Surviving the Storms: Climate Change, Disaster and Indigenous Resistance

Over the past 75 years, Louisiana's coastal communities - specifically coastal Native American Tribes- have been facing rapid land loss due to climate change and man-made destruction of natural marshes and wetlands. Many of the communities hardest hit by this land loss are the Native American Tribes along the coast whose land has been taken through centuries of colonization and indigenous erasure.
This panel will focus on the stories of the four Tribes in the Louisiana Coastal Tribes Coalition who faced some of the most destructive impacts of Hurricane Ida. In this panel, Tribal leaders will discuss the ongoing recovery efforts in their communities, lessons learned from Ida, and the broader context of Indigenous resistance to climate change.
Featured Panelists:
- Donald Dardar, 2nd Chairperson, Pointe Au Chien Indian Tribe
- Patty Ferguson-Bohnee, Attorney, Pointe Au Chien Indian Tribe
- Chief Shirell Parfait-Dardar, Grand Caillou/ Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw
- Moderator: Dr. Laura D. Kelley, Tulane University
Title Sponsors: New Orleans Center for the Gulf South, Bywater Institute, Tulane Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Supporting Partners: Newcomb Tulane College First-Year Experience, Tulane Libraries, CACTUS, Newcomb Institute, Tulane Green Club, Tulane Environmental Studies, Tulane Native American Studies, Taylor Center, Community Engagement Advocates, Tulane Center for Public Service, Tulane Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Tulane Green Club
Donation Information:
All funds for this panel will support directly impacted Tribes. To further support their work, and their personal recovery post-Ida, you can show financial solidarity for each of the four Tribes in the Louisiana Coastal Tribes Coalition using the online links below:
- Pointe Au Chien Indian Tribe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ida-relief-for-pointeauchien-indian-tribe
- Isle De Jean Charles Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw: https://www.isledejeancharles.com/donate
- Grand Caillou/ Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw donate ida: https://www.gcdbcc.org/support
- Bayou Lafourche Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha Indians: http://www.biloxi-chitimacha.com/bayou_lafourche.htm