Island Road

Overview

The Isle de Jean Charles is found on the Bayou, in southeast Louisiana. The location is currently inhabited by descendants of Choctaw, Biloxi and Chitimacha Native American tribes representing fifty residents or so. Since the 18th century, fishing has been the community’s means of sustenance. This strip of land, however, is slowly disappearing due to rising water levels, a combination of hurricanes and overall climate changes. The ecosystem is also being weakened by the construction of canals used by oil companies in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. State Department initiated a relocation project for Native American communities on this land. But the Isle de Jean Charles was not integrated to the Mississippi’s containment project given the high costs that it would entail. In such a context of forced migration, the remaining dwellers are beginning to question their isolation between resistance and abandonment.