In the 1600s, the area that would become New Orleans was called Bulbancha or “the land of many tongues” by the Choctaw tribe, according to the Historic New Orleans Collection.
New Orleans Historical states the area was where “indigenous groups, such as the Chitimacha, Choctaw, Ishak, Tunica and Natchez nations, traded with one another and with white explorers and colonizers.”
The French Market was founded by the Ouma (Houma) tribe, “who sold goods to travelers exploring lands down the Mississippi River,” New Orleans Historical states, “including Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the colonial governor of Louisiana and founder of New Orleans.”
In 1718, the Oumas joined forces with the Tchouchoumas, who had a market along Bayou St. John, to create the French Market. At the time, it was located where Café du Monde stands today, according to a 2018 Big Easy article. Items for sale included salt, wood, buffalo meat and skins, baskets, pottery, plants, medicinal goods, fish, fruits and vegetables.
The Oumas were one of many tribes that lived in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin before 1700, according to Lessons on the Lake. They raised chickens, grew corn and beans, which they sold at the market.
“By the 1720s, the Houma were active participants in Louisiana’s colonial economy, building strong trade and military alliances with the French,” 64 Parishes states.
Recognized by the state as the United Houma Nation in 1972, the tribe began to resettle in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes in the 19th century. The city of Houma bears its name.
“While the tribe survived several changes in imposed European authority between the Spanish, French and Americans, its numbers have dwindled over time,” Explore Houma states. “A small scattering of tribal members still live in the coastal areas of Louisiana, but the lack of federal recognition, hurricanes and coastal erosion continue to threaten their survival.”