Roundtable
Reviewed by: Anthropology and Environment Society
Of interest to: Practicing and Applied Anthropologists, Teachers of Anthropology in Community Colleges, Students, Those Involved in Mentoring Activities
Primary Theme: Indigeneity
Secondary Theme: Resilience
Over the last 65 years, the Isle de Jean Charles Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribal homelands have lost 98% of its landmass due to land sinking, erosion caused by oil and gas pipeline canals, and sea level rise. Each year, recurrent flooding and storms have displaced more and more tribal members. In 2002, the tribal government decided to resettle further inland in order to reunite their tribe and rejuvenate their traditional ways of life together. After years of failed attempts by government agencies to support their resettlement efforts, in 2016, the tribe and their team of resettlement partners worked alongside the state of Louisiana to successfully garner $48 million to support their tribal resettlement efforts. Their plans have attracted global media, policy, and scholarly attention. This roundtable will bring together Isle de Jean Charles Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw tribal leaders and some of those who have partnered with the tribe to update the anthropology community on the progress of the Isle de Jean Charles Tribal Resettlement and the challenges they have faced. The session will explore the intersection of indigenous resurgence, climate change adaptation, and the role of anthropology.
Nathan Jessee
Temple University
Nathan Jessee
Temple University
Julie Maldonado
Director of Research
Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network
Erin Tooher
University of New Mexico
Chantel Comardelle
Isle de Jean Charles Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw
Chantel Comardelle
Isle de Jean Charles Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw
Chantel Comardelle
Isle de Jean Charles Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw
Joseph Evans
Evans+Lighter Landscape Architecture