Southern Louisiana and its residents are highly vulnerable to climate change. The Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe, a French-speaking Native American community of 850 members, is a bayou community living on a chain of sinking islands along the Gulf of Mexico. For generations, they have faced existential challenges, from protecting their homes against hurricanes, flooding, and land loss to defending their legacy and culture. Hurricane seasons are stronger than ever, and locals are increasingly prepared.
With the help of scientists, researchers, landscapers, geologists, lawyers, activists, and volunteers, the tribe is looking for ways to ensure their future. These photos, taken in 2022 and 2023, tell the story of the unprecedented crises and the community's efforts to bolster themselves against the tides.
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“I have been Chief for twenty-four years,” says Charles “Chuckie” Verdin. “I want to help our tribe. My two priorities are to keep our land and to help the tribe recover from disasters.”
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Price Billiot Sr., above, stands on the dock of his shrimp factory, the last one in Pointe-au-Chien.
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“I lost a lot during Katrina. This is one of my last photographs,” says Price Billiot Sr. His tribe has lived in lower Pointe-au-Chien for centuries.
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Elton Billiot, left, and his mother, Theresa, live in a trailer loaned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Those unable to qualify for FEMA trailers must rely on trailer donations from various nonprofit agencies.
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Another tribal member, Jake Billiot, stands on the remains of his house after it was destroyed by a tornado in 2021. He lost almost everything and has had no homeowners insurance since 2012, due to increasing premiums in the region. “I just bought a new boat,” he says, “to go shrimping again and rebuild the house.”
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“I’ll stay here until the end,” says sixty-year-old Dominique Dardar, one of the last residents of the nearby Isle de Jean Charles, which is rapidly disappearing into the Gulf of Mexico. “This is my home. If you look for me, I’ll be here, at the social club.”