Identification

• There are several different groups of Choctaw Indians in Louisiana: the Jena Band in eastern Louisiana; the Clifton in central Louisiana; the Bayou-Lacombe in the eastern part of the state; the United Houma Nation of southeastern Louisiana, which consists of thousands of Choctaw or Choctaw-related members; and The Choctaw-Apache of Ebarb in western Louisiana. These tribes identify themselves as descendants of those Choctaw Indians that settled in Louisiana during the removal of the Choctaw to Oklahoma. Of all the different Choctaw Indians in Louisiana, the Jena Band is the only to have received federal recognition.
  
  

History of

• After settling in Louisiana, Choctaw Indians kept mostly to themselves. The Jena Band of Choctaw Indians opened an Indian school in the 1930s that operated off and on until Indians were allowed to attend public school after World War II. This band was led by a chief up through the 1960s, but it opted to hold tribal elections of chiefs beginning in the 1970s.
  
  

Features

• The Choctaw Indians of Louisiana hold to the traditional beliefs of their tribe. Choctaw religion centers around a good spirit and an evil spirit, and most were sun worshippers, many historians believe. Today, the Choctaw Indians of Louisiana have incorporated Christianity into their religious beliefs. The Choctaw language was an integral part of the tribe's identity and culture and is still written and spoken by many of the Choctaw Indians of Louisiana.
  
  

Size

• The different groups of Choctaw Indians of Louisiana have widely varying populations. Federally recognized in 1995 as an Indian tribe, the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians comprises more than 200 members. The Clifton Choctaw community has about 500 members, while the Bayou-Lacombe Choctaw report around 300 members. The United Houma Nation consists of 17,000 members, but most are a mixture of Choctaw and Choctaw-related Indians. The Choctaw-Apache of Ebarb, a group of Indians descended from both tribes, has a population of around 2,000.
  
  

Significance

• Unlike most of the Choctaw who were forced to travel west to Oklahoma during their "Trail of Tears" in the 1830s, the Choctaw Indians of Louisiana settled near their traditional homelands. The Jena Band of Choctaw Indians are significant in that they remained virtually isolated from outside contact through much of the first part of the 20th century, thus keeping their culture and bloodlines almost entirely Choctaw.