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After more than eighty days, the BP oil spill continues to affect everyday life in the Gulf Coast. So far, efforts to contain the spill have been inadequate, and tens of thousands of gallons of oil continue to seep into Gulf waters. On Saturday BP removed the cap on the ruptured pipe and began a complex operation to replace it. The company hopes the new cap, called a Top-Hat 10, will catch an estimated 60,000 barrels of oil that pump from the well each day. Underreported but particularly at risk from the effects of the spill are the numerous state recognized indigenous tribes that have made their home along the Louisiana Coast for centuries. The United Houma Nation, with 17,000 members, is one such tribe that fears for the long-term health and economic vitality of its community as a result of the environmental catastrophe. Fishing constitutes a principal source of employment and sustenance for the Houma people. It is under serious threat for years to come due to the BP oil spill and the ensuing contamination it has wrought. Former Houma Chief Brenda Dardar- Robichaux described the situation as a “total assault on…our way of being.” Lacking federal recognition, the tribe also faces increased difficulties in terms of obtaining assistance and inclusion in government recovery plans. Globalizing the historical tensions between oil corporations and indigenous peoples that transcend modern day borders, a delegation of native and campesino groups from Ecuador who are familiar with corporate ravaging of their communities, visited with the Houma and also the Atakapa tribe recently. While in Louisiana, the Ecuadorians learned that environmental degradation in the Bayou region didn’t start with the BP spill and that the oil industry has changed the landscape of the existing ecosystem over the course of the last century.

GUEST: Han Shan, Coordinator of the Clean Up Ecuador Campaign of Amazon Watch

Find out more at www.amazonwatch.org, www.chevrontoxico.com, and www.ran.org.