Chitimacha may have meant "those living on Grand River," "those who have pots," or "men altogether red." They may have comprised three or four separate tribes in the early sixteenth century.
Location The Chitimacha traditionally lived along the lower Louisiana coast, especially around Grand Lake, Grand River, and Bayou Teche. Today, most live in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana.
Population From about 3,000 people in 1700, the population dropped to 51 in the 1930 census. There were 720 enrolled members in the early 1990s.
Language Chitimacha may be an isolate, or it may be related to Tunican.
Historical Information
History Resident in their historic area for at least 2,500 years, the Chitimacha may have migrated south from the region of Natchez at some early time and east from Texas still earlier. Their decline began with the French arrival in the late seventeenth century. French slaving among the Indians created a generally hostile climate between the two peoples, especially in the early eighteenth century. Peace was established in 1718, but by then the Chitimacha population had suffered great losses through warfare and disease. Survivors were forcibly relocated north or taken away as slaves.
The influx of French Acadians in the late eighteenth century led to intermarriage (with Acadians as well as with other surviving local Indian groups), further land thefts, and the increased influence of Catholicism. In 1917, the Indians’ remaining land base was privately purchased and sold to the United States. Throughout the twentieth century, chiefs have continued to govern the people and struggle to retain tribal land and sovereignty.
Religion Chitimachas recognized a sky god, possibly feminine in nature. Boys and girls sought and obtained guardian spirits through solitary quests. Priests oversaw religious life. A 12-foot-square temple on Grand Lake served as a center of religious activity, especially for the annual six-day midsummer festival. The main event here was the male adult initiation ceremony, during which the young men fasted and danced until exhausted.
Government There was a chief in each town and a subchief in each village; leadership was largely hereditary. Head chiefs possessed a large measure of authority and power and were fed, at least in part, by others.
Customs Among the different social classes, priests, headmen, and curers constituted a nobility. There may also have been clans. Women might obtain any religious or political position. The dead may have been laid on scaffolds, where special people (Buzzard Men) disposed of flesh and returned cleaned bones to families, where they were eventually buried under mounds of earth. The Buzzard Men may instead have burned the bones and buried the ashes in a basket under a mound. A special ceremony was conducted at the reburial of war chiefs’ bones. The people played chunkey and other games. They practiced frontal head deformation. A man became known by his child’s name as soon as the latter was born.
Dwellings Village populations reached up to 500 in the early historic period. Pole-frame houses were covered with palmetto thatch. Smoke escaped through a hole in the roof. Walls were occasionally plastered with mud.
Diet The people ate bear, alligators, turtles (and their eggs), and deer, among other animals. They were highly dependent on fish and shellfish. Women grew sweet potatoes as well as beans, squash, sunflowers, and possibly four varieties of corn. They also gathered water lily seeds, palmetto seeds, nuts, and various wild fruits and berries.
Key Technology Men used blowguns as well as bows and arrows for hunting. They caught fish with nets, basket traps, and hooks and lines. Cane baskets with fitted tops were used, among other things, for food storage. Women wove cane matting with various colors (red, yellow, and black) and designs, and they made pottery. The people also used the fire drill, dried alligator skin rasps, and gourd rattles.
Trade Exports included fish and salt; imports, mainly from inland tribes, included flint, stone beads, and arrow points. They traded often with the Atakapa and the Avoyel Indians.
Notable Arts Patterned black-and-yellow cane baskets, made with a unique double weaving technique, were especially fine. Pottery was also of generally high quality.
Transportation Extensive canoe transportation was made easier by the natural harbor provided by Grand Lake.
Dress Nose ornaments, bracelets, and earrings were common personal adornments. Both sexes kept their fingernails long. Men wore their hair in roaches, or perhaps long, and decorated with feathers and lead weights.
War and Weapons The people may have poisoned their enemies. Warriors also used the bow and arrow. There were four or five war chiefs per village.
Contemporary Information
Government/Reservations The Chitimacha Reservation (1830) consists of roughly 250 acres in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. There were 212 resident Indians in 1990. The tribe operates its own housing program and is governed by a council.
Economy Tribal enterprises include a processing plant, a store, and a recreation/museum complex. They also lease land to oil companies. Most people work in the oil or fishing industries. Some people make cane baskets as well as traditional and generic "Indian" jewelry for the tourist trade.
Legal Status The Chitimacha Tribe is a federally recognized tribal entity.
Daily Life The language no longer survives. There is a Bureau of Indian Affairs school in the reservation. Efforts continue to obtain compensation for land expropriations. The tribe supports ongoing training in traditional craft techniques. There is a tribal fair over the Fourth of July weekend.
