United Houma Nation

Nonprofit

The United Houma Nation incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Houma, Louisiana, in 1979. Lora Ann Chaisson is their chief. Their funders include the Ananda Fund, Common Counsel Foundation, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, NEO Philanthropy, and Institute of Indian Development.

State recognition

The state of Louisiana officially recognized the United Houma Nation in 1972.

The Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe and the Bayou Lafourche Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha Confederation of Muskogees broke away from the United Houma Nation in the 1990s. They both became state-recognized by Louisiana in 2004; however, they are not federally recognized as Native American tribes.

Federal recognition

The United Houma Nation petitioned for federal recognition with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in 1979. In 1994, the BIA published a preliminary finding that the United Houma Nation did not meet three of the seven criteria for recognition as an Indian tribe. They found no evidence that the United Houma Nation descended from any historical Indian tribe, that their ancestors did not constitute a distinct social community before 1830, and that their ancestors exercised no political influence over a community before 1830. Genealogical research revealed that the ancestors of the United Houma Nation were "predominantly French, Arcadian, German, and African" people who settled near Bayou Terrebonne around the 1790s. Three Native American ancestors were identified; however, their tribes affiliation could not be determined, and each moved to the settlement independently of each other.

In 2013, the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs offered revised criteria for federal recognition.Jordan Blum, "La. tribes look to change in federal recognition rules", The Advocate, 1 September 2013 The United Houma Nation has an active petition for federal acknowledgment under 2015 criteria. The BIA is waiting for the United Houma Nation to submit further documentation.

Population

The United Houma Nation, Inc. has the largest membership of any state-recognized tribe in Louisiana and has more members than any of the four federally recognized tribes in Louisiana. It is one of the largest state-recognized tribes in the United States, with over 17,000 members.

Administration

The United Houma Nation Inc. established a governing body that includes a council consisting of elected representatives for each tribal district and elect a principal chief as well as a vice principal chief.

They are based in Golden Meadow, Louisiana, and their principal chief is Lora Ann Chaisson.

Activities

The organization holds an annual powwow in Louisiana.

Notable members

• Mariah Hernandez-Fitch, film director, writer, activist

References

References

1. "United Houma Nation".
2. United States. Congress. Senate. Select Committee on Indian Affairs. (1990). "Houma Recognition Act: Hearing Before the Select Committee on Indian Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred First Congress, Second Session on S. 2423 ... August 7, 1990, Washington, DC.". U.S. Government Printing Office.
3. (12 March 2005). "Local Indian tribes continue quest for recognition". Houma Today.
4. (2 August 1979). "Receipt of Petition for Federal Acknowledgment of Existence as an Indian Tribe". Federal Register.
5. (December 22, 1994). "Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the United Houma Nation, Inc.". Federal Register.
6. [https://www.wsj.com/articles/tribes-seek-speedier-federal-recognition-1405037402?KEYWORDS=louisiana Dan Frosch, "Tribes Seek Speedier Federal Recognition Proposed Changes May Benefit Native Groups Denied Health, Other Benefits"], ''Wall Street Journal'', 10 July 2014, accessed 19 October 2014
7. "Petition #056: United Houma Nation, Inc., LA". U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs.
8. "The United Houma Nation: The Culture of Louisiana". [[WGNO]].
9. "Tribal Directory: Southeast Region".
10. "After 5 years United Houma Nation returns with Powwow". [[WWL-TV]].