Adai Caddo Indians of Louisiana explained

Adai Caddo Indians of Louisiana
Full Name:Adai Caddo Indian Nation of Louisiana
Named After:Adai people, Caddo people
Founder:Rufus Davis
Founding Location:Robeline, Louisiana
Defunct:-->
Type:state-recognized tribe, 501(c)(3) organization
Tax Id:Caddo Adais Indians, Inc.: EIN 76-0359749
Status:Active, State-Recognized Native American Tribe
Purpose:Community and economic development
Headquarters:Adai Caddo Indian Nation Cultural Center, 4460 LA-485, Robeline, LA 71469
Location City:Robeline, LA
Location Country:United States
Membership:3,000+
Membership Year:2015
Owners:-->
Leader Title:Chief
Leader Name:John Mark Davis
Board Of Directors:Debbie Garrett, Dee Niette Thompson, Charlene Conarroe, Boyd Ocon, Robert Brevelle
Parent Organisation:-->
Staff:9

The Adai Caddo Indians of Louisiana (also known as Adai Caddo Indian Nation of Louisiana and the Adai Caddo Tribe) is a state-recognized tribe in Louisiana[1] and 501(c)(3) organization in Robeline, Louisiana. [2] Its members are descendants of the Adai people. [3] [4] [5] The chief is John Mark Davis, as of 2023.[6]

History

The first documented contact with the Adai people happened in 1529 near the Gulf of Mexico by Spanish Explorer, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. [7] While most of the nation was concentrated in Northern Louisiana and East Texas, their villages were located all around the Red River and Sabine River and could also be found in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Because of their spread-out nature, unlike other tribes, they had villages in both French and Spanish provinces. This not only influenced their culture, but unfortunately led to the near extermination of the tribe as they had to deal with multiple diseases and violent encounters with Spanish, French and other settlers. For years, many of the remaining tribe members lived in or around Natchitoches Parish. Today, members of the tribe are predominantly based in Louisiana and surrounding states.[8]

Caddo Adais Indians, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Robeline, Louisiana, established May 1991. The late Rufus Davis served as the organization's chief.

State recognition

Governor Edwin Edwards created the Louisiana Office of Indian Affairs in 1972 through an executive order.[9] In the 1990s, the office designated the Adai Caddo Indians of Louisiana as a state-recognized tribe of the Adai people.[1] [10]

The state-recognized tribe is known by other names, including Caddo Adais Tribe [11] and the Adai Caddo Indian Nation.[12]

The Louisiana State Senate passed Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 16 in honor of the Caddo Adais Indians.

Louisiana House Bill 660 established the Native American Commission in 2018 to promote Native American culture and identify needs facing that community. One member from each of the 15 recognized tribes serves on the commission.[13] The tribe's Vice Chief Deb Garrett serves on the board as secretary of the Native American Commission.[14]

The US Patent and Trademark Office issued the trademark Adai Caddo Indian Nation to the tribe.[15]

Petition for federal recognition

The Adai Caddo Tribe sent a letter of intent to petition for federal recognition on September 13, 1993;[16] however, they never submitted a completed petition for federal recognition.[17]

This group is not federally recognized as a Native American tribe.

Nonprofit organizations

Caddo Adais Indians, Inc., organized as a nonprofit corporation in Robeline, Louisiana, in May 1991[18] and in Houston, Texas, in October 1993.[19] Ann Davis of Houston, Texas, served as its principal officer.[20]

The Friends of Caddo Adais Indians, Inc., a nonprofit organization in Shreveport, Louisiana on October 1, 1992. E. Craig Kennedy served as the registered agent; however the nonprofit is inactive.[21]

Tribal statistical area

The US Census Bureau established a State Designated Tribal Statistical Area for the Adai Caddo SDTSA, which includes Natchitoches Parish.[22]

Religion

The tribe is recognized by the Tekakwitha Conference of the Roman Catholic Church. The Tekakwitha Conference is an international Catholic religious 501(c)(3) organization. It is dedicated to the ongoing advocacy and evangelization on behalf of the many Indigenous Catholics across North America.[23] The past 2 Chiefs of the Adai tribe have been members of the St. Kateri Circle of the Alexandria Diocese, and the tribe hosts Native American Prayer and Eucharistic Ceremonies at the Adai Cultural Center.

The tribe is predominantly Catholic and has close ties to nearby St. Anne's Catholic Church.[24] In 2024, the tribe in collaboration with the Alexandria Diocese passed a resolution making Saint Anne the official patron saint of the tribe.[25]

Activity

The tribe maintains a cultural center and museum in Robeline, Louisiana.[26] The center is about five miles north of Los Adaes State Historic Site,[27] an early 18th-century Spanish mission and ancestral village of the Adai Indians. The museum houses hundreds of artifacts from the tribe's history. Among its artifacts are several gourd rattles that were carved, painted or decorated with beads and used in both prehistoric and modern ceremonies, as well as prehistoric containers for carrying food, water and herbs. Prehistoric cooking utensils, baby rattles and toys, war breastplates and traditional cradle boards are also on display.[28] Many of the artifacts were recovered in 1995 from the Los Adaes Station and in conjunction with Northwestern State University.[29]

The tribe hosts an annual powwow each October at its 80-acre ceremonial grounds in Robeline.[30] Nearly 3,000 visitors attend the powwow making it the largest festival in Robeline and the surrounding area.[31] [12]

Each spring, the tribe participates in the El Camino Real de los Tejas "SALE ON THE TRAIL". The tribe is located in Robeline near the El Camino Real and hosts seminars on the historic route connecting the Spanish and French colonies from Mexico to Louisiana.[32] [33]

Each Mother's Day, the tribe hosts a ceremony to honor their ancestors at St. Anne's Catholic Church and cemetery in Robeline. This tradition was taken from St. Augustine Parish (Isle Brevelle) Church, which hosts a similar ceremony on All Saints Day. Historically, St. Anne's Catholic Church was part of the St. Augustine Parish. On March 11, 1856, the mission of St. Augustine at Isle Brevelle was decreed by Bishop Auguste Martin to be a parish in its own right and assigned Fr. Francois Martin to be its first resident pastor. St. Augustine Church (also known as the Isle Brevelle Church) expanded to serve four other churches in the area, St. Charles Chapel at Bermuda, St. Joseph's Catholic Mission at Bayou Derbonne, St. Anne Chapel at Old River, and St. Anne Church (Spanish Lake) serving the Adai Caddo Indians.[34]

Notable people

Representation in film

Notable places

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Federal and State Tribal Contact List . Office of the Governor . State of Louisiana . 18 December 2023 . 2019.
  2. Web site: McNamara . Dave . Heart of Louisiana: The Adai Caddo Nation . Fox8 . November 19, 2014 . Fox News . 5 April 2024.
  3. Web site: Adai Indian Culture . Toledo Bend Lake Country . Sabine Parish Tourist Commission . 4 April 2024.
  4. Web site: Adai Caddo SDTSA,LA . Census.gov . US Census Bureau . 3 April 2024.
  5. Web site: Los Adaes . Texas Beyond History . 4 April 2024.
  6. Web site: Federal and State-Tribal Contact Information . January 27, 2023 . Louisiana Governor's Office of Indian Affairs . 18 December 2023.
  7. Web site: Adai Caddo Indian Nation's Annual Pow Wow. Cane River Historical Association . 5 April 2024 . 2022.
  8. Web site: How much do you know about the Adai Nation? . K94.5 . Townsquare Media Inc. . 5 April 2024 . 2020.
  9. News: Bates . Denise E. . Native American Civil Rights Movement in Louisiana . 18 December 2023 . 64 Parishes . December 13, 2022.
  10. News: Precht . Jay . Native Americans in Twentieth-Century Louisiana . 18 December 2023 . 64 Parishes.
  11. Web site: Owens . Maida . Native American Organizations in Louisiana . Louisiana Voices . Louisiana Division of the Arts . 18 December 2023.
  12. News: Adai Caddo Indian Nation holds 25th annual Pow-wow Saturday . Oct 20, 2023 . 18 December 2023 . KTBS.
  13. Web site: Jiminez . Gabby . Louisiana tribal task force can't agree on recognition rules . Louisiana Illuminator . 13 March 2024 . 2023.
  14. Web site: Louisiana Office of Indian Affairs . State of Louisiana . 13 January 2024 . 2023.
  15. Web site: USPTO Registered Trademarks . USPTO . 11 January 2024.
  16. Web site: Indian Issues: Federal Funding for Non-Federally Recognized Tribes . Highlights . U.S. Government Accountability Office . 18 December 2023 . Washington, DC . 39 . April 2012.
  17. Web site: Office of Federal Acknowledgment (OFA) . Indian Affairs . U.S. Department of the Interior . 18 December 2023.
  18. Web site: Tribal Law in Louisiana: Adai Caddo Indians of Louisiana . The Law Library of Louisiana . 18 December 2023.
  19. Web site: Caddo Adais Indians Inc. . Org Council . 18 December 2023.
  20. Web site: Caddo Adais Indians Inc . GuideStar . 18 December 2023.
  21. Web site: Friends of Caddo Adais Indians, Inc. . Bizapedia . 18 December 2023.
  22. Web site: Adai Caddo SDTSA,LA . Census.gov . US Census Bureau . 28 December 2023.
  23. Web site: Kateri Circles . Tekakwitha Conference . 5 April 2024.
  24. News: Klein . Miranda . 'Strong bond' unites Catholic Native Americans . The Town Talk Newspaper . 2 April 2024.
  25. Web site: Adai Nation Newsletter . Adai Nation . 5 April 2024.
  26. Web site: Caddo Indian Nation Cultural Center . Cane River National Heritage Area . July 18, 2016 . 18 December 2023.
  27. Web site: Los Adaes . Texas Beyond History . 18 December 2023.
  28. News: Lex . Talamo . Adai Caddo fighting for federal recognition . 5 April 2024 . Shreveport Times . Shreveport Times Newspaper.
  29. News: Lex . Talamo . Adai Caddo . 1 April 2024 . Washington Times.
  30. Web site: Adai Caddo Indian Pow Wow . Natchotiches.net . October 10, 2012 . Natchitoches.Net Visitors Guide . 4 April 2024.
  31. News: ICT Staff . Pow Wow Weekend Planner . 18 December 2023 . ICT . September 13, 2018.
  32. Web site: Shannahan . Kevin . Chief Rufus Davis of the Adai Caddo Nation Gives a Program on the El Camino Real . Natchotiches Parish Journal . May 8, 2017 . 4 April 2024.
  33. Web site: EL CAMINO REAL DE LOS TEJAS "SALE ON THE TRAIL". Tour Louisiana . AJR Media Group, LLC . 4 April 2024.
  34. Web site: History of St. Augustine Catholic Church . St. Augustine Catholic Church . Roman Catholic Church . 11 January 2024.
  35. Web site: Rufus Davis, Jr. Obituary . Blanchard St Denis . Funeral Home . 10 January 2024.
  36. News: Burleigh . Emily . 2024-05-04 . Meet Your Neighbor: Robert Brevelle to head La. Genealogical and Historical Society . American Press . 2024-05-04.
  37. Web site: 2023-05-23 . Robert Brevelle CEO Profile . Top 100 Magazine . 2024-05-07.
  38. Web site: TEXAS BEFORE THE ALAMO . Natchotiches.net . June 20, 2013 . Natchitoches.Net Visitors Guide . 4 April 2024.