Chitimacha Museum

Around 500 A.D., the final vestiges of the vast Roman Empire were disappearing from Europe, ushering in the beginning of modern history. Around the same time some 7,000 miles away on another continent, the Chitimacha were beginning settlement on land around the bayous of what is now Southern Louisiana The Chitimacha lived in peace and tranquility for hundreds of years. Until in the early 1700's, marauding bands of heavily armed Frenchmen, often allied with Acolapissa Indians and other tribes, began slaving raids that touched off conflicts which escalated into a devastating twelve-year war for the Chitimacha. Over the following hundred years, further encroachment from French, Spanish and United States settlers hampered renewed growth of the remaining Chitimacha. In the mid-1800's, the Chitimacha were forced to sue the United States for confirmation of title to the Tribal land. This resulted in a governmental decree establishing an area of 1,062 acres as Chitimacha land. In subsequent years, taxation forced sales and continued litigation reduced that amount down to 260 acres.