Photo Gallery: Camp Coushatta
Published 9:35 am Friday, June 10, 2022
Darius White, 13, of Elton plays a drum for visitors on Thursday to Camp Coushatta near Elton. The drums play an important role in Native American celebrations and spiritual events.
Skyler Laird, 14, shows Laim Trahan, 3, of Lake Charles early Native American weapons and tools as Landon Celestine, 11, looks out. Laird and Celestine are teaching visitors to Camp Coushatta blue the early weapons and tools used by Native Americans to hunt, garden and build things.
Kaiya Langley, 12, of Elton shows off some beadwork crafts to visitors Thursday to Camp Coushatta near Elton. Beadwork is an art form expressed and practiced throughout the Native American tribes, including the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana.
Loucious Fontenot, 12, of Elton demonstrates an early toy used by the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana on Thursday during Camp Coushatta. Most Coushatta children played with handmade toys including marbles and slingshots.
Bella Sawyer, 10, Kynzleigh Myers, 11 and Halley Poncho, 13, work on basket weaving Thursday during Camp Coushatta near Elton. The camp offers more than two dozen stations offering visitors insight into the history, traditions and customs of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, including basket making, beading, storytelling and stickball.
Aubrey Fontenot, 10, of Elton and Jeffery Robinson, 11, of Elton help Delma Leger of Elton with her archery skills Thursday during Camp Coushatta. More than 70 youth from the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana are reconnecting with their past while sharing their customs and traditions with others during the camp. (Doris Maricle / American Press)
ELTON — Youth from the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana are reconnecting with their past while sharing the customs and traditions of the local tribe with others.
After a two-year COVID hiatus, the Coushatta Tribe has reopened its reservation three miles north of Elton to visitors who want to learn more about Native Americans as part of Camp Coushatta, a free single-day summer camp.
Jaine Fisher, of the Coushatta Service Department, said the purpose of the camp is to help the youth learn more about their own culture so they can preserve it and share it with others.
“It gives them a platform to be proud of their heritage,” Fisher said. “If we don’t start to save it now, our efforts will be diminished later.”
The camp hosts more than two dozen stations posted throughout the wooded campgrounds offering visitors insight into the history, traditions and customs of the local tribe including basket making, beading, storytelling and stickball.
“These youth will spend the next four weeks working, learning and mastering some of those crafts,” Fisher said.
For first-year camp staff member Kenzie Johnson, 11, of Elton, the camp has been an eye-opener. Like many of the camp staffers, Johnson is learning more about her heritage and ancestors.
“I am indigenous and I hope to learn my history in this camp,” Johnson said. “it is important to me to gain an understanding of my own heritage and to teach others.”
Angel Guidry, 15, of Elton, who was recently crowned the Coushatta Tribe Junior Princess, is teaching others about the regalia outfits and headgear worn by Native American dancers during events like this weekend’s Pow Wow. The regalia reflects the lives, interest and family background of the dancers.
“I’m very proud of my heritage and our native dance is one of the big things in our culture,” said.
Guidry often performs the Southern Cloth dance which allows her to move slowly and gracefully in time with the drums.
This is the fifth year Allie Nokko Johnson, 17, of Elton has worked at the camp.
“This is important for our youth to learn and teach others about the tribe,” Johnson said. “While we are teaching others, we are also learning.”
Autumn Litteral, 14, of Elton said it is a good idea to teach others about the customs and traditions of the tribe, including the Koasati language which is considered an endangered language.
“I can understand it because my Mom speaks it to me all the time,” she said.
This summer Litteral is helping to teach others about the tribe’s language, which is only spoken by about one-fourth of the 900 members of the Coushatta Tribe.
Alyssa Burns, 12, of Kinder is a second-year camp staff member who is learning about storytelling among early tribal members.
“Stories have always been used by Native Americans to teach their children about history, values and lessons on how to behave,” Burns said, adding that the main characters in the stories are often animals.
In addition to the stories, visitors can learn about cooking, drumming, weapons and tools, herbs and medicine. Visitors can also enjoy hands-on activities including games, tomahawk throwing, archery, spear throwing and making jewelry. Each camp ends with a Pow Wow style dance session with youth performing in full regalia.
The camp is 9 a.m.-12:30 Tuesdays and Thursdays through June 28. For more information, call the Coushatta Social Services at 337-584-1433.
