2023 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 60
BY SENATOR HARRIS
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To express the sincere condolences of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the passing of
Ernest Sickey of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana.
WHEREAS, for more than three decades Ernest Sickey was a trailblazing leader of
the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, located in southwestern Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, the United States recognized the Coushatta as a tribe in 1935, and the
United States administratively terminated the Coushatta Tribe's recognition in 1953; and
WHEREAS, Ernest Sickey was born on May 28, 1942, in Lafayette, Louisiana, to
Davis Sickey and Daisy Langley Sickey; he was raised in Elton, Louisiana speaking Koasati,
Choctaw, English, and French; he served in the United States Air Force from 1962 to 1968;
and
WHEREAS, Sickey successfully championed the Coushatta Tribe's state recognition
in 1972, marking the first time the state of Louisiana formally recognized an Indian tribe;
and
WHEREAS, Sickey led the Coushatta Tribe in efforts for re-recognition by the
United States which happened in June of 1973, and served as the tribe's Chairman from 1973
through 1985, and remained a respected leader of the tribe thereafter; and
WHEREAS, under Chairman Sickey's leadership, the Coushatta Tribe engaged in
numerous economic development ventures; as a result of Sickey's efforts the Coushatta Tribe
has become one of the largest employers in the state of Louisiana, employing approximately
two-thirds of the residents of Allen Parish; and
WHEREAS, Sickey's advocacy extended beyond the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana;
due to his urging, the Louisiana Legislature created the Office of Indian Affairs, of which
Sickey served as the first director; Sickey formed the Inter-Tribal Council of Louisiana, Inc.
(ITCLA), which consists of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, the Chitimacha Tribe of
Louisiana, the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians, the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, and the
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United Houma Nation; Sickey played a vital role in helping both the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of
Louisiana and the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians achieve federal recognition and staunchly
supported the United Houma Nation's federal recognition effort; and
WHEREAS, Sickey was a key leader in the Indian Civil Rights Movement that
culminated in the United States adopting the Indian Self-Determination and Education
Assistance Act of 1975, a policy of tribal self-determination which continues today; under
Sickey's leadership, the Coushatta Tribe became one of the first tribes to join the United
South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET), a nonprofit inter-tribal organization that serves
thirty-three federally recognized tribes from Texas to Maine; Sickey also testified before the
United States Congress, addressed the United Nations, and helped create important
precedents for indigenous rights throughout the United States; and
WHEREAS, two of Sickey's six sons served at different times as Chairman of the
Coushatta Tribe; both sons continued his vision of and dedication to tribal sovereignty,
self-determination, and leadership; and
WHEREAS, after eighty years of fighting for the civil, political, and economic rights
of all Louisianians, Sickey passed away on May 17, 2023, only a few weeks before the 50th
anniversary of the federal government's re-recognition of the Sovereign Nation of the
Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana; the people of Louisiana are grateful for and proud of Ernest
Sickey's life and legacy.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
extend deepest condolences to the family and friends of Ernest Sickey and recognizes and
records for posterity his significant contributions to the state of Louisiana and Indian
Country.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
family of Ernest Sickey.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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