(Special to the American Press)

Two young members of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana are demanding the president of the state’s Oil and Gas Workers Association apologize for insensitive comments made to tribal communities.

The statements were reportedly made by Matt Coday, president of the Oil and Gas Workers Associating, during the April 29 Louisiana House Committee on Natural Resources hearing concerning proposed carbon capture legislation at the State Capitol.

During the hearing on House Bill 4, Coushatta Tribe youth Marianna Sickey, 16, and Allie Johnson, 20, addressed the committee, raising concerns about the proposed Class VI carbon capture injection well located less than a half a mile from the Coushatta tribal reservation located just north of Elton. HB 4, authored by Rep. Chuck Owen, would have given authority to parish officials or local voters to decide whether to allow carbon capture projects within the parish.

In response to Rep. Danny McCormick’s statement that “Americans stand on private property,” Coday stated, “In Louisiana Territory, after that purchase, the westward expansion was built by eminent domain.”

In a strongly worded letter read before the Allen Parish Police Jury this week, Sickey emphasized the painful historical context of “westward expansion by eminent domain” in the Louisiana Territory. This period involved the widespread seizure of tribal lands and the forced removal of Native peoples, notably through the Indian Removal Act of 1830. She pointed out that this era is recognized as a tragic and violent time in American history – far from being a point of celebration – marked by immense loss and displacement of tribal residents.

Sickey said the phrase used by Coday is strongly linked to a history of unlawful displacement, death and destruction inflicted on Native communities, a connection now acknowledged by major search engines.

As the only members of a federally recognized Tribe to address the committee that day, and with the Coushatta Tribe being the only Tribe discussed in relation to the proposed injection well near their reservation, Sickey expressed the view that Today’s statements felt like a personal insult and a denigration of the Coushatta people’s right to live securely on their tribal lands.

“Moreover, Coushattas were forcibly included in both the Creek Removal and the Trail of Tears and relocated numerous times within the Louisiana Territory before purchasing the lands of our tribal community, now being threatened by the CCS project,” Sickey said.

Given the circumstances, Sickey and Johnson, are calling on Coday to apologize for these offensive comments. They request that he appear before the committee to issue an apology to the Coushatta people and to all tribal nations who suffered during this period. Should Coday not retract his statement, they request that their letter be a part of the committee’s permanent record.

Sickey said she cannot help but conclude that Coday’s statement was intended as a personal insult to the Coushatta citizens, a denigration of their beliefs in right to live securely on tribal lands, and a potential threat to any tribal citizens who might speak out against CCS.

“If it was made in ignorance of one of the darkest and most vile chapters of our history when violence against Native peoples was commonplace and even celebrated, we hope that he will chose to appear before the committee and issue an apology to the Coushatta people, and to all tribal nations brutalized during this terrible time,’ Sickey said

Sickey said it is crucial for the Coushatta Tribe that such an offensive remark not be allowed to stand without challenge.

“For the sake of our Tribe and our sister tribes, we are compelled to speak for many victims of this sad time, including our ancestors who lie in unmarked graves along the removal routes,” she said. “We are taught that as long as one Coushatta heart beats, we must continue to honor our ancestors and fight for the lands and traditions they worked so hard to protect.”

While Coday may not understand or share the Tribe’s values, Sickey said she hopes that he will grant them the basic human dignity of correcting what she referred to as a “heinous statement” made before the committee.

The Allen Parish Police Jury has passed a resolution endorsing the letter requesting a full apology from Coday and a correction to the legislative record.