Move to buy Dulac Indian mounds draws fire

The group of Native American burial mounds in Dulac came under pointed discussion at last Wednesday’s Terrebonne Parish Council meeting.

The mounds, several feet high, are believed to be around 1,000 years old, and possess burial objects. The land containing the mounds is privately owned.

At last Monday’s Budget and Finance Committee meeting, the committee approved putting $40,000 of state local government assistance program money toward buying the burial site.

The Terrebonne Parish Council originally allocated the $40,000 to the Regional Military Museum in Houma. However, the museum had to forego the $40,000 grant because the museum building is owned privately. Local government assistance money can only be applied to publicly-owned facilities.

Two candidates for the Terrebonne Parish Council in the Oct. 20 elections spoke at Wednesday’s meeting, demanding that the land be turned over to the United Houma Nation.

District 4 council candidate Lucretia McBride, a forensic scientist, complained to the council that discussion about the $40,000 payment to purchase the mounds was not listed on the committee meeting agenda.

She said she researched the title to the property.

The owners of the land, McBride said, offered to sell the property to the Houma Indians for $300,000 in 1997. Land developers typically encounter problems developing Indian burial sites, she contended.

“If you’re serious about the Indians getting the land, you should donate the land,” McBride told the council. “I’m upset. If this community cared about the Indian culture, they would have offered this land as a giveaway. You can’t develop Indian burial sites.”

“You’ve been holding Indians hostage,” she said. “Mr. Voisin (the councilman whose district contains the burial site), I know you care about the Indian people. You guys purchase this outright. Three hundred thousand dollars is a ripoff.”

“Purchase that land and donate it to the Indian community,” she said. “Let them have their culture back.”

Houma Realtor S.P. Larussa was identified by McBride as an owner of the land, but he maintained that Larussa Real Estate does not own the property. Another real estate agency has the one-third interest.

“This lady is out in left field,” Larussa told the council. “She mentioned my name 10 times.”

“In 1986, we bought land in Grand Caillou,” he said. Five acres of the property containing the burial site were set aside for the Houmas to fence in and attract tourist buses.

“We leased this property for $1 a year” to the Houmas ” but we had to take it back because of the motorcycles” using the land, Larussa said.

He asserted he did not know the Indian mounds would be discussed at the Monday council committee meeting.

Larussa said the land was appraised at $219,000 in 1997. Later, he told the council that the $40,000 in state money set aside to buy the property would generate other grants.

“The appraisal value is what the property is selling for,” he said. “We just want a fair value. Don’t blame it on us for not giving it to them. Ya’ll have opened the door (by putting public money toward the burial site purchase). This should not have been blown out of proportion.”

District 7 council candidate Nathan Trosclair expressed skepticism about the land sale.

“If the owners of the Indian mounds are concerned about maintaining the integrity of the mounds, why not give it as an act of donation?” he asked the council.

“They’re concerned about getting inflated prices,” he said. “They know how important it is to us. They’re dangling it in front of our noses. It will cost you over $200,000. That’s what stinks.”

“The Indian mound is vital to our native brothers and sisters,” Trosclair said. “I think we’re being shafted. I would like for you all to be transparent.”

He asked the council a series of questions, which Council Chairman Alvin Tillman referred to Parish Attorney Courtney Alcock.

“Do you know who owns the land?” Trosclair asked. “Is anyone on the council associated with or has a conflict of interest in regard to the landowner? Is there an application on file requesting this money (the $40,000 local government assistance grant)? Why was this item (discussion about the burial site) left off the agenda tonight?”

Voisin accused McBride and Trosclair of playing politics.

“It’s a political year,” Voisin said. “A group of people has owned the land for 20 to 25 years. We leased it to the Houma Indians for $1 a year, but it was not maintained.”

“They want developers to donate that property,” he said. “If they care that much about Indians, I’d like to see them donate some of their property to the Indians. I can’t remember what them two people have done for the Indian nation. Everything you’ve done, you’ve gotten paid for.”

“It came to a head that it would be a legitimate idea to” put the state money toward purchasing the mounds, Voisin said. “I accept the challenge to find (more) money. I don’t plan to go there until the Indians have it.”