On July 1, the City of Shreveport and the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum welcomed the Adai Caddo Indian Nation as part of America 250: The Threads That Bind Us, a program celebrating the people and events that have shaped the history of Shreveport, Louisiana, and the United States. 

The Adai Caddo Indian Nation is an Indigenous tribe of Louisiana and one of the member tribes of the historic Caddo Confederacy, who once extended across portions of present-day Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Caddo Parish bears the name of the Caddo people. Today, the Adai Caddo are the last remaining tribe of the Caddo Confederacy in the state. The Louisiana State Exhibit Museum preserves this legacy through its collection of Adai Caddo and other Caddoan artifacts, artwork, and historical documents.

The evening's featured speaker was Tribal Councilman Robert Brevelle, an award-winning historian and Chairman of the Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Society. Brevelle is the recipient of the Baton Rouge Historical Society's Lifetime Achievement Award for Louisiana History. He is a life member of the Natchitoches Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and the Leonidas Polk Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army at Fort Polk, and he is a founding sponsor of the National Museum of the U.S. Army.

"The Adai Caddo are among the first documented Indigenous tribes in what is now the continental United States," said Councilman Brevelle. "Our ancestors helped establish and defend the oldest permanent settlements in Texas and Louisiana—Nacogdoches and Natchitoches. When Governor Bernardo de Gálvez mustered an army to fight in the American Revolution, our ancestors answered that call, helping capture the British forts at Baton Rouge, Natchez, Mobile, and Pensacola. Those victories denied Britain the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast for the remainder of the war. Our ancestors fought to help create this state and nation. We are proud patriots. Our sons and daughters defend and serve America today.”

Brevelle is a lineal descendant of 8 patriots from Natchitoches, Avoyelles, and Pointe Coupée who fought under Gálvez in the American Revolution.

The Adai Caddo have left an enduring mark on the history of both Texas and Louisiana. The Sabine River, which forms the border between the two states, appeared on eighteenth-century British, French, Spanish, and Portuguese maps as the Río de los Adais -- the "River of the Adai". The first two Catholic missions established in Louisiana (San Miguel de Linares de los Adaes, San Miguel de Cuellar de los Adaes) the colony's first presidio (Presidio Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Los Adaes), and the first capital of Spanish Texas all bore the Adai name. The Los Adaes State Historic Site in Natchitoches Parish preserves the location of the presidio and former Texas capital. Los Adaes is Spanish for "The Adai". 

The program concluded with traditional ceremonial dances led by Chief John Mark Davis.

"We, the Adai Caddo, have always been here," said Chief Davis. "We are the descendants of the first peoples of this land. To stand in the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, surrounded by our artifacts and paintings of our ancestors while sharing our history and culture during the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, is an incredible honor. It is difficult to express how significant this moment is for our tribe and how proud we are.”

Director of the Louisiana Museum System Thomas Carmody and Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux thanked the museum staff and the Adai Caddo for the event, presenting challenge coins and an honorarium to the tribe.

"No general or army achieved greater success during the American Revolution than the one that marched from Louisiana," Brevelle said. "As we celebrate the Fourth of July, every Louisianian should be proud of our state's extraordinary contribution to the founding of our nation."

KTBS News provided coverage of this and other events which are part of the City of Shreveport's America 250 Celebration: www.ktbs.com/community/adai-caddo-nation-shares-history-and-culture-during-shreveport-america-250-lecture/article_53b4fe91-c594-4a6b-b8b6-04c41c7ca9ba.html

To learn more about the Adai Caddo Indian Nation, please visit www.adaicaddo.com.