April 9, 2025

By Rebecca Riall, Associate Professor
Pre-Law and Paralegal Studies Coordinator
American Indian & Indigenous Studies Coordinator

NATCHITOCHES – About 50 miles from Natchitoches is the center of the Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb, an Indigenous community which, over the centuries, created a unique culture as Native people gathered at the Spanish mission at Los Adaes and later welcomed Indigenous refugees from several tribes, incorporating ancestral cultures and Spanish influences into a distinct tribal community centered in what is now Sabine Parish since the 1700s. The community took care of its members and lived off the land. The strength of the community kept it together even when a large part of its homeland was flooded in the 1960s to create the Toledo Bend Reservoir, abruptly changing the community’s relationship to the land and sending members into the surrounding towns.

Often, its story has been told by outsiders, however well-meaning. In contrast, the Choctaw-Apache Voices book series edited by two tribal members, Dr. Robert B. Caldwell Jr. and Thomas Parrie, prioritizes community voices.

“The purpose of the edited volume is to connect tribal members living in diaspora with perspectives of elders and community leaders in Northwest Louisiana,” explains Caldwell.

Parrie and Caldwell, both Northwestern State University of Louisiana graduates, will speak at NSULA on April 23 at 5:00 p.m. in the Student Union Cane River Room about their work. The talk is free and open to the public and will be shared remotely, with a reception to follow. The event is sponsored by American Indian and Indigenous Studies Minor (part of the School of Social Sciences and Applied Programs), the Gail Metoyer Jones Center, the Native American Student Association and the Department of English, Languages and Culture Studies.

“We are especially grateful that as alumni, Dr. Caldwell and Mr. Parrie are dedicated to engaging with current NSU students about the importance of producing and documenting community knowledge,” said Dr. Allison Rittmayer, coordinator of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of English, Languages and Culture Studies.

Caldwell and Parrie will discuss and read from the first volume in the series, which includes essays, transcribed narratives, and artwork covering topics from tribal history, culture, folklore, experiences, and more. The first volume was released in November 2023, and a second volume is in the editing stage, expected to be released later this year. “Just as the hundreds of tribes in the United States have their own cultures, there is amazing diversity within each tribe. Choctaw-Apache Voices aims to share that diversity,” says Caldwell.

Parrie earned an M.A. in English in 2010 at NSULA and an MFA in Poetry at McNeese State University in 2015. His previous published works include Toledo Rez & Other Myths, a poetry volume. He has been an Indigenous Writer in Residence at the School for Advanced Research in New Mexico. Currently, he writes and teaches in the English and World Languages Department at Southeastern Louisiana University.

Caldwell earned an M.A. from NSULA in Heritage Resource Management and a Ph.D. in History from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2018. His published works include Choctaw-Apache Foodways, for which he was recognized by the Louisiana Folklife Commission as a Culture Bearer. He is a founder and active member of Ho Minti Society, a nonprofit dedicated to the vitality of Choctaw-Apache culture, and has led the Choctaw-Apache Youth Culture Camp for the past two years. He teaches at the University of Buffalo in the Indigenous Studies Department and will be teaching a class on American Indian History at NSULA this semester.

“This talk will interest writers, tribal members, students, and those who want to know more about communities around NSU. We hope that people will join us there or online,” said Dr. Rebecca Riall (Cherokee Tribe of Northeast Alabama), coordinator of Indigenous Studies. She noted that NSULA has long partnered with American Indian nations in Louisiana, from providing research support, to serving students. Today, it offers a tuition waiver to American Indian students who are members of federally recognized Native nations.

Enthusiasm for the event is strong on campus. “I cannot wait to hear from the authors and engage in meaningful conversations about their work, perspectives, and contributions to ethnic studies. I enjoy learning about culture and know that this experience will broaden the knowledge of all those who attend,” said Dr. Jasmine Wise, coordinator of Gail Metoyer Jones Center, coordinator of Black Studies and one of the event organizers.

The event is part of National Day of Racial Healing on campus. Brittany Broussard, NSU director of Culture and Climate, notes, “We had planned to hold this event on the National Day of Racial Healing as befitting to celebrate the rich histories, traditions and experiences of the Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb on this day. Even though we rescheduled due to weather, the event reflects the day’s goal and our mission to foster spaces of understanding, respect, and inclusion where different voices are elevated and shared.”

Contact Dr. Rebecca Riall, riallr@nsula.edu, with any questions. The remote link for the talk is https://tinyurl.com/choctaw-apache-voices and can be accessed with Teams.