically, their homeland extended across an extensive area in southern Louisiana, particularly along the western side of the Mississippi River. The tribe's traditional subsistence practices included agriculture, fishing, hunting, and gathering, and they lived in palmetto hut villages that sometimes featured dance houses for religious ceremonies.
In the early 1700s, interactions with European settlers initially centered on trade but soon escalated into conflict. The Chitimacha faced significant challenges, including warfare with French colonists and the troubling consequences of European settlement, which led to the loss of their ancestral lands and the enslavement of some tribe members. Federal recognition of the Chitimacha came in 1925, and since then, efforts have been made to revitalize their culture, including language preservation and basket-making initiatives.
Today, the Chitimacha operate a variety of businesses, including a casino and a market, and provide social services to their community. They are also known for their rich cultural heritage, which they actively work to preserve through various programs and the operation of a museum.
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Chitimacha
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Southeast
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Chitimacha
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Chitimacha Reservation, Charenton, Louisiana
- POPULATION SIZE: 761 (2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Chitimacha Reservation, LA)
In the twenty-first century, the Chitimacha are found on their reservation at Charenton, Louisiana. According to Chitimacha oral tradition, their homeland was in the Natchez, Mississippi, region. By the time of European contact in the early 1700s, they occupied an extensive territory on the western side of the Mississippi River in southern Louisiana. Bayou Lafourche, a principal drainage flowing south from the Mississippi River, was known as the River of the Chitimacha.
The traditional lifeways and material culture are described in John R. Swanton’s The Indians of the Southeastern United States (1946). Chitimacha subsistence involved agriculture, fishing, hunting, and gathering. They lived in palmetto hut villages, some with dance houses for religious celebrations. There is limited information concerning their complex social, political, and religious organization, although there are suggestions that in these matters, they may have resembled the Natchez (a well-documented group at Natchez, Mississippi).
During the early years of colonialism, the European settlers were often short of food, and they relied upon the Indigenous Americans initially to provide sustenance and later to exchange deerskin. As a result of this lucrative trade, Indigenous Americans relocated to settlements more convenient to the foreigners, and farming groups, such as the Chitimacha, planted more extensive fields.
Despite initially peaceful interactions, the relationship between the Chitimacha and the Europeans became increasingly antagonistic. By 1706, a dispute between the Chitimacha and the Taensa had resulted in several French deaths. Chitimacha warriors attempted to retaliate against the Taensa (or Bayogoula) but were unable to locate them; instead, by chance, they encountered the French Jesuit Jean François Buisson de Saint-Cosme and his companions. As a result of this unfortunate meeting, Saint-Cosme and most of his party were killed. After this event, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, created a coalition of Mississippi Indigenous nations to avenge the French deaths. In 1707, they raided a Chitimacha village. From this time until 1718, the Chitimacha battled with the French.
In 1727, Father Paul du Poisson made a trip up the Mississippi River and contacted the Chitimacha. His account mentions a chief named Framboise, who had been enslaved by the French. The case of Framboise’s enslavement was not an isolated incident, since many Chitimacha had been captured during the war with the French. In 1769, Governor Alejandro O’Reilly proclaimed that Indigenous American slavery was forbidden, but as late as 1808, there were still Indigenous American enslaved peoples.
European settlement encroached further upon Chitimacha territory through the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In response, some Chitimacha individuals retreated to more remote locations; others moved to New Orleans.
In 1925, the Chitimacha received federal recognition, and they later complied with the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. Chitimacha property near Charenton consists of about a thousand acres, more than 700 individuals in the early 2020s. The nation documented about 1,300 people of Chitimacha descent in the twenty-first century. The reservation possesses a school and a branch of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. The Chitimacha are probably best known for their basket making skills. The Chitimacha have several initiatives to preserve their culture, including operating a museum, maintaining an office of historic preservation, and reviving basket making. Once on the verge of extinction, their language has also undergone revitalization. The Chitimacha offer various social services to their members and generate revenue from businesses such as Cypress Bayou Casino and Hotel and Raintree Market.
Bibliography
"About Us." Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana, www.chitimacha.gov/about-us. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
"Bayou Teche at Sovereign Nation of the Chitimacha." Atchafalaya Water Heritage Trail, waterheritage.atchafalaya.org/trail-sites.php?trail=Chitimacha-Indian-Reservation. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
Lee, Dayna Bowker. "Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana." 64 Parishes, 5 Aug. 2024, 64parishes.org/entry/chitimacha-tribe-of-louisiana. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
Lee, Dayna Bowker. "Louisiana Indians in the 21st Century." Folklife in Louisiana, www.louisianafolklife.org/lt/articles‗essays/nativeams.html. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
Swanton, John R. The Indians of the Southeastern United States. Smithsonian Institution Press, 2000.
"Tribal History." Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana, www.chitimacha.gov/history-culture/tribal-history. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
"2022: ACS 5-Year Estimates Data Profiles: Chitimacha." US Census Bureau, data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5Y2022.DP05?q=Chitimacha%20Reservation,%20LA. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.