Chitimacha Indians
Today I’m focusing on the Chitimacha Tribe who mostly herald the Louisiana Bayous; to be exact Baldwin, Louisiana is where a reservation is located and where one of my great grandparents was born. I have about 5 tribes/bands of Native American in my bloodline Chitimacha who I describe briefly here, the Potowatami & Chippewa, who were known as the Great Lakes Indians or the Oglala Sioux and were apparently related to the Eskimo and the Salish of Canada, the Blackfoot/Apache, Cherokee, and probably a few others that have been lost to my family’s knowledge. If I alone can compose of this many tribes through my grandparent’s lineage many of us have mixing down the lines in some of us there is a higher percentage of native genes in others the DNA may appear stronger. The only way to find the missing genetics and get in tune is through bloodline testing. There is now a way to find some answers to the questions of family bloodlines and you can do it from home. You can order your own DNA kit at: http://www.familytreedna.com/pricing.html
Great Grandma Burdette was a Chitimacha Creole Indian, picture taken in 1915.
Above is a picture of a Chitimacha Creole also known as a Creole Indian. February 2009 is Carnival Month in January we will promote trips and festivities to New Orleans and Brazil; and in February we will talk about the art and life of Carnival around the world, discuss Creole Indians and international Creole culture.
CHITIMACHA TIPS
The tribal name Chitimacha may have come from a Chitimacha word referring to Grand River. The Chitimachas called themselves “Pántch Pinunkansh”, which meant “thoroughly red people.”
The hair style for men was either Mohawk or long. Both men and women decorated their bodies with tribal tattoos.
Chitimacha women harvested crops of corn, beans, sweet potatoes, and squash. Chitimacha men hunted and fished for deer, wild turkeys, alligators, and all kinds of seafood.
The Chitimacha were also sun worshippers in which they believed the energy of the sun is where God illuminated. For more info on the Native American version of sun worship read Sun Worship in the Southeast by John R. Swanton.
NEW AGE NATIVES
Around this time last year the creator of Rosetta Stone Inc., the world’s No. 1 language-learning program had partnered with the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana to develop a special edition of the acclaimed software in the Chitimacha language, Sitimaxa.
To stimulate your knowledge of Native American history and take the leisure of checking out the comics from “Peace Party” below at http://www.bluecorncomics.com
ALL OTHER NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE POSTS CAN BE FOUND IN THE TAB LINK AT THE VERY TOP OF PAGE THAT READS “NOVEMBER: NATIVE AMERICAN MONTH”
