JEFF DAVIS PARISH — The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana is welcoming tribes from across North America this weekend for the 28th annual Coushatta Powwow, one of the largest Native American gatherings in the southern United States. The two-day celebration in Kinder showcases traditional dance, handmade regalia, tribal arts, and intergenerational culture — and among the artists sharing their heritage are vendors who’ve traveled hundreds of miles to take part.
Flute maker Ryan Harjo, a member of the Creek Nation, says bringing his handmade instruments to the powwow is a way to help others better understand Native identity through sound and storytelling.
“The most interesting part about this is being able to educate people about my culture,” Harjo said. “I think one of the most important things to do is to try to reach out that hand and explain to somebody why we’re different and what’s different about us so that they can get to know us a little better as Native American people.”
Harjo explained that his people originally lived in Georgia and Alabama before being forcibly removed by the U.S. government in the 1830s.“I’m a Creek Indian originally from Georgia and Alabama,” he said. “That’s where our people are originally located. But we were forced removed by Andrew Jackson as part of the Trail of Tears — people who marched to Oklahoma from the Georgia area.”
In another corner of the vendor pavilion, Laverne Zaragoza carefully lays out colorful quilts she made by hand. Zaragoza made the 20-hour drive from Arizona to attend the powwow for the first time, after hearing about it from her niece — who had brought and sold her work here last year.
“She brought some of my stuff and sold it for me and said, ‘You go this time!’ and I said, ‘Sure!’” Zaragoza said.
“I do a lot of scrap quilts,” she added. “Like I would sometimes make a dress for somebody.”
The Coushatta Powwow takes place inside the Pavilion at Coushatta Casino Resort. Admission is $10 per day, with food vendors, arts, and crafts open to the public. But for many tribal members, this weekend is far more than a marketplace — it’s a cultural homecoming.
Lucia Alfaro, a member of the Coushatta Tribe, has been weaving baskets for more than four decades. Her table is filled with tightly coiled pine needle baskets in a range of natural colors — each one a reflection of a tradition passed down from the women in her family.
“See, like my mom and her mom and my grandmother — they all sewed baskets,” Alfaro said. “And I was able to see one of my grandmother’s mother’s baskets, so you’re talking four generations.”
Sharing her craft on Coushatta land, at an event that brings together hundreds of tribal representatives from across the continent, means everything to her.
“To still bring it to the people of today, I’m honored to still do that,” Alfaro said. “It’s very humbling… I’m excited that I’m still able to continue this on.”
The Coushatta Powwow continues through Saturday, June 14, with grand entries scheduled for noon and 7 p.m.
