By Belinda Brooks
For many years, people in Natchitoches Parish wondered where the descendants of the Native Americans within the parish were. The historical Natchitoches Indians are long gone. Some say they have relocated toward Toledo Bend along the Louisiana/Texas border. Others say they are extinct. In any case, the urgency of documenting the bloodlines of their tribe is paramount at this time.
What does exist is a wealth of documentation of other parish indigenous bloodlines. Remnants of Natchitoches native civilizations can be found Northeast across the Red River from the city of Natchitoches on Louisiana Highway 1226. Native American mounds, unearthed artifacts, burial grounds, native trails, and much more have been hidden for centuries.
Sadly, a vital part of Natchitoches’ history was lost, or so most thought. Not many people knew of the prairie lands in which the buffalo roamed or the buffalo lick built by natives who carried sand six miles to the location on today’s Prairie Lake.
Despite the United States government’s attempts to erase the Indigenous people’s history, one tribe in Natchitoches refused to be forgotten. Chief Rodger Collum’s Desadier ancestors spent centuries preserving their oral history, a legacy that began with Chief White Smoke and his wife, Two Moons. Six generations of chiefs lived, died, and raised their families on the same tribal land, which is a testament to their resilience and existence.
The Butte Tribe’s bloodline is mixed with Chitimacha, Texas Mission, and Caddo ancestors. Thanks to Louisiana and Texas Catholic Church mission records, all bloodlines are heavily documented. The name of the Butte Tribe of Bayou Bourbeaux was derived from Butte Hill, which is located in the same area as the Butte tribal land. Butte Hill is the burial mound of the tribe’s first chief, White Smoke, and his wife, Two Moons, a historical significance that we should all revere.
Chief Collum built his home on the site of a temple mound known as Collum’s Temple Mound. A couple of years ago, an elder who lived within a few miles of Collum identified the mound as a temple mound. The elder lived as a hermit and would only talk to a few people. His closest friend, Butte Tribe member Mike Carter, told Chief Collum about a map of area mounds that the elder had in his possession. The elder’s grandfather hand-drew the map in the late 1800’s. Collum visited the elder to see the map. Collum’s mound was labeled a temple mound.
Everything made sense. The Indian Trails in the bayou forest around Collum’s home led straight to the mound. Collum’s grandparents told him that when natives came through the tribe’s territory, the custom was that the visitors would go to the temple mound to pray, leave a gift, and then go to the village to be welcomed by the village people.
Numerous native artifacts have been found on and around the temple mound. The Butte Tribe’s collection includes arrowheads, water and cooking vessels, urns, pipes, tomahawks, fishing hooks, gardening tools, bows, and more.
Joseph Hernandez, a Butte Tribe hired hand and member, took the picture above of an artifact found in Collum’s chicken coral at the edge of the temple mound.
The tribe will unveil its new historical Louisiana State Highway Marker. The marker is a remembrance of the history of the Desadier Native American School. The Desadier family raised the school shortly after U.S. forces road into the tribe’s village to remove children for assimilation purposes in Native American boarding schools. The soldiers took eight children that day that were never returned to their families.
Friends and family are invited to attend the Butte Tribe 2024 Fall Gathering on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 1248 Hwy. 1226 in Natchitoches. There will be activities for children, a fundraiser lunch, and a tribal ceremony to unveil the new Desadier School House historical highway marker.
