Losing Ground: Identity and Land Loss in Coastal Louisiana

Afterword: The Path Ahead

132 AFterword The Path Ahead At no time in the memory of the current tribal population have the Houma people faced a trial such as the one confronting us today. In recent years four major hurricanes have impacted the United Houma Nation, Katrina and Rita in 2005 and Gustav and Ike in 2008. In both instances they hit within weeks of each other, back-to-back blows that have challenged the strength and tenacity of the Houma people. Hurricanes, in themselves, are not a new obstacle to the tribe. We are coastal people who have lived in south Louisiana for centuries. There are those who wonder why we live in such a “vulnerable place.” The answer, of course, is quite simple; our vulnerability comes from a century of unchecked development that has swallowed the natural defenses that once protected us. So now, in the midst of our current recovery effort, we take a breath and look to the future. What will it take for us to survive as an indigenous nation as the avarice of empire continues to devour our land? For decades now we have watched the effects of coastal erosion as over thirty square miles of Louisiana coastland goes under the waves every year. As politicians and scientists continue to study the problem we continue to wash away. What we have recently learned, above all other lessons, is that the government will not be there for us with the solutions we need. So for the United Houma Nation to survive we must find our own path ahead. 133 Afterword: The Path Ahead The path ahead can be summed up in three distinct phases, three efforts that we can undertake to assure the survival of our nation. 1) Sustainability For over two hundred years the Houma people have been identified with several distinct settlements along the bayous below the modern city of Houma . Bayou DuLarge, Dulac-Grand Caillou, Montegut, Pointe au Chene, Isle Jean Charles, and Golden Meadow have always held the majority of the tribe’s population. After the storms of 2005 many homes in these places were elevated, but we have now learned that we need a more substantial effort. A large portion of the tribe’s population is determined to make their stand in these communities. Given our history of dealing with land speculators and oil companies the desire to hang on to what land we have left is understandable. As a people we stand united on this issue and are committed to make this possible. To accomplish this our people must have elevated, hardened homes that sit above flood levels and can better withstand wind gust. 2) Security At the same time there is another portion of the tribe’s population that would prefer to establish a more secure home. Added to this is the realization that continued inaction by the government on coastal restoration will eventually force some of those who wish to remain where they are to leave. For these reasons the United Houma Nation has begun to plan for a community development project north of the Intracoastal Waterway. A new community will give the Houma people a place of refuge to gather instead of having to disperse into the surrounding nonnative communities. This area could also serve as a temporary shelter for those citizens in the lower bayous who are displaced by storms. 3) Shelter There is also a need for a facility to shelter Houma people in the event of a major storm that forces evacuees north, above I-10. Currently the practical solution will be a cooperative agreement with another tribe such as the Mississippi Choctaw, but there are limitations on the number of citizens that can be sheltered. 134 Afterword: The Path Ahead Afterword: The Path Ahead A more permanent solution would be a campground/retreat that would be owned or leased by the tribe and that would facilitate a more unified evacuation. Understandably, these are daunting challenges, but they represent a path to a substantive future. This is a coherent vision for Houma people, a hope for a better day. T. Mayheart Dardar and Thomas Dardar Council Members, United Houma Nation ode To iSle de Jean CharleS How do you replace paradise? Tell me if you have a clue. When it finally sinks beneath the waves. Tell me what is left to do. For to us land is life. A part of us as flesh and...