Abstract
The Pointe-au-Chien Indigenous community of coastal Louisiana is fighting for survival as climate change and socio-political factors threaten to displace them from their ancestral home. This project takes an ethnographic and historical approach to exploring how colonization and climate change have influenced Pointe-au-Chien tribal members’ ability to stay on their ancestral land. Climate projections estimate that the bayou this community has lived alongside of for generations will soon be unrecognizable, leading to potential displacement and devastating cultural loss. Due to the increasing severity of climate change, it is crucial to look to the experiences of frontline Indigenous communities to support them and to work toward more resilient climate futures. Through interviews, tours, academic research, and participatory observation, I investigate how tropical storms, coastal gentrification, erosion, tourism, and oil and gas development influence climate violence and displacement in this community. Findings revealed that hurricanes were the largest factor pushing Pointe-au-Chien tribal residents toward displacement. I conclude by presenting how the Pointe-au-Chien tribe is organizing for resilience through structural and territorial decolonization. Ultimately, this study focuses on how a coastal Louisiana Indigenous community is navigating climate violence and potential displacement through cultural and community preservation.
Advisor
Brown, Iemanjá
Department
Environmental Studies
Recommended Citation
Kahan, Lia McGrath, "Deep Roots In Eroding Soil: Building Decolonial Resilience Amidst Climate Violence And Displacement In A Louisiana Bayou Indigenous Community" (2022). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 9663.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/9663
Disciplines
Community-Based Research | Environmental Studies | Human Ecology | Human Geography | Migration Studies | Nature and Society Relations | Place and Environment | Rural Sociology | Social and Cultural Anthropology | Social Justice | Tourism
Keywords
climate change, migration, Indigenous, Louisiana, colonization, erosion
Publication Date
2022
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis Exemplar
Included in
Community-Based Research Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Human Ecology Commons, Human Geography Commons, Migration Studies Commons, Nature and Society Relations Commons, Place and Environment Commons, Rural Sociology Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, Social Justice Commons, Tourism Commons
© Copyright 2022 Lia McGrath Kahan