There are so many Indian tribes! Where we come from, San Diego, we have more Indian reservations (18) than any other county in the United States. And California has over 100 recognized tribes. (The State of Lousiana has 34.) I'm always fascinated by driving along and seeing a roadside sign for an Indian tribe I've never heard of.
And so it was, as we turned onto the Route165 and the first place we saw was a big casino owned by the Coushatta Indian tribe.
The Coushattas first encountered white European explorers in 1540 when Hernando DeSoto was in a Tennessee River valley. They moved numerous times, trying to avoid European encroachment. Over the course of the years, they tried to remain in neutral areas between French, Spanish, American and Mexican territories. In the 1880's, they finally settled at Bayou Blue, near Elton Louisiana. Finally, they figured out they should make peace with the white man, and got the federal government to give their children free tuition. In 1945, they got free health care. But, things soured and from 1945-1953, the Bureau of Indian Affairs severed all ties. However, that changed and in 1973, they finally gained federal recognition as a tribe. They opened a casino in 1995. While they say they are the second largest private employer in Louisiana, other websites list companies with many more employers, primarily in the oil, automobile and casino businesses that have a lot more employees.
They have federal grants to help preserve their native language, federal grants to develop hydroponic farming, the crops of which will be used in the casino, and overseas investments (Department of State?) with Israel. They have a mill for producing furniture. They are known for their pine needle basketry. And they are expanding their casino and hotel. Depending on which part of their website you look at, they have either 5,000 or 10,000 acres of land here. And they only have around 900 tribal members.
I am a big supporter of the Native Americans in the United States and believe they got such terrible treatment and continue to be taken advantage of. As these tribes grow economically and their clout as sovereign nations rises, it's going to be interesting to see what comes next. How long do they maintain their sovereignty while receiving lots of support money from the federal government, and paying no taxes?
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