KINDER — The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana is holding a conference on the preservation and revitalization of Indian culture
through Thursday at the Koasati Pines Golf Course.
The conference, which began Tuesday,
features presentations, panel discussions and demonstrations by experts
on tribal languages
and traditions from around the country. The main conference will
be today at the Veranda at Koasati Pines and will conclude
at 6 p.m. Thursday.
“This is a tremendously important and
timely conference and we are honored to be hosting such an event,”
Coushatta Tribe Chairman
Kevin Sickey said.
“We hope that this conference will provide a forum for participants to share ideas and develop networks that will support
and encourage efforts by tribes around the country to strengthen and preserve native languages and cultural traditions.”
Speakers and panel participants will
include Linda Langley, professor of anthropology at McNeese State
University; Dusty Fuqua,
cultural resource specialist with the National Park Service; Kevin
Fields of Seminole Nation of Oklahoma; and Kimberly Walden
of the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana.
The keynote speaker will be Katrice A. Albert, vice provost for equity, diversity and community outreach at LSU. Albert is
responsible for developing policies to cultivate a diverse campus environment at LSU.
“This is a very special gathering that
will bring together many important voices on the topic of language and
culture preservation,
and we are eager to hear what they have to say,” said Bertney
Langley, executive administrator of the Coushatta Heritage Department.
“As we move further into a digital age, we must be more creative about how we hold on to our traditions and pass them down
to future generations. This conference will provide the latest ideas and research on how to go about this.”
For more information, contact Langley at 337-584-1560 or blangle@coushatta.org.