Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe
| Named after | Pointe-aux-Chênes ("Oak Point"), a community in Terrebonne Parrish |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1993[1] |
| Type | state-recognized tribe, 501(c)(3) organization[2] |
| EIN 72-1460716[2] | |
| Legal status | active |
| Purpose | A23: Cultural, Ethnic Awareness[2][3] |
| Headquarters | Montegut, Louisiana[2] |
| Location |
|
| Membership | about 800[4] (2022) |
Official language | English |
| Leader | Melissa Verdin[2] |
| Revenue | $247,037[3] (2024) |
| Website | pactribe |
Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe is a state-recognized tribe and nonprofit organization in Louisiana. It is headquartered in Montegut, Louisiana.[2] It is active in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes.
Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe (PACIT) identify as descendants of the Acolapissa, Atakapa, Biloxi, Chitimacha,[4] and Choctaw peoples.[5] The organization formerly identified as descending from the Houma people[6] since at least 1907 to 1993.[1]
The group has approximately 800 members.[4]
History
[edit]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.[6] All three are state-recognized tribes today in Louisiana.[6]
Nonprofit organization
[edit]The Pointe Au Chien Indian Tribe organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Montegut, Louisiana. Its tax-exempt status was temporarily revoked in 2023 but has been restored by 2024.[3]
Its principal officer is Melissa Verdin.[2] Its total assets were $517,288 in 2024.[3]
Petition for federal recognition
[edit]In 1996, the group petitioned to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs for federal recognition after breaking away from the United Houma Nation, whose petition had been denied.[7] In 2008, the proposed amending finding stated that the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe "is not an Indian tribe within the meaning of the Federal law," since their ancestors did not constiute a community or hold political influence over the group before 1830.[1] The preliminary finding states, "The evidence in the record has not demonstrated that the PACIT petitioner's members descend from a historical Indian tribe..."[1] Their petition is still being processed under the revised 2015 criteria for recognition.[7]
Hurricane Ida
[edit]Although the Pointe Au Chien Indian Tribe has survived hurricanes for hundreds of years, Hurricane Ida devastated the Pointe-au-Chien community on August 29, 2021, leaving unprecedented damage with about 150 tribal families in need of assistance for temporary housing and rebuilding. Because of not being a federally recognized tribe, important disaster proclamations and rescue funds were not forthcoming from U.S. government relief agencies.[8]
Education
[edit]The tribe established a French immersion charter school, École Pointe-au-Chien, in Pointe-aux-Chenes,[4] after the Terrebonne Parish School District closed that community's public school in 2021.[9] The school district sold the former Pointe-aux-Chênes school building to the tribe, for one dollar, so the French immersion school could be housed there.[10]
In the summers, they host Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe Culture Camp.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Artman, Carl J. (30 May 2008). "Amended Proposed Finding Against Acknowledgment of the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe (PACIT) of Louisiana" (PDF). Federal Register. 73 (105): 31142–43. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Pointe Au Chien Indian Tribe". GuideStar. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Pointe au Chien Indian Tribe". 501C3 Lookup. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Setyawan, Kezia (18 July 2022). "During summer camp, a conversation with Pointe-au-Chien children about land loss and culture". WWNO. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "Pointe-aux-Chenes Tribe community gains modern pump station". The Lafourche Gazette. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ a b c Solet, Kimberly (12 March 2005). "Local Indian tribes continue quest for recognition". Houma Today. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Petition #056B: Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe, LA". Indian Affairs. U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ Delta Dispatches, Restore the Mississippi River Delta
- ^ Setyawan, Kezia (2022-04-08). "Pointe-aux-Chenes French immersion school proposal passes through state House legislature". WWNO. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ Olivier, Jonathan (30 May 2023). "In August, École Pointe-au-Chien to Open Kindergarten, First Grade". KRVS. Télé-Louisiane. Retrieved 2024-02-15.