Indigenous Peoples of Louisiana

Learn about the Indians of Louisiana, the tribes and bands, state recognized tribes, agencies, reservations, and records.

Tribes and Bands of Louisiana
The following list of American Indians who have lived in Louisiana has been compiled from Hodge's Handbook of American Indians... and from Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America. Some may simply be variant spellings for the same tribe.


 * Acolapissa
 * Adai
 * Alabama
 * Apalachee
 * Atakapa
 * Avoyel
 * Bayogoula
 * Biloxi
 * Caddo
 * Chatot
 * Chawasha
 * Chitimacha
 * Choctaw
 * Doustioni
 * Houma
 * Kadohadacho
 * Koasati or Coushatta
 * Koroa
 * Mugulasha
 * Muskogee
 * Natchez
 * Natchitoches Confederacy
 * Ofogoula
 * Okelousa
 * Opelousa
 * Ouachita
 * Pascagoula
 * Quapaw
 * Quinipissa
 * Souchitioni
 * Taensa
 * Tangipahoa
 * Tawasa
 * Tunica
 * Tunica-Biloxi
 * Washa
 * Yatasi

Louisiana State Recognized Tribes

 * First True Native Americans Tribe, Inc.
 * Adais Caddo Indians, Inc.
 * Biloxi-Chitimacha Confederation of Muskogee (separated from United Houma Nation, Ind.)
 * Bayou Lafourche Band
 * Grand Caillou/Dulac Band
 * Isle de Jean Charles Band
 * Clifton-Choctaw Indians (also known as Clifton Choctaw Reservation Inc.)
 * Choctaw-Apache Community of Ebarb
 * Louisiana Choctaw Tribe
 * Four Winds Tribe, Louisiana Cherokee Confederacy
 * Point-Au-Chien Tribe (separated from United Houma Nation, Ind., and United Houma Nation)

Agencies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Agencies and sub-agencies were created as administrative offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its predecessors. Their purpose was (and is) to manage Indian affairs with the tribes, to enforce policies, and to assist in maintaining the peace. The names and location of these agencies may have changed, but their purpose remained basically the same. Many of the records of genealogical value were created by these offices.

The following list of agencies that have operated or now exist in Louisiana has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians , and others.


 * Caddo Agency
 * Choctaw Agency, 421 Powell, Philadelphia, MS 39350
 * Lower Louisiana Agency
 * Natchitoches Agency
 * Red River Agency

Records
The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:


 * Allotment records
 * Annuity rolls
 * Census records
 * Correspondence
 * Health records
 * Reports
 * School census and records
 * Vital records

Family History Library

 * Office of Indian Affairs Superintendency of Trade Natchitoches - Sulphur Fork Factory 1809-1821; T 1029;
 * The Historic Indian Tribes of Louisiana. By Fred B. Kniffen, Hiram F. Gregory and George A. Stokes.  WorldCat
 * The Indians of Louisiana FHL book 970.1 K742i

FamilySearch Catalog Louisiana Native Races

Reservations
From the mid-1800s, the official policy of the United States government toward the American Indian was to confine each tribe to a specific parcel of land called a reservation. Agencies were established on or near each reservation. A government representative, usually called an agent (or superintendent) was assigned to each agency. Their duties included maintaining the peace, making payments to the Native Americans based on the stipulations of the treaties with each tribe, and providing a means of communication between the native population and the federal government.

Sometimes, a single agency had jurisdiction over more than one reservation. And sometimes, if the tribal population and land area required it, an agency may have included sub-agencies.

The boundaries of reservations, over time, have changed. Usually, that means the reservations have been reduced in size. Sometimes, especially during the later policy of "termination," the official status of reservations was ended altogether.

For a current reservation map - Louisiana - Indian Reservations- The National Atlas of the United States of America. Federal Lands and Indian Reservations. by the U.S. Department of Interior and U.S. Geological Survey.

The following list of reservations has been compiled from the National Atlas of the United States of America, the Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America , and other sources. Those reservations named in bold are current federally-recognized reservations, with their associated agency and tribe(s). Others have historically been associated with the state or are not currently recognized by the federal government.


 * Chitimacha Reservation Federal, under jurisdiction of Choctaw Agency, located in Saint Mary Parish, Tribe: Chitimacha 1969 Tribal enrollment 600
 * Coushatta Reservation State, under jurisdiction of Choctaw Agency, Tribe: Coushatta
 * Pleasant Point and Indian Township Reservation
 * Tunica-Biloxi Reservation State, under jurisdiction of Choctaw Agency, Tribe Tunica-Biloxi