Spill reinforces oil bad will for American Indians

By CAIN BURDEAU Associated Press Writer

POINTE-AU-CHIEN, La. (AP) - For American Indians on Louisiana's bayou, the massive oil spill is another bitter blow for tribes who say drilling has already destroyed their swamps over several decades.

The month-old spill has spread 5 million gallons of crude across the Gulf and has closed bays and lakes in Louisiana's bountiful delta. That includes fishing grounds that feed the last American-Indian villages in three parishes.

Emary Billiot blames oil companies for ruining his ancestral marsh over the decades and tribes say oil and land companies illegally grabbed vast areas.

The fisherman with the heavy French-Indian accents says once the oil gets in the marshes, it's trouble because it's where shrimp spawn.