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61-720: The Teche begins in Port Barre where it draws water from Bayou Courtableau and then flows southward to meet the Lower Atchafalaya River at Patterson. During the 18th-century Acadian migration to the area - then known as the Attakapas region - the Teche was the primary means of transportation. During the American Civil War , there were two naval engagements on Bayou Teche. The Confederate navy had

122-546: A drastic reduction in fresh water. Between 1976 and 1982, the United States Army Corps of Engineers built a pumping station at Krotz Springs to pump water from the Atchafalaya River into Bayou Courtableau. The etymology of the name "Teche" is uncertain. One hypothesis is that it comes from "tenche", a Chitimacha Indian word meaning "snake", related to the bayou's twists and turns resembling

183-662: A gunboat on the bayou, the CSS ; J. A. Cotton , which was partially armored with railroad iron. On November 3, 1862, four Union gunboats, USS  Kinsman , USS  Calhoun , USS  Estrella , and USS  Diana , moved up the Bayou to engage the Cotton. All four union ships were damaged, but the Cotton was forced to withdraw. The second engagement occurred on 14 January 1863. Union general Godfrey Weitzel learned that

244-523: A home port for French pirates, including Captain Crapeau , Étienne de Montauban , and Mathurin Desmarestz . In later years, pirate Bartholomew Roberts styled his jolly roger as a black flag depicting a pirate standing on two skulls labeled "ABH" and "AMH" for "A Barbadian's Head" and "A Martinican's Head" after governors of those two islands sent warships to capture Roberts. On 28 November 1717

305-420: A household in the town was $ 23,945, and the median income for a family was $ 29,279. Males had a median income of $ 30,761 versus $ 19,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 11,028. About 21.6% of families and 28.1% of the population were below the poverty line , including 37.7% of those under age 18 and 29.2% of those age 65 or over. Port Barre hosts an annual "Cracklin' Festival," recognized by

366-661: A motion of constructive censure. Unlike the previous functioning of the General Council and the Regional Council, the Assembly of Martinique is separate from the Executive Council and is headed by a bureau and a president. The new collectivity of Martinique combines the powers of the general and regional councils, but may obtain new powers through empowerments under Article 73. The executive council

427-570: A notable proponent of this was the author Aimé Césaire , who founded the Progressive Party of Martinique in the 1950s. Tensions boiled over in December 1959 when riots broke out following a racially-charged altercation between two motorists, resulting in three deaths. In 1962, as a result of this and the global turn against colonialism, the strongly pro-independence OJAM ( Organisation de la jeunesse anticolonialiste de la Martinique )

488-523: A period from 1802 to 1809 following signing of the Treaty of Amiens , Britain controlled the island for most of the time from 1794 to 1815, when it was traded back to France at the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars. Martinique has remained a French possession since then. Despite the introduction of successful coffee plantations to Martinique in the 1720s, making it the first coffee-growing area in

549-399: A poster calling for physical distancing against the coronavirus and showing a black man and a white man separated by pineapples. The President of the Executive Council of Martinique is Serge Letchimy as of 2 July 2021. The Executive Council of Martinique is composed of nine members (a president and eight executive councilors). The deliberative assembly of the territorial collectivity

610-511: A punishment for refusing to convert to Catholicism, many of them dying en route. Those who survived were quite industrious and over time prospered, though the less fortunate were reduced to the status of indentured servants. Although edicts from King Louis XIV's court regularly came to the islands to suppress the Protestant "heretics", these were mostly ignored by island authorities until Louis XIV's Edict of Revocation in 1685. As many of

671-561: A result, some plantation owners imported workers from India and China. Despite the abolition of slavery, life scarcely improved for most Martinicans; class and racial tensions exploded into rioting in southern Martinique in 1870 following the arrest of Léopold Lubin, a trader of African ancestry who retaliated after he was beaten by a Frenchman. After several deaths, the revolt was crushed by French militia. On 8 May 1902, Mont Pelée erupted and completely destroyed St. Pierre, killing 30,000 people. Refugees from Martinique travelled by boat to

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732-585: A single institution. This proposal was rejected in Martinique (but also in Guadeloupe ) by 50.48% in a referendum held on 7 December 2003. On 10 January 2010, a consultation of the population was held. Voters were asked to vote in a referendum on a possible change in the status of their territory. The ballot proposed voters to "approve or reject the transition to the regime provided for in Article 74 of

793-531: A snake's movement. The Chitimacha tell an ancient story of how the snake attacked their villages, and it took many warriors many years to kill it. Where the huge carcass lay and decomposed, the depression it left behind filled with water to become the bayou. Alternatively, George R. Stewart asserts that it is "probably a French rendering of Deutsch, the name by which the German colonists of the area would have named their stream. Cf. Allemand ['German']." Towns along

854-601: A statutory evolution based on Article 74 of the French Constitution). Indeed, on 18 December 2008, during the congress of Martinique's departmental and regional elected representatives, the thirty-three pro-independence elected representatives (MIM/CNCP/MODEMAS/PALIMA) of the two assemblies voted unanimously in favor of a change in the island's status based on Article 74 of the French Constitution, which allows access to autonomy; this change in status

915-399: A trading post at a landing where the bayous meet. In 1765, Jacques Courtableau, a wealthy landowner, gave land grants to 32 Acadian immigrants. That same year, he sold Charles Barre a large parcel of land, including the site of the first trading post. The post later became known as Barre's Landing, then Port Barre. It thrived as a port town before the days of the railroads. Guillaume Barre

976-478: Is Fort-de-France. The three sub-prefectures are Le Marin, Saint-Pierre and La Trinité. The French State is represented in Martinique by a prefect (Stanislas Cazelles since 5 February 2020), and by two sub-prefects in Le Marin (Corinne Blanchot-Prosper) and La Trinité / Saint-Pierre (Nicolas Onimus, appointed on 20 May 2020). The prefecture was criticized for racism following the publication on its Twitter account of

1037-693: Is Justin Daniel since 20 May 2021. Martinique has been represented since 17 June 2017, in the National Assembly by four deputies (Serge Letchimy, Jean-Philippe Nilor , Josette Manin and Manuéla Kéclard-Mondésir ) and in the Senate by two senators ( Maurice Antiste and Catherine Conconne ) since 24 September 2017. Martinique is also represented in the Economic, Social and Environmental Council by Pierre Marie-Joseph since 26 April 2021. During

1098-811: Is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies , in the eastern Caribbean Sea . A part of the French West Indies (Antilles), Martinique is an overseas department and region and a single territorial collectivity of the French Republic . It is a part of the European Union as an outermost region within the special territories of members of the European Economic Area , and an associate member of

1159-550: Is assisted by an advisory council, the Economic, Social, Environmental, Cultural and Educational Council of Martinique. The bill was approved on 26 January 2011, by the French Government . The ordinary law was submitted to Parliament during the first half of 2011 and resulted in the adoption of Law No. 2011-884 27 July 2011, on the territorial communities of French Guiana and Martinique. Political life in Martinique

1220-421: Is divided into four sections). A majority bonus of 20% is granted to the first place list. The executive body of this community is called the "executive council", which is composed of nine executive councilors, including a president. The president of the community of Martinique is the president of the executive council. The executive council is responsible to the Assembly of Martinique, which may overrule it by

1281-429: Is essentially based on Martinican political parties and local federations of national parties (PS and LR). The following classification takes into account their position with regard to the statutory evolution of the island: there are the assimilationists (in favor of an institutional or statutory evolution within the framework of Article 73 of the French Constitution), the autonomists and the independentists (in favor of

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1342-493: Is located at the confluence of Bayou Courtableau and Bayou Teche , 8 miles east of Opelousas and 52 miles west of Baton Rouge via U.S. Highway 190 . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km ), all land. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 1,751 people, 680 households, and 469 families residing in the town. As of

1403-458: Is the Assembly of Martinique , composed of 51 elected members and chaired by Lucien Saliber as of 2 July 2021. The advisory council of the territorial collectivity of Martinique is the Economic, Social, Environmental, Cultural and Educational Council of Martinique (Conseil économique, social, environnemental, de la culture et de l'éducation de Martinique), composed of 68 members. Its president

1464-511: Is thought that Martinique is a corruption of the Taíno name for the island ( Madiana / Madinina , meaning 'island of flowers', or Matinino , 'island of women'), as relayed to Christopher Columbus when he visited the island in 1502. According to historian Sydney Daney, the island was called Jouanacaëra or Iouanacaera by the Caribs , which means 'the island of iguanas'. The island

1525-531: The 2010 United States Census , there were 2,055 people living in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 70.7% White, 25.6% Black, 0.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian and 1.8% from two or more races. 1.6% were Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,287 people, 867 households, and 625 families living in the town. The population density was 2,076 inhabitants per square mile (802/km ). There were 952 housing units at an average density of 864 per square mile (334/km ). The racial makeup of

1586-535: The 2010 census , down from 2,287 in 2000 . It is part of the Opelousas – Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area . Port Barre takes its name from Alex Charles Barre (born 1746, died 1829); it was not incorporated under this name until 1898. In 1733, the semi-nomadic Opelousas Indians petitioned the French colonial government to send traders to their district. In 1760, a couple of coureurs des bois set up

1647-587: The Battle of the Caribbean . In 1942, 182 ships were sunk in the Caribbean, dropping to 45 in 1943, and five in 1944. Free French forces took over on the island on Bastille Day , 14 July 1943. In 1946, the French National Assembly voted unanimously to transform the colony into an Overseas Department of France. Meanwhile, the post-war period saw a growing campaign for full independence;

1708-683: The British American colonies or Protestant countries in Europe. The policy decimated the population of Martinique and the rest of the French Antilles and set back their colonisation by decades, causing the French king to relax his policies in the region, which left the islands susceptible to British occupation over the next century. Under governor of the Antilles Charles de Courbon, comte de Blénac , Martinique served as

1769-754: The CARICOM , but is not part of the Schengen Area or the European Union Customs Union . The currency in use is the euro . Martinique has a land area of 1,128 km (436 sq mi) and a population of 349,925 inhabitants as of January 2024. One of the Windward Islands , it lies directly north of Saint Lucia , northwest of Barbados and south of Dominica . Virtually the entire population speaks both French (the sole official language) and Martinican Creole . It

1830-533: The J. A. Cotton was badly damaged, and her crew set her on fire during the night to prevent capture. The Union, however, was unable to hold the Teche, necessitating two more invasions of the Teche country in 1863 and 1864, referred to as the Bayou Teche campaign . After the levees were built along the Atachafalaya River in the 1930s, the Teche and the rice farms located along the bayou suffered

1891-467: The J. A. Cotton was planning an attack on Weitzel's forces at Berwick Bay, Louisiana. Once again Kinsman , Calhoun , Estrella and Diana steamed into the Bayou, followed by Union transports. The bayou had been obstructed with debris. The Union gunboats and land-based units engaged the J. A. Cotton and Confederate infantry in rifle pits. During the battle Kinsman hit a mine and unshipped her rudder;

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1952-595: The Second Anglo-Dutch War spilled out into the Caribbean, with Britain attacking the pro-Dutch French fleet in Martinique, virtually destroying it and further cementing British preeminence in the region. In 1674, the Dutch attempted to conquer the island, but were repulsed. Because there were few Catholic priests in the French Antilles, many of the earliest French settlers were Huguenots who sought religious freedom. Others were transported there as

2013-403: The 2000s, the political debate in Martinique focused on the question of the evolution of the island's status. Two political ideologies, assimilationism and autonomism , clashed. On the one hand, there are those who want a change of status based on Article 73 of the French Constitution, i.e., that all French laws apply in Martinique as of right, which in law is called legislative identity, and on

2074-468: The Constitution". The majority of voters, 79.3%, said "no". The following 24 January, in a second referendum, 68.4% of the population of Martinique approved the transition to a "single collectivity" under Article 73 of the Constitution, i.e., a single assembly that would exercise the powers of the General Council and the Regional Council. The project of the elected representatives of Martinique to

2135-543: The English. D'Esnambuc claimed Martinique for the French king Louis XIII and the French " Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique " (Company of the American Islands), and established the first European settlement at Fort Saint-Pierre (now St. Pierre). D'Esnambuc died in 1636, leaving the company and Martinique in the hands of his nephew, Jacques Dyel du Parquet , who in 1637 became governor of the island. In 1636, in

2196-550: The French Republic. It is also an outermost region of the European Union . The inhabitants of Martinique are French citizens with full political and legal rights. Martinique sends four deputies to the French National Assembly and two senators to the French Senate . On 24 January 2010, during a referendum, the inhabitants of Martinique approved by 68.4% the change to be a "special (unique) collectivity" within

2257-583: The Illinois Country). Alex Charles Barre is a descendant of Guillaume Barre. In 1765 he bought a large parcel of land, including the site of the first trading post, from Jacques Courtableau. Barre married Magdelaine Decuir in Pointe Coupee; they had 11 children together. Three of their children married three members of the Nezat family. Around this same time, three Nezats married three Roys, and

2318-711: The Republic apply to them under certain conditions established by the organic law defining their status. The overseas departments have a greater degree of autonomy than the DOMs. They have an executive council, a territorial council and an economic and social council. The prefect is the representative of the French State in the overseas collectivity. However, the French Constitution specifies in Article 72-4 that "no change may be made, for all or part of one of

2379-447: The Teche include: 29°43′18″N 91°17′57″W  /  29.72167°N 91.29917°W  / 29.72167; -91.29917 Port Barre, Louisiana Port Barre (BAH-ree) is a town in St. Landry Parish , Louisiana , United States. The town began in 1760 as an Indian trading post at the place where Bayou Teche flows out of Bayou Courtableau. The population was 2,055 at

2440-573: The Western hemisphere, the planter class lost political influence as sugar prices declined in the early 1800s. Slave rebellions in 1789, 1815 and 1822, plus the campaigns of abolitionists such as Cyrille Bissette and Victor Schœlcher , persuaded the French government to end slavery in the French West Indies in 1848. Martinique was the first French overseas territory in which the abolition decree came into force, on 23 May 1848. As

2501-478: The communities mentioned in the second paragraph of Article 72-3, from one of the regimes provided for in Articles 73 and 74, without the prior consent of the electors of the community or part of the community concerned having been obtained, under the conditions provided for in the following paragraph. In 2003, a new organization is envisaged, in which the regional and departmental institutions would be merged into

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2562-525: The economy. Greater autonomy was granted by France to the island in the 1970s–80s. In 2009, Martinique was convulsed by the French Caribbean general strikes . Initially focusing on cost-of-living issues, the movement soon took on a racial dimension as strikers challenged the continued economic dominance of the Béké , descendants of French European settlers. President Nicolas Sarkozy later visited

2623-739: The first of many skirmishes, the Indigenous Kalinago rose against the settlers to drive them off the island. The French repelled the natives and forced them to retreat to the eastern part of the island, on the Caravelle Peninsula in the region then known as the Capesterre. When the Caribs revolted against French rule in 1658, the governor Charles Houël du Petit Pré retaliated with war against them. Many were killed, and those who survived were taken captive and expelled from

2684-512: The framework of article 73 of the French Republic's Constitution. The new council replaces and exercises the powers of both the General Council and the regional council . Martinique is divided into 4 arrondissements and 34 communes . It had also been divided into 45 cantons , but these were abolished in 2015. The four arrondissements of the island, with their respective locations, are as follows: The prefecture of Martinique

2745-436: The government proposes a single territorial community governed by Article 73 of the Constitution, whose name is "Territorial Community of Martinique". The single assembly that replaces the General Council and the Regional Council is called the "Assembly of Martinique". The Assembly of Martinique is composed of 51 councilors, elected for a six-year term of office by the proportional representation system (the electoral district

2806-489: The island, promising reform. While ruling out full independence, which he said was desired neither by France nor by Martinique, Sarkozy offered Martiniquans a referendum on the island's future status and degree of autonomy. On 2 February 2023, Martinique adopted its independent activist flag , symbolising its three colors of Pan-Africanism . Like French Guiana , Martinique is a special collectivity (Unique in French) of

2867-444: The island. Some Caribs fled to Dominica or St. Vincent , where the French agreed to leave them at peace. After the death of du Parquet in 1658, his widow Marie Bonnard du Parquet tried to govern Martinique, but dislike of her rule led King Louis XIV to take over the sovereignty of the island. In 1654, Dutch Jews expelled from Portuguese Brazil introduced sugar plantations worked by large numbers of enslaved Africans. In 1667,

2928-457: The other hand, the autonomists who want a change of status based on Article 74 of the French Constitution, i.e., an autonomous status subject to the regime of legislative specialty following the example of St. Martin and St. Barthelemy . Since the constitutional revision of 28 March 2003, Martinique has four options: Unlike the overseas departments , the overseas collectivities are subject to legislative specialization. The laws and decrees of

2989-472: The pirate Blackbeard and his pirates captured a French frigate named La Concorde near the island of Martinique in the West Indies . After selling her cargo of slaves on the island, Blackbeard made the vessel his flagship , added more heavy cannons and renamed her Queen Anne's Revenge . Martinique was attacked or occupied several times by the British, in 1693, 1759 , 1762 and 1779 . Excepting

3050-522: The planters on Martinique were Huguenots suffering under the harsh strictures of the Revocation, they began plotting to emigrate from Martinique with many of their recently arrived brethren. Many of them were encouraged by the Catholics, who looked forward to their departure and the opportunities for seizing their property. By 1688, nearly all of Martinique's French Protestant population had escaped to

3111-472: The southern villages of Dominica , and some of them remained permanently on the island. The only survivor in the town of Saint-Pierre, Ludger Sylbaris , was saved by the thick walls of his prison cell. Shortly thereafter, the capital shifted to Fort-de-France , where it remains today. During World War II , the pro-Nazi Vichy government controlled Martinique under Admiral Georges Robert . German U-boats used Martinique for refuelling and re-supply during

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3172-754: The state of Louisiana, on the second weekend in November. The Cracklin' Festival was started in 1986 by the Port Barre Lions Club. All proceeds from the festival are donated to underprivileged children who need glasses or eye surgery. Port Barre is home to the Port Barre High School Red Devils. Martinique Martinique ( / ˌ m ɑːr t ɪ ˈ n iː k / MAR -tin- EEK , French: [maʁtinik] ; Martinican Creole : Matinik or Matnik ; Kalinago : Madinina or Madiana )

3233-519: The surveillance frigates Ventôse and Germinal , the patrol and support ship Dumont d'Urville , the Confiance -class patrol vessel Combattante and the coastal harbor tug (RPC) Maïtos . The naval aviation element includes Eurocopter AS565 Panther and Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin helicopters able to embark on the two Floréal -class surveillance frigates as required. One Engins de Débarquement Amphibie – Standards (EDA-S) landing craft

3294-507: The three families became closely entwined. In 1820, Charles Alex Barre purchased additional acres along the bank of the bayou from Sieur Jacques Guillaume Courtableau. The Barre family operated a goods-handling business. The Barre, Nezat, and Roy families settled in this area and expanded. The settlement continued to grow through the 19th century. On July 13, 1898, the village of Port Barre was officially incorporated by Act of Proclamation of Louisiana Governor Jared Y. Sanders, Sr. Port Barre

3355-516: The town was 71.88% White , 27.28% African American , 0.17% Native American , 0.17% Asian , and 0.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.61% of the population. There were 867 households, out of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who

3416-449: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.16. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males. The median income for

3477-655: Was born in 1642 in St. Valery, France. He emigrated, settling about 1665 in Martinique in the French West Indies . Guillaume Barre met Jean Roy (1625–1707) and Jean Hebert (1624); they traveled together to Louisiana. The Barres settled in Pointe Coupee , Louisiana, where they met the Nezat family (Pierre Nezat coming from Saint Domingue ), and the Provost family (Nicolas Provost coming from Paris via Fort de Chartres , in

3538-400: Was formed. Its leaders were later arrested by the French authorities. However, they were later acquitted. Tensions rose again in 1974, when gendarmes shot dead two striking banana workers. However the independence movement lost steam as Martinique's economy faltered in the 1970s, resulting in large-scale emigration. Hurricanes in 1979–80 severely affected agricultural output, further straining

3599-590: Was massively rejected (79.3%) by the population during the referendum of 10 January 2010. The defence of the department is the responsibility of the French Armed Forces . Some 1,400 military personnel are deployed in Martinique and Guadeloupe – centred on the 33e régiment d'infanterie de Marine in Martinique and incorporating a reserve company of the regiment located in Guadeloupe. Five French Navy vessels are based in Martinique, including:

3660-610: Was occupied first by Arawaks , then by Caribs . The Arawaks came from Central America in the 1st century AD and the Caribs came from the Venezuelan coast around the 11th century. Christopher Columbus charted Martinique (without landing) in 1493, during his second voyage, but Spain had little interest in the territory. Columbus landed during a later voyage, on 15 June 1502, after a 21-day trade wind passage , his fastest ocean voyage. He spent three days there refilling his water casks, bathing and washing laundry. The Indigenous people Columbus encountered called Martinique "Matinino". He

3721-448: Was told by Indigenous people of San Salvador that "the island of Matinino was entirely populated by women on whom the Caribs descended at certain seasons of the year; and if these women bore sons they were entrusted to the father to bring up." On 15 September 1635, Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc , French governor of the island of St. Kitts , landed in the harbour of St. Pierre with 80 to 150 French settlers after being driven off St. Kitts by

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