Tribal Youth Group Rises to Fight Problems Exacerbated by Oil Spill

GOLDEN MEADOWS, LA—The twisted silhouettes of leafless trees dot the marsh around the homeland of southern Louisiana's Houma tribe. Telephone poles list sideways in the water that laps at the edges of many roads.

It wasn't always this way. These changes to the landscape serve as stark symbols of the myriad social and environmental problems facing the tribe. Coastal erosion is rapidly gnawing away solid ground, while saltwater intrusion has killed vast numbers of oaks over the last forty years. And those are just a few of the problems faced by the tribe.

But the Bayou Healers, a tribal youth group that was conceived in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, plans to fight those challenges.

"We realized that it was important to have an organization that can bring awareness of what is happening here to outsiders, as well as to preserve our culture," said Jason Pitre, 25, who founded the organization along with 21-year-old Dana Solet.

Pitre and Solet say the inspiration to form Bayou Healers came in early July, when a delegation of native activists from Ecuador visited to share advice from their experiences of living in the shadow of the oil industry. The Ecuadorians, who are under the umbrella of environmental groups Rainforest Action Network and Amazon Watch, demonstrated the influence that can be gained through organization.

And so Pitre and Solet decided to organize. They immediately formed an advisory board made up of older members of the tribe, built a website and started the daunting paperwork to become a registered non-profit organization. They are now in the process of selecting a youth council, composed of tribe members from age 14 up through college, which will be the group's decision makers.

Widespread Support

Though the project began only a month ago, it has been met with enthusiastic support from the tribe.

"It's exciting to see and to be a part of," said Michael Dardar, a member of the group's advisory board. "I've committed myself to helping them in any way that I can, but it's nice to take a back seat and let the youth take the lead."

As word of the new project has spread among the 17,000 tribal members throughout the Houma's six-parish territory, young and old alike have been eager to get on board.

"People just haven't had the opportunity to participate in something like this over the years," said Kurt Charamie, who manages the tribe's radio station and also serves on the advisory board.

The group's first event, a candlelight vigil held at the end of July to commemorate the 100th day since the Deepwater Horizon explosion, was a well-attended success. Held on a sandy hill on the barrier island of Grand Isle, over 100 people from the local communities came to light candles, hear poems and speeches, and dance a shuffling friendship dance in the  twilight.

Pitre led the dance wearing full ceremonial garb, including a feathered headdress and fluorescent green tassels made from flagging tape. Young and old, tribe members and non-tribe-members stood together to hope for the future, honor the eleven lost lives and mourn for the damage to the environment.

Myriad Problems

But the Bayou Healers have their work cut out for them.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which gushed crude into the ocean for some 90 days, has only added to the existing problems of the tribe.

Many Houma depend on the water for their livelihoods, and now they worry about making a living, as well as about their homes, their health and their future. Even as many fishing areas are declared safe, many tribe members say they are doubtful.