Modern Culture
By robbie trosclair, staff writer The United Houma Nation has an important and unique way of life. The culture they have been developing for hundreds of years has not been forgotten by them and instead has been cleverly adapted to and retaught in ways that match modern times. Areas like traditional jewelry, basket weaving, fishing and even education are all modern issues that are constantly being reshaped and retaught to the younger generation. “Children become the leaders”, says Janie Luster, who’s family weaves baskets and makes traditional jewelry. According to former chief Brenda Dardar Robichaux, an important part of modern culture is the education of the UHN youth. This is done partially through summer enrichment camps. These camps teach both Native American history and other subjects together like learning math through beadwork and science through studying indigienous plants and their uses. For the older kids, camps offer leadership training. Members form a mock tribal council and come up with solutions for modern issues. One particular camp, the issue was the relocation of Jean Charles Island. In the simulation, the citizens of the island were offered ten million dollars to move without taking anything with them. Robichaux says she was sad they were already familiar with this issue but also said she was almost brought to tears with their attention to the subject. “They were so passionate about what it meant to lose their community,” Robichaux says. For older traditions like making a filé, Luster’s mother used to gather the sassafras leaves with her hands as well as crush them down with a mortar and pestle. Now, citizens are using tools like Ninja food processors and flour sifters. Luster says that she has memories of the filé getting everywhere but the NINJA makes things a little easier for cleanup and their lungs. Using garfish to make jewelry is also something unique to the UHN that has been modernized. Originally, Luster’s mother would take garfish scales and attach them to blue clay from whatever bayou she could pull them from. Luster and her family carry out that tradition, but use a glue gun to help with production. “We’re still doing this four generations later, my mother, myself, my daughter and their children,” Luster says. Preparing the garfish is necessary before the jewelry can be made, and Luster has modernized this by using a smoker rather than hanging the fish by a clothesline and using a drum barrel fire. The scales have allowed her the opportunity to travel to the Smithsonian Museum and France twice. “Modern ways of doing things are a little easier, yet the same things are being carried on,” Luster says. Part of modern UHN culture is finding traditions that are almost forgotten and teaching it to the rest of the tribe. One such example is the Houma half hitch basket, which Luster says was lost in the ’40s and was a product that the Houma were the only tribe in the country to make. It was relearned through a class taught in the ’90s by Richard Conn, the curator of the Denver American Indian Museum. Although the tribe struggled to relearn the technique, Luster was able to teach herself using a manual given to her by Conn. From there, she created her own way of teaching the basket so that the UHN could bring back the basket. Even fishing, a way of life that goes back thousands of years has been brought into the modern era by the UHN. Robichaux’s father fished for oysters, but now her son farms for them, a much more sustainable alternative. RJ Molinere, a UHN member who has been fishing his entire life is now sometimes dependent on his son and the map data on the internet as land disappears from coastal erosion. The most important modern tradition is making sure the next generation is able to continue on the UHN legacy. With older traditions continuing to adapt to the times, the UHN will be able to enjoy thousands of years of prosperity. “It’s given me my identity,” Bergeron says. “It rounded me, tells me who I am.” Janie Luster creating modern crafts with traditional influences.
Seeking Federal Recognition
By Jade Williams, features editor The United Houma Nation is a tribe with over 19,000 members who have been recognized by the state of Louisiana, but have been fighting for years to get federal recognition. “We’ve been fighting for federal recognition for over 40 years. I don’t exactly know how long it could take, but we will continue fighting, so they see who we really are,” Chief of United Houma Nation August Creppel says. Creppel says the United Houma Nation was recognized as a local tribe when Governor Edwin Edwards was in office in the 90s. According to a journal titled The Houma Nation: A Historiographical Overview, the Houma like many other tribes have applied for federal recognition through oral and written documents. It states that in December of 1994, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) published through its Branch of Acknowledgement and Recognition (BAR) a “proposed finding against federal acknowledgment” the United Houma Nation filed a lawsuit challenging the proposed judgement and questioning the BIA’s standards. The tribe to this day is still fighting for that recognition. With this, Creppel says as a tribe, there are certain criterias one has to meet to become federally recognized. He says the criteria used to be that they had to prove they were related to the Houma tribe back in the seventeen and eighteen hundreds. Now, he says the criteria is to be established as a tribe since the nineteen hundreds. Creppel says today they have a way better chance of getting that recognition. “I appointed a committee to a federal recognition task force and we are moving forward on our federal recognition and it seems like… the way I feel and the way some of our elders feel right now is our time for recognition that we are going to have the best chance ever,” Creppel says. Joshua Pitre, who grew up in south Louisiana and now works in Washington D.C. in a law firm that represents Native American tribes across the country says it was in the year he was born, which was in 1979, when they first found the letter of intent through the federal administrative process of getting federally recognized. One of the tribes that Pitre represents at his law firm is the United Houma Nation. “Growing up I always knew that I wanted to help my people and our recognition efforts and just overall you know just efforts to provide some services to our tribal members, but I never knew how we would get there. I feel really blessed to be in this position where I work for my tribe. So, It’s really a dream,” Pitre says. Right now, the tribe can only apply for state grants and private donations. Once they are recognized, they can apply for federal grants and programs like health programs for the elders. “That’s the main thing is taking care of our elders. I always say they are not our past, they are our culture. They are the ones who got us to where we are today,” Creppel says. He says having federal recognition could improve schools and education systems as well. “To see the look on their faces and to be federally recognized so they can feel that they are who they have always been and the trouble and things they went through because they had a hard life,” Creppel says. “I mean still today, we have prejudice towards us and now as much as they had. It would be such a blessing to them to be recognized.” First letter of intent for federal recognition 1979.
Bette Billiot
Dulac, Louisiana United Houma Nation Favorite Tradition “Outside of family coming together at powwows, it would be getting together with my aunts and cooking and learning their cooking.” Being UHN “I am very prideful of who I am and where I come from. I think it was meant for me to be a part of this tribe and family. “To be brought up to have learned both sides of the tribe, my father was a council member in the 90s and I learned a lot of the behind the scenes and the politics of the tribe at a very young age and I had an aunt that taught me the traditional and dancing and meaning side of the tribe. “I was very blessed to be able to grow up, you know, with that in me and that played a major part in me when I became an adult and being able to pass that on to my boys.” Growing Up in South Louisiana “There is no place like home. I’ve been all over the United States and even outside of the United States and there’s nothing like coming home to Louisiana. I don’t know if it’s smelling the muddy water and seeing those oak trees and knowing that you’re home.” Listen
Joshua Pitre
Cut Off, Louisiana currently in Washington DC United Houma Nation Pitre is the director of government relations at Clause Law in Washington DC. He has worked on behalf of tribal nations for more than a decade. See his full professional bio. Favorite Tradition “One of the most important traditions that I’ve been able to learn about, and really want to learn more and pass on to my daughter, is our traditions related to medicinal plants.” Being UHN “It means everything. My whole life has kind of been centered around the fact that I am a member of the tribe. I mentioned my great grandfather who was a traitor at the community. He spent his whole life off of the land in a traditional way. My grandma was a tribal council for several years and she also worked at our tribal center for decades. My mom served for over a decade as principal chief of the tribe and so I just grew up in that environment. “It was part of my everyday life, just being a member of the tribe and seeing what I can do to be helpful and carrying on those traditions and our recognition efforts.” Growing Up in South Louisiana “I loved growing up in south Louisiana. As I mentioned, I am in Washington D.C now so as I mentioned, I am able to come home fairly often. I spent nearly ten months here in Louisiana during the pandemic and I haven’t spent that much time home in probably over a decade. So, it was great to be back despite the circumstances. “People say oh you lost your down the bayou accent. Being home for a while… The fact that I grew up in southern Louisiana around a lot of great people, great food, great music, you know the French language that we speak down here, so yeah, I wouldn’t want to grow up anywhere else. “In D.C I work for a small law firm that represents Indian tribes across the country.” Listen
Ryan Anthony Williams
Houma, LOuisiana United Houma Nation Williams is an actor, model and director known for his roles in: Genius The Devil All the Time Queen Sugar
Celebrations of Life
By Robbie Trosclair, staff writer For the seasons of life, the United Houma Nation combines their traditions with the culture of the surrounding French Cajuns. Traditions like smudging, smoking pipes and prayer songs are integrated with infant baptism baptism, marriage feasts and wedding masses. And in all these traditions, music accompanies each life event. The songs vary in purpose as they have different songs for each event and the songs have been passed down through the generation. Although they don’t all have names, they all have the name of “Wakonda” or creator. Chief August “Cocoa” Creppel says he’s lucky to have the gift of singing to help him and his people enjoy life. “I’m just sharing the gift that God gave me,” says Creppel. For birth, it all starts with a name. The child is given its government name, but the elders of the tribe, or the family, also give them a name. For Creppel, his Native name translates to Sea Eagle Dances. He gave his daughter the name Sunrise Eagle. The birth of a child also calls for a large celebration with singing, dancing and a feast. Along with his Indigineous traditions, Creppel and many other UHN tribal citizens are Christians. For weddings, Creppel does the standard vows as a pastor, but also introduces more Indigienous traditions. The married couple will receive Pendleton blankets, which are very important gifts that Native Americans give during celebrations. The couple is also smudged with a mixture of sage, cedar, tobacco and sweet grass, four ingredients to represent the four elements from the four directions where we all come from. The four directions of course being north, according to Creppel brings cold, cleansing fresh air. The east brings new beginnings with the sunrise, the south brings the heat and warmth of the day, the west brings the end of the day Charlie Duthu says he has a Calumet, a peace pipe, which was given to him as a gift. It’s made of twisted wood and adorned with beads and an eagle head and traditionally was smoked for ceremonial purposes. Creppel said that through smoking the pipe together, no lies should be told. Duthu let a friend use his Calumet to smoke with his bride at the wedding. Along with the gifts, the UHN also celebrates through Native American prayer songs dedicated to Wakonda, the creator. The men feed women meat while the women feed men berries. This tradition goes back so far so that husband and wife would each gather their gift as well. For deaths in the tribe, Creppel sees it as a bittersweet moment. “When a person dies you don’t get to talk to them, see them, kiss them goodnight or kiss them good morning,” says Creppel. It’s always sad, Creppel says, but as a believer, he knows that they’re with Jesus now. Creppel also has a whistle made from an eagle bone. It is blown in the direction of the four winds in collaboration with prayer songs and smudging. The four winds come up so often because it’s the circle of life, says Creppel. Duthu remembers a time when death was a little different. When he was younger, women were inside the home with the body and the men would be outside. Although he doesn’t remember why, Janie Luster was able to explain that it may have been due to the gender norms at the time. Women stayed inside to do housework and men stayed outside to do traditionally masculine tasks at the time. Creppel says that these celebrations of life were harder to do with the COVID-19 pandemic, even having his own wedding shortened because of it. However, the UHN was able to overcome that obstacle and look forward to many more celebrations of life in the future. PODCAST SERIES marriage Garde Voir Ci · Season 4, Episode 7 – Marriage with Karen Solet Garde Voir Ci · Season 4, Episode 8 – Traditional Marriage with Kirby Verret Garde Voir Ci · Season 4, Episode 9 – Marriage with Chief Cocoa Creppel
Powwows
powwow in pictures There are many different styles of dance that take place during a powwow. Each dancer wears regalia unique to that style. Items such as jewelry, pottery, baskets and art are sold from vendors. They are all hand-crafted and authentic to the tribe’s origin. The drumming that takes place during a powwow is considered the heartbeat of the tribal nation The clothing worn during a powwow is called regalia. Rituals and honorings often take place at a powwow Members of the public are welcome to attend the powwows and experience the culture.
Three Sisters
One pound of black beans is added to a separate pot until fully cooked. This take about 5-10 minutes. While the beans cook, prepare the vegetables Chop the onions Slice the squash Slice the sausage Sauté sausage and onions Add the bell peppers and celery Add a handful of fresh shrimp and continue to cook Add 2 pounds of frozen corn and stir Cook for 20-30 minutes until all ingredients are cooked down. Enjoy! a recipe Three Sisters Lora Ann Chaisson Three Sisters Dish is a vegetable dish combining three main ingredients (corn, squash, and beans) together to make a nutritional dish. It is named this because all three of the main vegetables in this dish are planted together when farming. *spices are Chaisson’s secret Ingredients 2 links of sausage 1 onion (diced) 1 lb of black beans 1 bag of frozen corn 4 tomatoes (diced) 3 squash Fresh shrimp 1 Dice one whole onion, slice two links of sausage, and three squash into pieces. 2 Cook 1 lb of black beans in a pot of water until fully cooked. Strain afterwards.3Begin cooking the sausage and onions together4Add bell peppers and celery5Add fresh shrimp6Add one bag (2 lbs) of corn to the pot and stir7Cook for 20-30 minutes
Fry Bread
Step 1 The dough is prepared beforehand and allowed time to rise before preparing this dish. Step 2 Louise Billiot stretches the dough out to make individual pieces of fry bread Step 3 The piece of dough is set in oil at approximately 350 degrees for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Step 3 Step 5 Once the Fry Bread is finished, enjoy plain or make an “Indian Taco” with fixings of your choice. a recipe Fry Bread Louise Billiot Fry bread is a traditional Native American dish common to many tribes. *exact measurements are Billiot’s secret For the bread flour baking powder water For the Indian Taco ground meat salsa lettuce tomatoes shredded cheddar cheese 1 Prepare the dough and allow to rise 2Stretch the dough out to make individual pieces3Fry the bread in 350 degree oil for 3 minutes or until golden brown4Once the Fry Bread is finished, enjoy alone or as an “Indian Taco” with fixings of your choice
Councilman Janzen Verdin
The United Houma Nation Leadership Listen Dulac, Louisiana United Houma Nation, District #3 By Loyrn Monceaux, Staff WRiter For a tribe of over 19,000, proper communication channels are essential to keeping everyone well informed and active. However, these channels need to be properly developed and maintained by someone with experience. Janzen Verdin joined the United Houma Nation tribal council in 2020, representing District 3 of the tribe which includes the lower Dulac and Dularge areas. With his experience in mass communication, Verdin plans on creating a media committee and reviving the tribal radio station. Verdin says by creating this committee, they will be able to develop strategies to connect with their tribal members and get them more involved. “That’s really my motivation… and the same thing with the radio station… I want to give people a reason to be proud to be Houma again, you know,” says Verdin. Verdin looks to restore the tribe’s radio station, KUHN 88.9 FM, located in Golden Meadow. KUHN is a non-commercial radio station that is currently off-air. The station used to air Cajun, Zydeco and Swamp Pop music with local news programs Monday through Friday. Verdin says that the United Houma Nation is in the process of getting an ordinance so they can put together a PR and media committee. Once the committee is set up, he will be able to work more on getting KUHN running again. “We’ve had that station for a while now,” says Verdin. “We haven’t really been able to really use it like it should be used… at least in my opinion with a mass [communication] background… I want to try to use it to really be like a source of information not just for the area that it’s in, but for pretty much Indian country throughout at least the state of Louisiana.” Verdin says that he is hoping to have at least two paid staff members and a few interns working for KUHN. “We currently don’t have any staff working on it right now as far as I know,” he says, “but once we get this committee set up, I plan on being a lot more involved with the radio station, and I would like to ideally set up a partnership with Nicholls’ Mass [Communication] department to do like an internship-type deal at the station for students.” Verdin is a 2014 graduate of Nicholls State University with a Bachelors in Mass Communications. After college, he joined the Inter-Tribal Council of Louisiana (ITC), where he worked as a work-force development specialist and then as a multimedia specialist until 2019. According to the Inter-Tribal Council of Louisiana’s website, ITC is a non-profit workforce development organization that helps Native Americans in Louisiana with their academic and occupational needs. Verdin traveled around the southern United States making testimonial videos about ITC’s grant program they offer to tribal citizens. He also developed a couple of websites along with managing ITC’s social media. Verdin decided to run for the United Houma Nation’s tribal council after he left ITC. “Before I started working for ITC, I didn’t realize how many Native American people were actually in Louisiana, and there’s a lot,” says Verdin. “Our tribe alone is 20,000 members and there are several other tribes in the state that aren’t federally recognized or even state recognized. There’s a lot of us here so after being able to experience that and seeing how things work in other tribes… I guess to kind of bring the strategies that I witnessed in these other tribes and apply it for us to help us get ahead.”