Pointe aux Chenes. (Point au Chien). A disappearing way of life.

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07 June 2010. Pointe aux Chenes, Louisiana.
Fading away. Oil and gas pipelines criss cross the wetlands just south of the isolated town of Pointe Aux Chenes. The town clings to the little land that remains along the bayous and waterways of southern Louisiana. Oil washes up on the marsh grasses just south of tribal homes. If the grass dies, there is nothing left to hold the land. All of this was solid ground just 100 years ago. Diversion of the mighty Mississippi River diverted sediment from the wetlands and deposited precious land building material deep out at sea. At present, all these fishing grounds are closed. Members of the Pointe aux Chenes Indians, settlers that can trace their roots beyond 5 generations back to France face extinction of their very way of life, their very existence. French cajun is the language of the elders, but is dying out in the children of today. BP's catastrophic oil spill threatens everything, their way of life and the land on which they live. Not recognised by the federal government, the 680 member tribe struggles for funds in a small community that survives only because of fishing and oil extraction in the Gulf of Mexico.
Photo; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com

Filename: 07june10-point aux chenes 063.JPG
Copyright: Charlie Varley www.varleypix.com
Image Size: 3417x1992 / 600.4KB; point pointe au aux chenes chien bay marshes boom ocean lafourche parish gulf mexico usa america americana american deepwater horizon BP british petroleum transocean haliburton environment environmental disaster oil black gold spill leak pollute pollution death corporate mass murder disgrace disgraceful shame shameful deregulation ecological eco unfriendly man made unnatural water sea fish fishermen fisherman fishing grounds close closed shrimp boat economy economic impact wildlife clean up shrimper crabber trawlerman oyster oysterman crab disappearing way of life vanish vanishing disappear indian indians tribe tribal pipe pipeline pipelines
Contained in galleries: 07june10-pointe aux chenes, Oil and Gas Louisiana, Louisiana

07 June 2010. Pointe aux Chenes, Louisiana.<br />
Fading away. Oil and gas pipelines criss cross the wetlands just south of the isolated town of Pointe Aux Chenes. The town clings to the little land that remains along the bayous and waterways of southern Louisiana. Oil washes up on the marsh grasses just south of tribal homes. If the grass dies, there is nothing left to hold the land. All of this was solid ground just 100 years ago. Diversion of the mighty Mississippi River diverted sediment from the wetlands and deposited precious land building material deep out at sea. At present, all these fishing grounds are closed. Members of the Pointe aux Chenes Indians, settlers that can trace their roots beyond 5 generations back to France face extinction of their very way of life, their very existence. French cajun is the language of the elders, but is dying out in the children of today. BP's catastrophic oil spill threatens everything, their way of life and the land on which they live. Not recognised by the federal government, the 680 member tribe struggles for funds in a small community that survives only because of fishing and oil extraction in the Gulf of Mexico.<br />
Photo; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com