Mandeville in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)
Native Peoples
Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, September 6, 2019
1. Native Peoples Marker
Native tribes have lived in this area for over 2,500 years. The oldest evidence dates to 500 BCE from footed pottery shards belonging to people of the Tchefuncte Culture. Hunter-gatherers who enjoyed a diet of fish, clams, and alligator, were known as shell mound builders.
The Acolapissa arrived here in about 1705 and were easily identified by their tattooed bodies and faces. Their name translates as those who listen and see. With the encroachment of European settlers and slave-raiders, the tribe moved west in 1721. Having no immunity against old world diseases, smallpox reduced their numbers by more than half. In 1739, they merged with the Houma.
Choctaws resided near the park from the 1700s to today, although in 1902 many were forced west to Oklahoma. Those that remained traded with settlers but kept true to old customs. They are renowned for elaborate basket weaving and the use of blow guns for hunting. The Choctaw language is part of the Muskogean linguistic family. Castembayuk was their name for the local bayou whose banks were riddled with fleas. Settlers kept the name, Castine Bayou, unaware of its meaning.
Erected 2019
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1705.
Location. 30° 20.123′ N, 90° 2.561′ W. Marker is in Mandeville, Louisiana, in St. Tammany Parish. It is on Fontainebleau State Park Beach Circle 0.3 miles south of Group Camp Road (Highway 1089), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 62883 LA-1089, Mandeville LA 70471, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Florida Parishes and in Greater New Orleans. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are
Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, September 7, 2019
2. Native Peoples Marker
More about this marker. Located on the east side of the traffic circle on the Fontainebleau State Park Beach/Bath House access road, at the Alligator Boardwalk Trailhead.
The marker is located in Fontainebleau State Park, with a small admission fee.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 7, 2019, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 924 times since then and 50 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week November 23, 2025. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 7, 2019, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana.
