Louisiana tribe celebrates 'rematriation' of 600 acres, returned by New Orleans church
The coastal patch of land known as Lemon Tree Mound is considered sacred by the Atakapa-Ishak/Chawasha tribal members. (Coalition to Restore Costal Louisiana via Facebook)
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in New Orleans, Louisiana, is nowhere near Lemon Tree Mound.So, it was something of a surprise a few years ago when the congregation learned that the church owned a 600-acre coastal parcel about an hour southeast of the city.
Lemon Tree Mound, included in those 600 acres, is a small, grassy patch of land in Adams Bay. It is part of the patchwork of Louisiana coastline that is under continuing threat of erosion and rising water levels from hurricanes and climate change. The mound also is a sacred site of the Atakapa-Ishak/Chawasha, and it is visited regularly by residents of the nearby Grand Bayou Indian Village, who travel from place to place almost entirely by boat.
Tribal members had long dreamed of getting back Lemon Tree Mound, which had been in White property owners’ hands since sometime far into the forgotten past. That dream finally became a reality this year, when Marian Fortner, interim rector at St. Paul’s, and Rosina Philippe, a tribal elder, met to sign the legal documents finalizing a transfer of the land in September.
