Chapter 11
Native Americans in Louisiana

By Richard Anderson

In Louisiana, before the European colonization, there were almost 15,000 Native Americans that lived there. It is estimated that Indians in Louisiana have been living for at least 12,000 years. Native Americans have had a large impact on Louisiana. Louisiana supported the Indians with a large abundance of wildlife such as the Columbian elephant, which is know extinct, mammoth, mastodon, native camel, and the giant ground sloth. Many people say that the Indians hunted these animals to extinction.

As far as weapons were concerned, fire was a very successful weapon used by the American Indians. With fire, the Indians were able to clear out underbrush to promote grazing for the animals they hunted. Fire also made it possible to find vital nuts on the ground and to clean the ground for planting crops. "Slash and burn agriculture was well suited to the poor and acid soil of the hills and older terraces." Probably the most important resources were the stones and gravel, which could be found along any stream. Gravel and stones made most of the Indians tools such as: arrow points, knives, drills and other weapons and tools. "In Louisiana, Europeans adopted several Indian crops including maize (corn), Lima and kidney beans, summer squash and pumpkin, sunflower, and Jerusalem artichoke." Another instrument of the Indians that was borrowed by Europeans was the dugout canoe. It is called a pirogue.

"Names of places and landscapes features throughout North American are frequently derived from the Indian language." Some names are best known, like the Mississippi. Bogue and bayou come from the Chautaw language, which are used for many other creeks and rivers of Louisiana. Names that are commonly used that are derived from the Indian language include Caddo, Natchitoches, Catahoula, Tenasa Ouachita, Funny Louis, Avoyelles, Tunica, Calcasieu, Mermentau, Atchafalaya, Maringouin, Manchac, and Tangipahoa.

Landscapes from time ago left by the Indians were built for ceremonial and burial purposes. Poverty Point is probable the most impressive. Its location is on the Bayou of Macon in West Carol Parish. It has been estimated that the sight dates back to about 3,000 years, and it was occupied by more than 5,000 inhabitants. Artifacts indicate these Indians traded thousands of miles east and north. Artifacts found on Poverty Point prove that is one of the most significant sights in North America.

Based on findings, most native settlements were in coastal regions of the Chenic and Deltaic plains. Transportation by water gave the Native Americans many hunting and fishing opportunities, but agricultural successions were a very crucial part of the Native Americans way of life. In addition, mineral sources were used in the Tertiary Hills for knives, tools, and weapons for war and hunting.

When the Europeans came into the picture, the lives of the Native Americans changed for the worse. The Native Americans were forced on their lands that they worked so hard for in preserving agricultural growth and hunting. The Native American population was dramatically decreased due to disease and war that the Europeans brought over with them.

Map: Areas of Indian Settlements

Pre-historic Native American Cultures: There are not any written records for the Prehistoric era. The major difference between the Prehistoric era and the Historic era of the Native Americans is the introduction of writing by the Europeans. “The first Louisiana man was estimated to be in the lithic stage or culture." He was not the most primitive because he was able to hunt large animals that were abundant for those days. The primitive cultures that lived in the coastal marshes had an abundance of animal and agricultural supplies. On the negative point, the insects and weather did not help. North of the marshes were the grasslands that consisted of woods and rivers. These prairies did not have a lot to offer to the primitive Indians. The floodplains of the major streams were almost as good as the marshes. The floodplains had an abundance of animal life, fish, and berries. Last were the pine flatlands and hills, these areas were not as attractive the Indians as the others; game was not as abundant and neither were the plants that could be gathered. Plus the soils were the poorest of the regions. "Three generalized chronological eras have been devised: Paleo-Indian (from Greek palai, "ancient"; 15,000-6,000 B.C.), Meso-Indian (from Greek mesos, "middle"; 6,000-2,000 B.C.) and Neo-Indian (from Greek neos, "new"; 2,000 B.C. to the present). (Going & Caldwell '95). The Paleo-Indians were hunters and gatherers in an ecosystem of broad grasslands and large mammals, which included the bison, mammaths, and sloths. When meat was not available, wild plants were consumed. Tribes migrated during this period. After time passed, the Meso-Indian tribes had risen. These tribes slowly but surely started moving toward a more settled sequence. Food sources included the mammoth, deer, bear, water foul, and fish. This era included the development of pottery, which lead to better tools. This era also learned how to conserve their vegetation and game. During the Neo-Indian, pottery development took on a more specialized and decorated form and became more abundant as well. "Domesticated maize, beans, squash, melons, sunflower’s tobacco, and gourds dominated the food supply, supplemented still by hunting, fishing, and gathering."(Going, Caldwell, 95) Salt and other raw materials were used for trade.

"At the time of French exploration and settlement of present-day Louisiana, six Indian linguistic groups - The Caddoan, Tunican, Natchezan, Muskogean, Chitimachan, and Atakapan - were scattered throughout the territory." Caddoan tribes occupied the northwest region of Louisiana. The Caddoan tribes included the Adai, Doustioni, Natchitoches, Ouachita, and Yatasi. The Koroa, Tunica, and Yazoo occupied both sides of the Mississippi River, which covered the northeast. "Downriver from them lay the Natchezan linguistic group, the Natchez, Taensa, and Avoyel tribes." The Florida parishes produced tribes of the Muskogean group. This group included the Houma, Bayougoula, Acolapissa, Quinapisa (Mugulasha), Okelousa, and Tangipahoa tribes. Located by the Atchafalaya River were the Chitimacha, Washa, and Chawasha tribes.

The size of these villages or tribes ranged to a dozen or more. A chief or temple was the center point of these settlements. Most of these villages were located along banks, streams, or lakes due to the abundance of food and means of transportation for trade and communication between tribes. Indian religion viewed humans as only one part of the whole natural world. They were considered one with animal or plant, both living and dead.