Membership
By brody gannon, staff writer Membership in the United Houma Nation is more than a title. It means more than the information printed on a tribal roll card. Becoming a member of the United Houma Nation is difficult, however. In 2014,tribal rolls were closed to all applicants over the age of five and the enrollment […]
Tribal Government
By hannah orgeron, staff writer Within the United Houma Nation, a system of government has been created. This system is not only important to keep the peace between the people, but it acts as representation for the citizens when they cannot fight by themselves. This system includes the chief, who is currently August “Cocoa” Creppel. […]
Kasha Lacoban Clay
Houma, LOuisiana United Houma Nation Favorite Traditions “I would say community in general. There’s many assets of our community so I have and it all kind of links together at some point or another, but I have elders that I speak with, and even communicate with, and it’s on different levels. But sometimes I’ll be […]
The Challenge of Getting an Education
By hannah orgeron, staff writer Getting an education was challenging and complicated for the members of the United Houma Nation. “We weren’t treated right when I was growing up,” says Jeanette Billiot, a citizen of the United Houma Nation. “We were treated like outcasts.” Instead of being allowed to attend the parish’s main schools, the […]
An Unspoken Language
By Madeleine Bauland, Staff Writer Language affects relationships and how people communicate. For the Houma, their language brings people closer together and strengthens tribal community ties. It is one of the biggest parts of their culture. The language of the Houmas, Uma, is part of the Western Muskogean family of languages and was unwritten. Since […]
Natural Medicine
The Houma’s Migration
Family in a thatch palmetto camp. The Indigenous people of the delta House found near the New Orleans area. The Houma stayed alongside waterways while migrating for fertile soil and as a source of transportation. Houma Village in Baton Rouge 1699 Timeline of migration and first contact with western explorers. Image by Michael Dardar showing […]
The Houma People
By Jade Williams, features editor The native peoples who lived in North America are varied and plentiful. Just in Louisiana, tribes like the Chitimacha, Coushatta, Jena Band Choctaw were the first to make this land home. These tribes have an enormous amount of history. The tribe that eventually settled in the Bayou Region is the […]
Janie Verret Luster
Dularge, Louisiana United Houma Nation Favorite Traditions “I’m a traditional Houma Indian basket weaver and traditional artist using the alligator gar fish. I still practice some of our old traditional medicines that were passed down to me by my parents and grandparents and great aunts – very proud of that.” Being UHN “Sharing our culture […]
The Lost Bayou: The United Houma Nation
By Jade Williams & Addie Wetzel, Features Editor & Managing Editor Before gumbo, Zydeco and the multicultural influences that shaped today’s modern South Louisiana culture, the people of the United Houma Nation inhabited this land and nearby regions. One of the many native peoples, their rich culture influenced many aspects of the bayou region today. […]