BP Spill and Louisiana Tribes: “This oil is just going to finish us.”

The Miami Herald has published a comprehensive look by reporter Joseph Goodman at how the ever-flowing BP oil spill threatens to impact the region’s Indigenous peoples, namely, the Chitimacha and the Houma.

As far back as May 6, 2010, the chief of Pointe-au-Chien shared his concern with mediaINDIGENA about the spill, given “almost 80% of his over 700 community members rely on fishing for their livelihoods.”

As the Herald article acknowledges, the spill could be the decisive blow for “an eroding landscape destroyed by the actions of oil and gas companies over the decades,” a looming threat that prompted one Houma crabber to predict

It’s only a matter of time. This oil is just going to finish us.

Other media featuring coverage on how Indigenous lands, waters and economies could be affected by the spill include Mother Earth Journal and CNN.

(With thanks to indigenouspeoplesissues.com)