An exhibit of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana is on display until Dec. 23 at the Imperial Calcasieu Museum, 204 W.Sallier Street, Lake Charles.

The exhibit chronicles the history, culture and people of the local Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana which makes its home near Elton.

“The exhibit is a walk through of the history and culture of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana,” said Coushatta Tribal Archivist Marianna Luquette. “It includes a timeline that begins in 1250 A.D. and ends with 2023. There are also several posters about different aspects of Coushatta culture and baskets on display as well. We really wanted it to be a place where visitors could learn if they have never heard of the Tribe or if they knew parts of our history and culture, but wanted to learn more.”

This is the first time the Coushatta Tribe has had an exhibit at the Imperial Calcasieu Museum and it has been a great collaboration, according to Luquette.

Photographs and other items for the exhibit are from the Coushatta Tribal archives.

Raynella Fontenot, director of Department of Culture, Historical and National Resources, said visitors can expect to see several different kinds of baskets and objects that have been used for centuries by the Coushatta Tribe, such as stickball sticks and a kistapi and a kihcho, large objects made from trees to ground corn.

“We hope visitors learn more about our long and rich history and culture,” Fontenot said. “We also hope it encourages people to learn more about their own culture and history. Our different cultures are what make Southwest Louisiana great, and we should celebrate it.”

Fontenot hopes the exhibit also shows visitors that the Coushatta Tribe is still here.

“Through the many hardships our Tribe has faced, we have kept our language, culture and history alive,” she said. “The Coushatta Tribe has resided in Southwest Louisiana for over 200 years, but some people don’t even realize there’s a federally recognized Tribe only 45 minutes away from the Imperial Calcasieu Museum.”

Luquette hopes the public will get the chance to enjoy the exhibit and learn something new about the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana.

“It was a labor of love for us to share our history and information on our culture through the Imperial Calcasieu Museum,” she said.

The museum is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. It is closed Monday and Tuesday.

For more information, contact the museum at 337-439-3797.