Bulbancha - the Indigenous Routes and Roots of New Orleans
- Guide Michelle
- Oct 1
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 3
November is Indigineous History Month- here's what it means in Louisiana.
The original inhabitants of the land that New Orleans sits on were the Chitimacha, with the Atakapa, Caddo, Choctaw, Houma, Natchez, and Tunica inhabiting other areas throughout what is now Louisiana.
There are four federally-recognized tribes in Louisiana:
Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana:
The only Louisiana tribe to still live on a section of their original homeland, with a reservation located near the town of Charenton, approximately two hours from New Orleans. At the time of contact with European explorers and other non-indigenous populations, the Chitimacha were known as the most powerful tribe between what we now know as Texas and Florida, land that stretched across much of the southern region of Louisiana, spanning from Lafayette, LA to New Orleans. The Chitimacha exerted much influence over the southeast region at the time of contact with European settlers, but were embroiled in a twelve-year war against the French in the early eighteenth century. As a result, many members were enslaved, killed, and displaced south and west-ward. Throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the tribe pushed for land titles from the United States government but only a few hundred acres in the form of a trust were provided in 1916. Since that point, the Chitimacha have purchased additional land in the area and today own over 900 acres. Since 1971, the Chitimacha have operated under a constitutional form of government and were the first tribe in Louisiana to adopt a constitution. The tribe owns and operates several businesses in the Charenton area, including a hotel, casino, grocery store, governmental contracting company, and construction company, and are the second-largest employer in St. Mary Parish. They have their own municipal services, clinic, assisted-living facility, and cultural and historical programs. Membership in the tribe is approximately 1,300 with most residing in Louisiana.
Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana
Jena Band of Choctaw Indians
Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe of Louisiana
State-recognized tribes of Louisiana:
Addai Caddo Tribe
Biloxi-Chitimacha Confederation of Muskogee
Choctaw-Apache Community of Ebarb
Clifton Choctaw
Four Winds Tribe Louisiana Cherokee Confederacy
Grand Caillou/Dulac Band
Isle de Jean Charles Band
Louisiana Choctaw Tribe
Pointe-Au-Chien Indian Tribe
United Houma Nation
Indigenous influence:
In New Orleans, approximately 2700 people identify as having American Indian/Alaska Native background, comprising 0.7% of the city’s population. In Louisiana as a whole, the percentage is slightly higher, at 1.3%.
Read this 2020 interview about indigenous influence in Louisiana cuisine. With an extensive knowledge and use of native plants & game, you can thank indigenous peoples for crawfish, macquex choux, cornbread and grits. Also, filé, as in "filé gumbo", is the leaves of the sassafras plant, used as a thickener and introduced by the area's indigenous people.
The powerful Mississippi River helped this area thrive, creating a superhighway for trade. It is said that artifacts connected to the Illinois Tribe, or the Illiniwek, have been found near the base of the river, showing just how far the tribes came to trade and do business along the Mississippi. The diversity of tribes interacting here gave the area its pre-colonial name: Bulbancha, a Choctaw word meaning “the place of many tongues.” Efforts to recognize and reintroduce the name began in 2014 during early celebrations of the colonization of the area for the 2018 New Orleans Tricentennial.
You can use this very cool interactive map to learn about Native Lands all over the world to learn a little of your local indigenous history!
