Adrien Rouquette
St. Tammany Parish, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
Marker Inscription
Abbé Adrien E. Rouquette Abbé Rouquette (1813-1887), poète et prêtre, vécut comme un missionaire entre les Indiens Choctaws de la région Bayou Lacombe de 1859 jusqu'à sa morte. Les Choctaws l'appelèrent "Chata Ima" qui est "comme un Choctaw."
Erected by Bayou Lacombe Bicentennial Community
The Story
Abbé Adrien Rouquette (1813–1887) was a New Orleans poet who became a Catholic priest and spent his last decades as a missionary among the Choctaw of the Bayou Lacombe region, from 1859 until his death. He lived so closely among them that they called him 'Chata Ima' — 'like a Choctaw.' His life bridged the literary world of the city and the Native communities of the north shore.
Why it matters
It records the persistence of Choctaw communities in nineteenth-century Louisiana and one man's unusual immersion in their world.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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