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Louisiana is Shrinking. Some Tribes are Fighting to Protect What’s Left of Their Communities

December 10, 2025

Indigenous tribes in Louisiana's coastal regions are battling severe land erosion that has consumed approximately 2,000 square miles since the 1930s, threatening their ancestral homes and traditional ways of life. The Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe and Grand Caillou/Dulac Band are implementing adaptive strategies including constructing makeshift oyster shell reefs to slow coastal retreat and building elevated, hurricane-resistant homes to withstand increasingly severe storms. These efforts aim to prevent the displacement experienced by the Jean Charles Choctaw Nation, which was forced to relocate after losing 98% of their island territory.

Who is affected

  • Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe members, including Cherie Matherne (director of daily operations) and elder Theresa Dardar
  • Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe, including Chief Devon Parfait
  • Jean Charles Choctaw Nation (previously displaced after losing 98% of their land)
  • Other Indigenous coastal communities in Louisiana
  • Families whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Ida in 2021
  • Coastal Louisiana ecosystems and communities facing displacement
  • Future generations of tribal members

What action is being taken

  • The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana is building oyster shell reefs to protect shoreline (has recycled over 16 million pounds of shells since 2014, protecting about 1.5 miles of coastline)
  • The Lowlander Center is helping tribes rebuild and fortify homes with elevated structures, hurricane straps, heavy-duty windows and doors, and elevated electrical equipment (13 homes have been rebuilt or repaired)
  • Tribes are measuring the effectiveness of reef installations (50% reduction in land loss rate where reefs were built near Pointe-au-Chien)
  • Restaurants are collecting oyster shells for the reef-building program
  • The Pointe-au-Chien tribe is working to build more hurricane-resistant homes to encourage younger families to stay

Why it matters

  • This represents an existential threat to Indigenous communities who face losing their ancestral homelands, burial sites, and cultural heritage sites to erosion. Louisiana risks losing up to 3,000 square miles of land over the next 50 years—an area larger than Delaware—which would displace entire ecosystems, communities, and critical infrastructure. Traditional Indigenous livelihoods including shrimping, fishing, and subsistence farming are under severe pressure. The coastal tribes also serve as a critical "buffer" protecting inland regions from storm surge and flooding, making their survival important for broader regional resilience. The lack of federal recognition for these state-recognized tribes compounds their vulnerability by limiting access to government resources and grants needed for adaptation and survival efforts.

What's next

  • About five new elevated, hurricane-resistant homes are planned for the Pointe-au-Chien community
  • The tribe is raising money to fortify the remaining dozen or so homes
  • The Grand Caillou/Dulac Band's federal grant application for a hurricane-resistant community center with emergency supplies has been tabled due to federal funding cuts
  • The Pointe-au-Chien tribe's application for solar panel installation on every home is pending, though they are not optimistic about approval due to federal funding cuts

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint