Date of Award

2025-08-01

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

History

Advisor(s)

Ignacio Martinez

Abstract

During the colonial period, Indigenous peoples in the Lower Mississippi Valley used their deep ecological knowledge to respond to imperial pressures. Eighteenth-century Louisiana was a contested borderland where Spain, France, and England vied for expansion through alliances, warfare, and trade with Native tribes. As European powers vied for control of the region, Native groups devised strategies to assert sovereignty over their territories and livelihoods. My dissertation examines the ecological history of the Choctaw and Spanish Louisiana from 1763 until the United States Indian Removal Act in the 1830s. It argues that imperial disputes over Indigenous lands compelled the Choctaw to restore balance to their symbolic and physical worlds. Central to this effort was Hina Hanta (the Bright Path), a sacred way of life that encompasses spiritual, cultural, and ecological relationships with the land. The environment was a key aspect of Choctaw diplomacy, influencing their alliances and negotiations with colonial powers. For example, seasonal cycles of hunting, farming, and trade shaped their engagement in diplomatic congresses and gift exchanges. This work demonstrates that ecological considerations were fundamental to Choctaw diplomacy and resistance. By examining Choctaw diplomacy through an environmental lens, my research highlights the centrality of Indigenous ecological knowledge in shaping power dynamics. To reconstruct this environmental history, I employ an interdisciplinary approach that integrates written sources - such as decrees, military correspondence, travel journals, and maps - with oral traditions, archaeological findings, and natural archives. Ultimately, this dissertation challenges the prevailing narrative that Indigenous diplomacy was primarily driven by trade. Instead, it demonstrates that environmental management was foundational to Choctaw strategies of survival, autonomy, and identity. By bridging imperial archives with Indigenous ecological frameworks, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of Native agency and resilience in colonial Louisiana, highlighting the enduring significance of Indigenous environmental knowledge in shaping historical power dynamics.

Keywords: Choctaw history, environmental history, frontier, borderlands, land management, Spanish Louisiana, tree-ring analysis, colonial archives, diplomacy.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

228 p.

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Fior Daliso Garcia Lara

Download

Share

COinS