>> In Louisiana, coastal erosion
claims an average of a football
field of land every hour.
Some native American communities
and southeastern Louisiana are
the hardest hit.
Special correspondent Megan
Thompson brings us the story of
three indigenous communities
fighting to save their land.
>> She's buried all the way in
the back right-hand corner, my
grandpa's mom.
>> At a small cemetery, Devon
pays her respects to his native
American ancestors.
He spent his early years here in
Louisiana as part of the grand
band of biloxi.
The tribe of nearly 1100 people
has been in the area for
centuries.
But now he's worried about its
future.
>> One of the biggest problems,
when we have storms, the storm
surge it brings will sometimes
carry these coffins out and
people will have to go out into
the water and grab these coffins
and bring them back.
>> The coffin that was once in
this grave has disappeared.
Some of the tombstones are
deteriorating or turned upside
down.
But the destruction of this
final resting pace is one part
of a much bigger problem.
>> This right here is where I
lived up until the second grade.
>>'S childhood home was
destroyed in 2005 by hurricane
Rita.
>> I think about all that has
been lost, culture, heritage,
physical lands.
I think about the efforts going
on now about coastal restoration
and how they do not do enough
for the communities on the front
lines.
>> He's now in a position to
help change that.
>> How are you doing?
>> Last year, he became the
chief of his tribe.
He also earned a bachelors
degree in geoscience so he can
study how much coastal land loss
was affecting tribal
communities.
>> My research specifically with
answering questions other
scientists did not come down
here to answer.
>> He found some travel
communities are losing land at
more than double the rate of the
rest of coastal Louisiana.
Because tribes were pushed out
to the farthest reaches of
Louisiana's southeastern coast
after the U.S. Government forced
them to relocate in the 1800s.
>> Even in my lifetime, the
shoreline has encroached and
moved further inland.
>> He also has a new job working
for the environmental defense
fund.
He's partnering with other
tribal leaders in Louisiana
state university to tackle one
major cause of erosion.
The 27,000 abandoned canals dug
over decades by the oil and gas
industry that have sliced up the
wetlands.
Rex the by user getting wider.
>> They are members of the
pointe osha tribe 16 miles east
of their tribal home.
They are working to convince
outsiders tribal land is worth
saving.
>> Whenever we have meetings, I
tell them we are the bumper, but
if you don't protect us --
>> All of this used to be forest
where he would hunt as a boy.
Now surrounded by water as far
as the eyes can see.
Trees killed by saltwater.
They blame the old canals like
this one for allowing the ocean
water in.
All of the water makes the
shoreline erode faster.
>> It pretty much washes away
the bottom and works up until it
falls into the water.
>> Oil and gas companies were
supposed to fill them back in
with soil.
But the state stopped enforcing
the requirement long ago.
They secured over 500 $50,000 in
grants to start doing it
themselves.
They hope this canal will be the
first.
Research from Louisiana state
university shows filling them
back in repairs the land and is
relatively inexpensive.
Cracks three or four.
>> He's leading another
restoration to protect the
shoreline.
He and a team from the coalition
to restore coastal Louisiana
stacked oyster shells collected
from local restaurants along the
banks.
Over time, the barrier builds up
as new oysters row on top of the
old shells.
>> The goal is for this to keep
expanding and hopefully they
bust through the bags and keep
growing.
>> Since 2019, they have built
reefs from about 400 tons of
oyster shells.
During that time, the bank that
is not protected has eroded by
several feet.
>> Since we did not go further
with the bags, it eroded.
>> For them to have hope of
saving their land, the project
need to be done at a much larger
scale.
Louisiana is already spending
billions on its coastal master
plan, and almost two decade long
battle to battle the rising
seas.
But they feel left out.
>> We have to go on our own
looking for funds to try and
save our community because they
are not.
>> They are fighting with
another tribal leader to get
more funding for resiliency
projects and storm repairs.
For years, she was president of
the first peoples conservation
council that advocates for
tribes along Louisiana's coast.
She's also a tribal elder in
grand bayou village.
40 miles east of the dart are
spirit a tiny indigenous
community accessible by boat.
>> We have been inhabitants of
Louisiana for many centuries.
Our whole lives tied around
being on the coast in connection
to the water.
>> Damage from hurricane Ida is
obvious everywhere.
>> It is washed away and it
needs to be replaced.
>> Homes are destroyed and boats
are racked.
>> I'm borrowing this because
mine is still damaged.
>> He earns a living from
fishing.
He also gives away hundreds,
sometimes thousands of pounds of
seafood to feed his community.
Hurricane Ida caused $25,000
worth of damage to his boat.
>> I've been having boats all my
life.
This is my last one.
Seeing it the way it is, it is
heartbreaking.
>> The federal emergency
management agency could help
out.
Last year it handed out more
than $3 billion to victims of
disasters.
But the national congress of
American Indians says federal
money for security and
emergencies is not delivered
evenly.
Tribal citizens receive only
three dollars for every $26
nontribal citizens receive from
the department of homeland
security, which houses FEMA.
>> The government is paper
heavy.
Paper is not an indigenous
concept, it is not how we record
time or events.
>> They don't often have
documents like land deeds.
Many don't have basic computer
skills but the applications are
all online.
So she's helped create a program
to train travel members to
navigate these complex
government systems.
>> We are trying to find a way
to make the connection between
who we are and what they expect.
>> A small victory recently.
After lobbying, the Biden
administration extended the
deadline for hurricane Ida
relief to June 1.
She says the hard work is worth
it.
Despite the challenges, her
people will never leave.
>> We have outsiders come here
and they see the lack and the
loss.
We who belong here, we see what
is still here, what is still
viable, what makes life in this
region so precious.
We don't just survive here, we
thrive.
>> For pbs news weekend, Megan
Thompson.