The Adai Caddo Indian Nation is a state-recognized Native American tribe, a member of the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs Native American Commission, and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in the historic Spanish Lake community of Natchitoches Parish. This area represents the heart of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Adai Caddo State Designated Tribal Statistical Area (SDTSA). The tribe operates a cultural center and museum which also serves as the regional emergency center. The 80-acre complex includes ceremonial grounds where the tribe hosts an annual powwow.
The Adai Caddo Indian Nation is an independent tribe of the Caddo Confederacy. Prior to European settlement, the Caddo Confederacy resided in present-day Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
The Adai have been in Louisiana since time immemorial. The Adai were not nomads. The Adai were farmers and traders who established permanent settlements along the banks and tributaries of the Red, Sabine, and Trinity Rivers.
Nearly 500 years ago, the Adai greeted Conquistador Cabeza de Vaca and in later years, La Salle, Iberville, and then St. Denis (the founder of Natchitoches, the oldest European settlement in Louisiana). A Spanish mission for the Adai tribe was established in 1717 naming it San Miguel de los Adais, (Saint Michael of the Adais) using our tribal name to show their loyalty and allegiance. The mission was located in the principal Village of the Adais on El Camino Real. This ancestral village is now home to the Los Adaes State Historic Area operated by the National Park Service.
Throughout the history of America, the Adai Nation has been recognized by the French and Spanish colonial governments, the Roman Catholic Church, and the U.S. government.
We are immensely proud of our history, culture, sacrifices and contributions. Our presence and aid to the early European settlers is well-documented. We provided the Europeans with food, shelter, protection and medical care. Working as guides, translators, soldiers and builders of forts and churches, we fulfilled a crucial role in the development of French, Spanish, and American Louisiana. The names of our ancestors are included in the first and oldest Catholic records of the Louisiana colony. Our families are listed amongst the First Families of Louisiana by the Genealogical and Historical Society. Members of our tribe have served in the colonial and U.S. Armed Forces with distinction and their names will forever grace the national cemeteries and national museums.
Today, our tribal members continue to serve in the military, government, church, and private sector. We are forging the next chapter of our people’s history and we invite you to experience our culture at an upcoming event.
