Chitimacha

For the language, see Chitimacha language.
Chitimacha
Flag
Total population
1,250
Regions with significant populations
 United States (Louisiana)
Languages
English, French, Cajun French, Isleño Spanish Chitimacha (No fluent speaker. Successful at reviving the language.)
Religion
Catholicism, other

The Chitimacha (/ˈtʃɪtɪməʃɑː/ CHIT-i-mə-shah;[1] or /tʃɪtɪˈmɑːʃə/ chit-i-MAH-shə[2]) are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands in Louisiana. They are a federally recognized tribe, the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana.

The Chitimacha have an Indian reservation in St. Mary Parish near Charenton on Bayou Teche. Their reservation is a small part of their precontact territory. They are the only Louisiana tribe who still control some of their original land, where they have long occupied areas of the Atchafalaya Basin, "one of the richest inland estuaries on the continent."[3] In 2011 they numbered about 1100 people.[3]

Historically, the Chitimacha spoke the Chitimacha language, a language isolate. The last two fluent speakers died in the 1930s, but the tribe has been working to revitalize the language since the 1990s. They use notes and recordings made by linguist Morris Swadesh around 1930. They have also started immersion classes for children and adults.[4][5] In 2008 they partnered with Rosetta Stone in a two-year effort to develop software to support learning the language. Each tribal household was given a copy to support use of the language at home.[6][7][8] The Chitimacha have used revenues from gambling to promote education and cultural preservation, founding a tribal museum and historic preservation office, and restoration of their language.

The Chitimacha are one of four federally recognized tribes in the state.[9]

  1. ^ Robert A. Brightman, 2004, "Chitimacha", In: William Sturtevant (ed.), Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 14: Southeast, p. 642
  2. ^ Carl Waldman, 2009, Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes
  3. ^ a b NATIVE WATERS: A CHITIMACHA RECOLLECTION (1/30/2011) Archived 2016-10-17 at the Wayback Machine, American Public Television, Louisiana Public Broadcasting; accessed 20 September 2011
  4. ^ "YouTube – Chitimacha Language Episode: Finding Our Talk 3". youtube.com. Retrieved January 26, 2010.[dead YouTube link]
  5. ^ "Press Release, Media Room, Rosetta Stone". Archived from the original on 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  6. ^ Hieber, Daniel W. (2015-07-27). "Renaissance on the bayou: the revival of a lost language". The Conversation. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  7. ^ Larry Abramson (Director) (2010-02-02). "Software Company Helps Revive 'Sleeping' Language". All Things Considered - NPR. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  8. ^ Heflin, Judy (August 2015). "The Successful Revival of the Chitimacha Language". Language Magazine. Archived from the original on 2015-10-05. Retrieved 2015-10-03.
  9. ^ [1] Fred B. Kniffen, Hiram F. Gregory, and George A. Stokes, The Historic Indian Tribes of Louisiana: From 1542 to the Present Louisiana (1987), Louisiana State University Press, Kindle Edition; accessed 20 September 2016