Green plants, fresh food, clean water: all a source of survival and spirituality in the native tribes of Louisiana. Natural resources to many are very distant; we buy our food from grocery stores, our water is fresh with fluoride the second we want it, our sidewalks are plush with oak and palm trees. We don’t think about the physical and cultural meaning natural resources hold. This significance is understood best by the indigenous people of Louisiana.
The horrific BP oil spill of 2010 degraded the land and natural resources of Louisiana’s Pointe-au-Chien tribe. The tribe sued BP unsuccessfully for “physical damage to and diminution in the value and use of tribal cultural and natural resources.”
Coastal tribes in southeast Louisiana have suffered the most from natural disasters. As floods and rising sea levels continue to plague their historic land, the saltwater “has destroyed plants and herbs used for traditional medicines.” This phenomenon is heavily exacerbated by oil dredging and pipelines.
These native plants have been used in indigenous communities for centuries as a form of spiritual and physical healing. They are not only threatened by saltwater, but by pollution that damages soil. As the soil is polluted, the plants become less safe to consume or use for medicinal purposes.
Native tribes have tried to resolve this issue themselves, but lack of support has left them largely unsuccessful. The First People’s Conservation Council works to protect natural resources and sacred land, focusing on Louisiana, “before they are gone and lost forever.” However, this council is funded mostly by nonprofit donations.
Overall, natural resource degradation is another corporate issue. Humans have caused this issue and humans can fix it. Pollution travels through the air and water, so by becoming a green business you can preserve Native American culture and physical security. By advocating for and providing clean energy you can put an end to the pipelines that damage sacred Louisiana land. Any small step toward a sustainable city is a step toward protecting the native tribes of Louisiana.
Love Your City provides opportunities to not only create a sustainable lifestyle, but a sustainable economy. See how Love Your City can improve your green and moral values.
Love Your City acknowledges that the land of New Orleans, which we inhabit, is in the original ancestral homelands of the native tribes of Louisiana. We pay respect to the native tribes of Louisiana in the past, present, and future, and will continue to honor and affirm their presence on their homeland.