Director’s Message

John Barbry has served as Director of Development and Programing for the Tunica-Biloxi Language & Culture Revitalization Program (LCRP) since 2014. LCRP is dedicated to enhancing the presence and vitality of the Tunica and Biloxi languages and cultural lifeways for tribal members and targeted non-member communities. Barbry oversees day-to-day administration of the LCRP including the development and implementation of education programs, cultural demonstrations, and workshops on Tunica and Biloxi history, languages and traditional lifeways. In 2016, John was appointed to manage the Tunica-Biloxi Education Department to provide tribal youth with resources needed to stay in school, perform better in school, be college and career-ready, and graduate. 

John Barbry holds a B. A. in Music Education from McNeese State University and a M. A. in History from the University of New Orleans. Barbry assisted with cataloging of the “Tunica Treasure” shortly after the collection was repatriated to the Tunica-Biloxi and prior to its return to the reservation from storage at the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans. He then served as Research Supervisor in the manuscripts division at the Historic New Orleans Collection. Barbry was the first Native American appointed archivist at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in 1993. Prior to his current responsibilities, Barbry worked 20 years in casino marketing and management in the Louisiana and California. John has been chairman of the Tunica-Biloxi Pow Wow Committee since 1995. 

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