The History and Culture of the Native American Tribes of Louisiana and the Southeast
Location…
St. Tammany Parish Library
71683 Leveson
Abita Springs, LA 70420
Wednesdays, 6:00 to 8:00 pm
Teacher, writer and researcher Francis Broussard of Abita Springs will introduce and lead discussions on key aspects and issues in the history and culture of the Native American tribes of Louisiana and the Southeast.
For more information on the program and registration, call the library, 893-6285.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Prehistory of Louisiana and the Southeast
Human habitation in the Louisiana region stretches back to at least 12,000 years, during which Native American tribes underwent a profound transformation from nomadic hunters to builders of complex agricultural chiefdoms. The tribes that dominated the Southeast United States and Louisiana were independent politically and diverse in both economic activity and language but shared mythic traditions and other cultural institutions, as related in early ethnographic accounts. Readers will address the question of population of the Americas and the cultural evolution of the region’s tribes in The Historic Indian Tribes of Louisiana and Native American Legends. As an additional feature serving as part of state government’s “Archaeology Week,” Mr. Broussard will address the archaeology of Washington and St. Tammany parishes, demonstrate various items he has collected from locations and offer to assess the significance of artifacts that audience members wish to bring and share with the group.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Native American Mind and Spirit
The first experience that Native Americans of the Southeast had with Europeans was that ofthe DeSoto expedition, which left disease, famine and sweeping changes within Indian societies. Because no Native accounts are available on this, we turn to Black Elk, a member of the Oglala Sioux, who witnessed a similar experience on the high plains two hundred years later. Black Elk Speaks is a biography of a man, a people and a land on the verge of transformation. Equally important, it is a cautionary tale about consequences that may await society through its wanton disregard for a respect for nature and organic social relations.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Southeast Native Worldview: The Above World and the Under World
For Native Americans, the non-human portion of the cosmos was the Above World, with its order, purity and fire, and the Under World, with its disorder, impurity and water. The incompatibility of these worlds was manifested in the conflict between “Tlanuwa,” or “thunderbird” creature and “The Snake Man,” or “water serpent” creature. Solar worship was found throughout the region and elsewhere, but “The Daughter of the Sun” and other tales show much diversity among the Southeastern tribes. Readings include “Water Panther Husband,” “Lightning and the People,” and “The Winds” from Native American Legends.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Southeast Native Worldview: The Middle World
The Middle World was the meeting ground of the above and under worlds and displayed the features of both: some predictability and disorder; pure and impure forces. It was the most eventful realm and one in which the mingling of distinct categories of things had to be carefully controlled. The tribes developed distinct rules and taboos to keep their world in order and harmony, as illustrated in stories such as “Emergence” and “Earth Diver.” Certain animals that appeared to violate distinct categories had to be respected because of their unpredictability, as illustrated in “Coyote Challenges the Snake.” The explicitness of this order is examined in The Historic Tribes of Louisiana and Native American Legends.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Hero Stories and Rites of Passage
Hero stories played an important function in the development of warriors and leaders in the tribes. Rituals were employed to facilitate the passages of life and ultimately death for both men and women. The Historic Indian Tribes of Louisiana describes the institution of war and rituals among the tribes. A key story that we will look at in detail is the Biloxi Indian tale of “Marooned Hero.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Between Two Worlds: The Native American Today
In her recently published novel Power, Chickasaw writer Linda Hogan portrays the challenge facing contemporary Native Americans whose sense of tribal identity is | threatened by non-native values. Omishto is a sixteen year-old girl torn between her westernized mother and Ama, an older woman who resists modernizing influences but who nevertheless commits a crime by the standards of both worlds when she kills a Florida panther. A modern version of the “orphan,” Omishto must come to terms with her identity and role in a conflict among worlds.