As the Chairman of the Pointe au Chien Indian Tribe since 1999, I’ve seen our community through a lot of changes. I’ve represented the Tribe on the Louisiana Coastal Tribes Coalition, was a vessel coordinator for response efforts after the BP oil spill in 2010, and led the construction of our Tribal Building in 2014.

When I started shrimping in ’75, there were islands on Timbelier Bay. They had canals dug in them by oil companies, and when we were out shrimping, we went in there to get out of bad weather. But by 2004, the islands had just washed away. I was sailing over what used to be land. Even the place we used to play baseball and football as kids—it’s all underwater now. Even in spite of these challenges, our people remain strong and resilient. We will continue to adapt and preserve our traditions for those who come after us.

I was elected Second Chairman of the tribe in 1999. Since then, I’ve represented the tribe on the First People's Conservation Council of Louisiana and on the Gulf Organized Fisheries in Solidarity and Hope (GO FISH). I help protect our land and our ancestral mounds with our living shorelines, which use oyster shells to slow down erosion.

I’ve spent my whole life here in Pointe au Chien. Over the years, I have watched the water swallow more and more of our land. There used to be forest by the back of my house. As a boy, I would walk through trees so thick I got lost for the whole day. That’s all water now. The same place people used to trap for furs, now they trap for crabs. But even though the sea is reclaiming our land, we have a claim to it too. Our people have lived here for generations… We know how to hold onto it and keep it safe.

I represent the tribe on the First People’s Conservation Council of Louisiana, work on backfilling the canals that criss-cross our land, and oversee the reconstruction of homes destroyed by Hurricane Ida. I’m also very proud of our new Petite Maison de la Plantes Médecine, where we are growing shrubs, plants, and flowers that are culturally and medicinally important to our Tribe!

Growing up, my grandfather lived in Pointe au Chien, and we visited all the time. We would take a boat down to his house, and the bayou was so small back then that I could reach out the boat and pull grass out from the banks. I always begged Mama to let me stay here for the summer. Even then I felt that I was a part of this land. My people have lived here for generations, and I am determined to protect it for the next.

I have been the Cultural Heritage & Resiliency Coordinator of the Pointe au Chien Indian Tribe since 2020, managing many of the day-to-day operations in the Tribal building. I work closely with NOAA, Sea Grant, serve on the committee for Pointe au Chien’s Culture Camp, and am dedicated to protecting our ancestral land for my children to inherit.

Born and raised in Pointe au Chien, I lived in the village down the bayou until Hurricane Ida struck in 2021. I wasn't able to get the further resources to rebuild, and when I had the opportunity to get another house I decided to move to upper Pointe-aux-Chene. My mother-in-law’s house was completely destroyed, including her foundation. Although my house was destroyed, my foundation was still in good shape, so my husband and I gave her what was left of our house. By giving her our foundation, she has the opportunity to rebuild much sooner than if she’d stayed at her own place. Now, I live up the road, where we’ve found many traditional medicinal plants in our yard that saltwater has killed further down the bayou. I am excited to learn more about these plants and incorporate them into the Petite Maison de la Plante Médecine!"

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