An Earth Day Tribute to the Chitimacha Tribe and the Baton Rouge Audubon Society
Chitimacha
Tribe Honors Ancient Cypress Landmarked by La Purchase Cypress Legacy
at Baton Rouge Audubon Society's Amite River Wildlife Sanctuary
This
Earth Day is a fitting time to honor one of Louisiana's coastal
indigenous tribes-- the Chitimacha-- who have lived in coastal Louisiana
long before the arrival of European setters. Although the current
reservation is near Charenton it is likely that ancestral Chitimacha and
other local tribes lived in the Amite River Basin-- where the Baton
Rouge Audubon Society's Amite
River Sanctuary is located (near Port Vincent). The Amite River Basin
has proven to be a treasure trove of old growth cypress -- the La
Purchase Cypress Legacy has identified and landmarked with plaques
several centuries old cypress along tributaries of the Amite River.
Many,
if not most of the coastal old growth cypress in our La Purchase
Cypress Legacy inventory inventory were alive and thriving in our near
native settlements well before European colonization—including the
Attakapas, Houma, and Chitimacha tribes. Robin Wall Kimmerer, a
Native American forest ecologist deftly weaves together the spiritual
reverence for her forest elders with their tangible value and ecological
significance:
“Fluted
trunks rise from a lawn of deep moss green, their canopies lost in the
hanging mist that suffuse the forest with hazy twilight. Light streams
through holes over the heads of young trees while their grandmothers
loom in shadows, great buttressed trunks 8 feet in diameter. You want
to be quiet in instinctive deference to the cathedral hush and because
nothing you could possibly say would add a thing.”
“The
old growth forest is as stunning in its elegance of function as it its
beauty. Under conditions of scarcity, there can be no frenzy of
uncontrolled growth. The green architecture of the forest structures
itself is a model of efficiency, with layers of foliage in multi-layered
canopy that optimize capture of solar energy. If we are looking for
models of self-sustaining communities, we need look no further than an
old growth forest, or the old growth cultures they raised in symbiosis
with them.” (Kimmerer “Braided Grass”)
The
Native American belief that the old trees of the forest are sentient,
spiritual beings to be respected and honored is illustrated by Susan
Symard in her book, “Finding the Mother Tree” in a caption beneath a
photo of a 1000 year old fir tree (and this could also apply to the
Louisiana indigenous tribes interaction with virgin cypress prevalent
in precolonial Southern Louisiana:)
“The
vertical crevices [in the giant fir tree] suggest the bark has been
stripped by First Nations people. The inner bark is separated from the
outer bark and used for making cedar baskets and mats, clothing and
rope. Before the harvest the people place their hands on the trunk to
pray and ask permission for the harvest, and in so doing they develop
strong connections with the tree. Strips up to one third of the
circumference and thirty feet long are harvested, leaving a shallow scar
narrow enough to heal over.”
Thanks
to the initiative of Jane Patterson, chair of the Baton Rouge, one of
the landmarked LPCL cypress has been honored with the Chitamachee name
for Strong Spirit, the English name Ms Patterson chose for the tree we
determined to be several hundred years old. That this tree is now
protected in an Audubon Society Wildlife Sanctuary that is accessible to
all is resonant with Kimmerer description of the traditional indigenous
world view that
“,,, earth exits not as private property but as a commons to be tended with
reciprocity
and respect for the benefit of all. This is the vision of the
economy—the “commons” wherein resources fundamental to our well being
like water and land and forests are commonly held rather than
commodified” (Robin Wall Kemmerer, “Braiding Sweetgrass”)
Below
is the article that Jane Patterson wrote describing her successful
quest to honor this LPCL landmarked cypress forest elder with a
Chitimatcha name befitting the veneration it inspires:
Naming the Legacy Trees
by Jane Patterson
As the BR Audubon Amite River Wildlife Sanctuary property was
explored, it was discovered that there are ancient trees on the
property. There is a bald cypress tree that was dated by the Louisiana
Purchase Legacy Cypress project to be between 400 and 600 years old,
dating to as far back as the early 1400's. The legacy live oak, in the
heart of the sanctuary, judging by its size, would likely be between 350
and 400 years old, dating back to the early 1600's. Both pre-date the
European settlers to the area, which made us wonder which indigenous
peoples might have lived here prior to European colonization. After
researching, there were a couple of possibilities, but the Chitimacha
tribe inhabited basically what is now called the Atchafalaya river
basin. This is one of the 4 sovereign tribes of Louisiana, recognized by
the federal government, and the only one still living on their
ancestral lands, though their reservation is significantly south of
Ascension parish in Charenton LA. I contacted the Chitimacha museum to
ask about translating a couple of words to use as names for our legacy
trees so that I could tie in this cultural significance to our sanctuary
site. When I asked for these translations, I didn't imagine it was a
big deal as I was just asking for translations for what I supposed were
fairly common words. First, formal permission had to be requested and
granted by the tribal council, which was done. But I still didn't get
an answer right away. As circumstances would have it, I ended up not far
from the museum in Charenton several weeks after I'd made the request,
so I decided to stop by and ask about it. Theresa, who greeted me,
asked if I'd like the museum tour. She said the tour started with a
film. As the film began, I realized that the simple request to translate
a few words from English to the Chitimacha language was far from
simple. The film was all about the fact that their language had been, in
fact, extinct. The last speakers died in 1940. However, a linguist from
the Smithsonian Institute had come to their village in the 1930's and
recorded over 200 hours of language from that last two native speakers.
The recordings were on wax spools and were very scratchy and often
garbled, but at least it was something. Over a decade ago, the tribe
began the effort to reclaim their language. They worked with Rosetta
Stone to create a language learning series that is now used in schools
and for their adult tribe members. They start teaching Chitimacha as
young as nursery school and throughout all grades in their school. They
are trying to reclaim and preserve their heritage through their
language.
After the tour, it was explained to me that they were having trouble
with the translations of one of the words I'd asked for and that's why
the response to the request was taking so long. She said they were
working on it and hoped to have an answer soon.
Shortly after this visit, I received that answer.
For the legacy cypress tree, I'd asked for the translation for "strong
spirit". In Chitimacha, that is Yaagi Niksta (pronounced Yah-Gee
Neek-Stah [hard "G"]. This tree has indeed had a strong spirit to have
lived for as many as 600 years.
For the legacy live oak tree, I'd asked for the translation of "heart"
because this tree is in the heart of our sanctuary, the branches look
like a heart and it also has had a lot of heart to survive in the middle
of the swamp where a live oak really doesn't even belong. The
translation is Puxna ( pronounced Poosh-Nah), our Heart Oak.
Many thanks to the Chitimacha Indian tribe for their approval of my request and assistance with these translations!
Due to overwhelming support I was able to get plaques for each of these
trees that properly honors them. Thank you again to everyone who
donated!
So, please, when you visit the sanctuary, visit each of these trees and say "huya" (thank you) to our ancient trees!
Directions to the Amite River Wildlife Sanctuary near Port Vincent and visiting information can be found here:
http://www.braudubon.org/conservation/sanctuaries
Here is specific information on Yaagi Niksta
Coordinates for the tree are: 30°19'37.9"N
90°51'1.86"W
Click here for the map.
Circumference: 9’7” Radius: 18”
1st Boring—2.75” Rings counted: approx. 98
2.75” boring length / 18” radius = 98 rings counted / X
X = approx. 644 projected years
2nd Boring—3” Rings counted: approx 84
3” / 18’ = 84 / X
X = approx. 504 projected years
To account for likely faster growth early in its life (i.e. the hollow center of the tree), I’d conservatively estimate this cypress at a minimum of 400 years old. Needless to say, the rings are very closely spaced on both borings—indicating very slow growth. There is a section on one boring where the rings appear to be barely a hair’s width apart, which would reflect the very old age for a relatively small circumference old growth cypress.
