Kansas
The Indian Tribes of North America by John R. Swanton
Apache, see Jicarilla.
Arapaho. The Arapaho ranged at one time over much of the western
part of this State. (See Wyoming.)
Cherokee. By the terms of the Treaty of New Echota, the Cherokee
obtained title to lands in southeastern Eansas, part in one block
known as the "Neutral land," and the rest in a strip along the
southern boundary of the State. These were re-ceded to the United
States Government in 1866. (See Tennessee.)
Cheyenne. Like the Arapaho they at one time ranged over the
western part of the State. (See South Dakota.)
Chippewa. In 1836 two bands of Chippewa living in Michigan and
known as the Swan Creek and Black River bands were given a tract
of territory on Osage River, Kans. They arrived in 1839. In
1866 they agreed to remove to the Cherokee country in what is now
Oklahoma and to unite with that tribe. A small number of families
of Chippewa living west of Lake Michigan accompanied the Prairie
Potawatomi to southwestern Iowa, but they were either absorbed
by the Potawatomi or subsequently separated from them. (See
Minnesota.)
Comanche. They ranged over the western part of the State. (See
Texas.)
Delaware. A strip of land in northeastern Kansas was granted to
the Delaware in 1829 and was again surrendered by treaties made
in 1854, 1860, and 1886. In 1867 they agreed to take up their
residence with the Cherokee in Oklahoma. Four sections of land
were, however, confirmed to a body of Munsee ("Christian
Indians"), who in turn sold it in 1857. This sale was confirmed
by the United States Government in 1858, and a new home was found
for these Indians among the Swan Creek and Black River Chippewa
whom they accompanied to the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma in 1866.
Nevertheless, a few Munsee have remained in the State. (See
New Jersey.)
Foxes. The Foxes lived for a time on a reservation in eastern
Kansas but about 1859 returned to Iowa. (See Wisconsin.)
Illinois. The remnants of these people were assigned a
reservation about the present Paola in 1832. In 1867 they removed
to the northeastern corner of the present Oklahoma, where they
received lands which had formerly belonged to the Quapaw. (See
Illinois.)
Iowa. This tribe was placed on a reservation in northeastern
Kansas in 1836, and part of them continued in this State and were
allotted land here in severalty, while the rest went to Oklahoma.
(See Iowa.)
Iroquois. Lands were set aside in Kansas in 1838 for some
Iroquois, part of the Munsee, and remnants of Mahican and
southern New England Indians but only a few of the Indians
involved moved to them. They were later declared forfeited, and
the rights of 32 bona fide Indian settlers were purchased in
1873. (See Seneca and also New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
and Connecticut.)
Jicarilla. This was one of the so-called Apache tribes. They
lived in Colorado and New Mexico and ranged over parts of Texas,
Oklahoma, and Kansas. (See Colorado.)
Kansa. Name derived from that of one of the major subdivisions; a
shortened form Kaw is about equally current. Also called:
Alaho, Kiowa name.
Guaes, in Coronado narratives, thought to be this tribe.
Hutanga, own name
Mohtawas, Comanche name, meaning "without a lock of hair on
the forehead."
Ukase, Fox name.
Connections - The Kansa belonged to the Siouan linguistic stock
and constituted, with the Osage, Quapaw, Omaha, and Ponca a
distinct subgroup called by Dr. J. O. Dorsey (1897) Dhegiha.
Location - They were usually on some part of the Kansas River,
which derives its name from them. (See also Nebraska and
Oklahoma.)
Villages
Bahekhube, near a mountain south of Kansas River, Kans.
Cheghulin, 2 villages; (1) on the south side of Kansas River, and
(2) on a tributary of Kansas River, on the north side east of
Blue River.
Djestyedje, on Kansas River near Lawrence.
Gakhulin, location uncertain.
Gakhulinulinbe, near the head of a southern tributary of Kansas
River.
Igamansabe, on Big Blue River.
Inchi, on Kansas River.
Ishtakhechiduba, on Kansas River.
Manhazitanman, on Kansas River near Lawrence.
Manhazulin, on Kansas River.
Manhazulintanman, on Kansas River.
Manyinkatuhuudje, at the mouth of Big Blue River.
Neblazhetama, on the west bank of the Mississippi River a few
miles above the mouth of Missouri River, a few miles above mouth
of Missouri River, in the present Missouri.
Niudje, on Kansas River, about 4 miles above the site of Kansas
City, Mo.
Padjegndjin, on Kansas River.
Pasulin, on Kansas River.
Tanmangile, on Big Blue River.
Waheheyingetseyabe, location uncertain.
Wszhazhepa, location uncertain.
Yuzhemakancheubukhpaye, location uncertain.
Zandjezhinga, location uncertain.
Zandzhulin, at Kaw Agency, Indian Territory, in 1882.
Zhanichi, on Kansas River.
History - According to tradition, the Kansa and the others of the
same group originated on Ohio River, the Kansa separating from
the main body at the mouth of Kansas River. If the Guaes of
Coronado were the Kansa, the tribe was first heard of by white
men in 1541. During at least a part of the eighteenth century,
they were on Missouri River above the mouth of the Kansas, but
Lewis and Clark met them on the latter stream They occupied
several villages in succession along Kansas River until they
settled at Council Grove, on Neosho River, in the present Morris
County, where a reservation was set aside for them by the United
States Government in 1846, when they ceded the rest of their
lands. They remained on this reservation until 1873 when it was
sold and another reserve purchased for them in Oklahoma next to
the Osages. Their lands have now been allotted to them in
severalty.
Population - Mooney (1928) estimates a Kansa population of 3,000
in 1780. In 1702 Iberville estimated 1,500 families. Lewis and
Clark (1804) give 300 men. In 1815 there were supposed to be
about 1,500 in all, and in 1822, 1,850. In 1829 Porter estimated
1,200, but the population as given by the United States Indian
Office for 1843 was 1,588. After this time, however, the tribe
lost heavily through epidemics and in 1905 was returned at only
209. The census of 1910 gave 238, but the United States Indian
Office Report of 1923 gave 420. The census of 1930 returned 318.
In 1937 the number was given as 515.
Connection in which they have become noted - The Kansa will be
remembered particularly from the fact that they have given their
name to Kansas River and the State of Kansas, and secondarily to
Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kans. It is also applied to
places in Walker County, Ala.; Edgar County, Ill.; Seneca County
Ohio; Seneca and Delaware Counties, Okla.; and in the form Kaw,
to a village in Kay County, Okla., and a station out of the
Kansas City, Mo., P.O. Kansasville is in Racine County, Wis.
Kickapoo. A reservation was granted this tribe in southeastern
Kansas in 1832, and though it was progressively reduced in area,
part of them have continued to live there down to the present
time. (See Wisconsin.)
Kiowa. Signifying (in their own language) "principal people."
Also called:
Be'shiltcha, Kiowa Apache name.
Datupa'ta, Hidatsa name, perhaps a form of Wi'tapaha'tu
below.
Gahe'wa, Wichita and Kichai name.
Ko'mpabi'anta, Kiowa name, meaning "large tipi flaps."
Kwu'da, old name for themselves, meaning "going out."
Manrhoat, mentioned by La Salle, perhaps this tribe.
Na'la'ni, Navaho name. including southern plains tribes
generally, but particularly the Comanche and Kiowa.
Ni'chihine'na, Arapaho name, meaning "river man."
Quichuan, given by La Harpe (1831) and probably this tribe.
Te'pda', ancient name for themselves, meaning "coming out."
Tepki'nago, own name, meaning "people coming out."
Tideing Indians, Lewis and Clark (1904-5).
Vi'tapatui, name used by the Sutaio.
Wi'tnpahatu, Dakota name, meaning "island butte people."
(The Cheyenne name was similar.)
Connections - Though long considered a separate linguistic stock,
the researches of J.P. Herrington make it evident that the Kiowa
were connected with the Tanoan stock as the Kiowa-Tanoan stock
and probably with the Shoshonean stock also.
Location - The best-known historic location of these people was a
plot of territory including contiguous parts of Oklahoma, Kansas,
Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. (See also Montana, Nebraska,
South Dakota, and Wyoming.)
Subdivisions
The bands constituting their camp circle, beginning on the east
and passing round by the south were: Kata, Kogui, Kaigwu, Kingep,
Semat (i.e., Apache), and Kongtalyui.
History - According to tradition, the Kiowa at one time lived at
the head of Missouri River near the present Virginia City. Later
they moved down from the mountains and formed an alliance with
the Crows but were gradually forced south by the Arapaho and
Cheyenne, while the Dakota claim to have driven them from the
Black Hills. They made peace with the Arapaho and Cheyenne in
1840 and afterward acted with them. When they reached the
Arkansas, they found the land south of it claimed by the
Comanche. These people were at first hostile, but after a time
peace was made between the two tribes, the Kiowa passed on toward
the south, and the two ever after acted as allies. Together they
constantly raided Mexican territory, advancing as far south as
Durango. The Kiowa were among the most bitter enemies of the
Americans. They were placed on a reservation in southwestern
Oklahoma in 1868 along with the Comanche and Kiowa Apache and
have now been allotted lands in severalty.
Population - Mooney (1928) estimates that there were 2,000 in
1780. In 1905 their population was 1,166; the census of 1910 gave
it as 1,126, and the United States Indian Office Report for 1923,
1,679, including the Kiowa Apache. The census of 1930 returned
1,050, but in 1937 the United States Office of Indian Affairs
reported 2,263.
Connection in which they have become noted - The Kiowa were one
of the leading tribes on the southern Plains and were surpassed
only by the Comanche and Apache in the raids which they undertook
into Mexico. The name has become affixed to counties in Colorado
and Kansas, a creek in Colorado; and small places in Barber
County, Kans.; Pittsburg County, Okla.; and Elbert County, Colo.
Kiowa Apache. The name is derived from that of the Kiowa and from
the circumstance that they spoke a dialect related to those of
the better-known Apache tribes, though they had no other
connection with them. Also called:
Bad-hearts, by Long (1823). (See Kaskaias.)
Cancey or Kantsi, meaning "liars," applied by the Caddo to
all Apache of the Plains, but often to the Lipan.
Essequeta, a name given by the Kiowa and Comanche to the
Mescalero.
Apache, sometimes, but improperly, applied to this tribe.
Gata'ka, Pawnee name.
Gina's, Wichita name.
Gu'ta'k, Omaha and Ponca name.
K'a-patop, Kiowa name, meaning "knife whetters."
Kaskaias, possibly intended for this tribe, translated "bad
hearts."
Kisinahs, Kichai name.
Mutsiana-taniu, Cheyenne name, meaning "whetstone people."
Nadiisha-dna, own name, meaning "our people."
Paeer band of Apache, H. R. Doc.
Prairie Apaches, common name.
Sadalsomte-k'iago, Kiowa name, meaning "weasel people."
Ta'gugala, Jemez name for Apache tribes including Kiowa
Apache.
Tagui, an old Kiowa name.
Tagukerish, Pecos name for all Apache.
Tashin, Comanche name for all Apache.
Tha'ka-hine'na, Arapaho name, meaning "saw-fiddle man."
Yabipais Natage, Garces Diary (1776).
Connections - The Eiowa Apache belonged to the Athapascan
linguistic family, their nearest relatives being the Jicarilla
and Lipan (Hoijer).
Location - They have been associated with the Kiowa from the
earliest traditional period. (See also Colorado, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, and Wyoming.)
History - The first historical mention of the Kiowa Apache is by
La Salle in 1681 or 1682, who calls them Gattacka, the term by
which they are known lo the Pawnee. As intimated above, their
history was in later times the same as that of the Kiowa, and
they occupied a definite place in the Kiowa camp circle. For 2
years only, 1865-67, they were at their own request detached from
the Eiowa and adjoined to the Cheyenne and Arapaho, on account of
the unfriendly attitude of the Kiowa toward the Whites.
Population - Mooney (1928) gives an estimate of 300 Kiown
Apache as of 1780, adopting the estimate made by Lewis and Clark
in 1805. In 1891 their population was 325, but like the
associated tribes they suffered heavily from measles in 1892 and
in 1905 there were only 155 left. The census of 1910 returned
139, that of 1930, 184, and in 1937 they appear to have increased
to 340 but other Apache may be included.
Connection in which they have become noted - The Eiowa Apache
are remarkable merely as an example of a tribe incorporated into
the social organism of another tribe of entirely alien speech and
origin.
Miami. In 1832 the Miami subdivisions known as Piankashaw and
Wea were assigned lands along with the Illinois in Eastern
Kansas. In 1840 the rest of the Miami were granted lands in the
immediate neighborhood but just south, and all but one band
removed there from Indiana. In 1854 they ceded part of this
territory and in 1867 accompanied the Illinois to the present
Oklahoma. (See Indiana.)
Missouri. The remnant of this tribe accompanied the Oto when
they lived in this State. (See Missouri.)
Munsee. A band of Munsee or "Christian Indians" owned land in
Kansas between 1854 and 1859. (See Delaware in New Jersey,
etc.)
Osage. The southeastern part of Kansas was claimed by the Osage
and was ceded by them to the United States Government in
treaties made in 1825, 1865, and 1870. (See Missouri.)
Oto. The Oto were on the eastern border of Kansas several times
during their later history. (See Nebraska.)
Ottawa. In 1831 two bands of Ottawa were granted lands on Marais
des Cygnes or Osage River. They relinquished these in 1846 and
in 1862 agreed to allotment of land in severalty, giving up their
remaining lands. Further treaties regarding these were made in
1867 and 1872. A few families of Ottawa accompanied the Prairie
Potawatomi when they removed from Wisconsin to Iowa, but they
were soon absorbed or else scattered. Ottawa bands called Ottawa
of Blanchard's Fork and Ottawa of Roche de Boouf occupied lands
in Kansas between 1832 and 1865 when they moved to Oklahoma.
(See Michigan.)
Pawnee. A part of the Pawnee occupied the valley of the
Republican Fork of Eansas River. (See Nebraska.)
Potawatomi. In 1837 the United States Government entered into a
treaty with five bands of Potawatomi living in the State of
Indiana by which it was agreed to convey to them by patent a
tract of country on Osage River, southwest of the Missouri, in
the present State of Kansas. This was set apart the same year and
the Indians, the Potau-atomi of the Woods, moved into it in 1840,
but they ceded it back in 1846 and were given a reserve between
the Shawnee and the Delaware, in the present Shawnee County,
which they occupied in 1847. By a series of treaties, culminating
in the Treaty of Chicago, 1833, the Potawatomi west of Lake
Michigan surrendered their lands nnd received a large tract in
southwestern Iowa. They were accompanied by a few Chippewa and
Ottawa. In 1846 this reserve was re-ceded to the United States
Government and in 1847-48 the Indians, now known as the Prairie
Potawatomi, moved to lands in Kansas just east of the lands of
the Potawatomi of the Woods. Michigan Potawatomi did not come to
this place after 1850. About the end of the Civil War some of the
Prairie band moved back to Wisconsin but the greater part of them
remained and accepted lands in severalty. In 1869 the Potawatomi
of the Woods began a movement to secure lands in Oklahoma, and
by 1871 most of them had gone thither. (See Michigan.)
Quapaw. Between 1833 and 1867 lands in the southeastern tip of
Eansas belonged to their reserve in Indian Territory (Oklahoma),
but in the latter year they coded this back to the Government.
(See Arkansas.)
Sauk. After leaving Iowa, the Sauk and Fox Indians occupied a
reserve in the eastern part of Kansas, but about 1859 the Foxes
returned to Iowa, and in 1867 the Sauk ceded their Kansas
territories and moved to Oklahoma. (See Wisconsin.)
Seneca. Seneca Indians were joint owners with other tribes of
land in the extreme southwestern part of Kansas. They ceded this
to the United States Government in 1867. (See New York.)
Shawnee. In 1825 the Shawnee residing in Missouri received a
grant of land along the south side of Kansas River, west of the
boundary of Missouri. In 1831 they were joined by another body of
Shawnee who had formerly lived at Wapaghkonnetta and on Hog
Creek, Ohio. In 1854 nearly all of this land was re-ceded to the
United States Government and the tribe moved to Indian Territory,
the present Oklahoma. (See Tennessee.)
Wyandot. The Wyandot purchased land in eastern Kansas on Missouri
River from the Delaware in 1843 and parted with it again in
1850. A few Wyandot also held title to land along with other
tribes on the border of Oklahoma and re-ceded it along with them
in 1867. (See Ohio.)
Kentucky
- The Indian Tribes of North America by John R. Swanton
Cherokee. The Cherokee claimed some land in southeastern Kentucky
and traces of culture of Cherokee type are said to be found in
archeological remains along the upper course of the Cumberland,
but no permanent Cherokee settlement is known to have existed in
historic times within this State. (See Tennessee.)
Chickasaw. The westernmost end of Kentucky was claimed by the
Chickasaw, and at a very early period they had a settlement on
the lower course of Tennessee River, either in Kentucky or
Tennessee. (See Mississippi.)
Mosopelea. This tribe may have lived within the boundaries of
Kentucky for a brief time, perhaps at the mouth of the Cumberland
River, when they were on their way from Ohio to the lower
Mississippi. (See Ohio, and see also Ofo under Mississippi.)
Shawnee. The Shawnee had more to do with Kentucky in early times
than any other tribe, but maintained few villages in the State
for a long period. Their more permanent settlements were farther
south about Nashville. At one Shawnee town, located for a short
time near Lexington, Ky., the noted Shawnee chief, Blackhoof, was
born. The tribe crossed and recrossed the State several times in
its history and used it still more frequently as a hunting
ground. (See Tennessee.)
Yuchi. According to some early maps, the Yuchi had a town in this
State on a river which appears to be identical with Green River.
(See Georgia.)
Hunting bands of Illinois, Miami, Iroquois, and Delaware at times
visited Kentucky, but these tribes can hardly be said to have
played much of a part in Kentucky history. (See New York, New
Jersey, Indiana, and Illinois.)
Louisiana
The Indian Tribes of North America by John R. Swanton
Acolapissa. Meaning "those who listen and see," indicating
possibly "borderers" or "scouts." Also called:
Aquelou pissas, by Le Page du Pratz (1758 2: 219).
Cenepisa, by La Salle (in Margry, 1875-86 564).
Colapissas, in 1699 by Penicaut (in French, 1869, p. 38).
Coulapissas, in 1700 by Sauvole (in Margry 1875-86, 4: 462).
Equinipichas, by Sauvole (in French, 1851, 3: 225).
Kinipissa, by Tonti (in Margry, 1875-86; 1: 604}.
Kolapissas, in 1700 by Gravier (in French, 1875, p. 88).
Connections.- The Acolapissa belonged to the Muskhogean
linguistic family and evidently spoke a language closely related
to Choctaw and Chickasaw. They may have been more intimately
connected with the Napissa who united with the Chickasaw and who
were perhaps identical with thc Napochi (q. v.) of De Luna, but
their closest relatives were the Tangipahoa (q. v.).
Location.- Their earliest known location was on Pearl River about
11 miles above its mouth. (See also Mississippi.)
Villages
Iberville was told that they consisted of six villages and that
the Tangipahos constituted a seventh, but we treat the latter
separately, and the names of the six are not given.
History.- The Acolapissa are not mentioned among the tribes that
came to Iberville in 1699 to form an alliance with him, but after
his departure for France, Bienville visited them and was well
received, although at first they were terrified because of a
slave raid made upon them 2 days before by the English and
Chickasaw. In 1702 (or 1705) they moved from Pearl River and
settled on a bayou on the north side of Lake Pontchartrain called
"Castembayouque" (now Castine Bayou). Six months later the
Natchitoches Indians (q. v.) descended to the French fort on the
Mississippi from their town on Red River to ask assistance from
St. Denis, thc commandant there, because of the ruin of their
crops. St. Denis sent them under the charge of Penicaut to the
Acolapissa, who welcomed them and assigned a place for them to
settle close to their own village. Late in 1713 or early in 1714
St. Denis, who had received a commission to proceed to Texas to
examine the Spanish settlements, sent for the Natchitoches
intending to reestablish them in their former scats, but upon
hearing, of this protect the Acolapissa fell upon them and killed
and captured a considerable number. In 1718, according to
Penicaut, but in any case before 1722, they moved over to the
Mississippi River and settled on the east side 13 leagues from
New Orleans. In 1739 they constituted practically one settlement
with the Bayogoula and Houma, with whom they finally merged.
Their bitter history is one with that of the Houma (q. v.).
Population.- Mooney (1928) estimated that in 1650 the population
of the Acolapissa and the Tangipahoa together was 1,500. My own
calculation as of 1698 is 1,050, based on La Harpe's (1831)
estimate of 300 Acolapissa warriors in 1699 and Iberville's
estimate of 250 families 3 years later. In 1722 Charlevoix states
that there were 200 warriors and in 1739 there are said to have
been of thc Acolapissa, Houmn, and Bayogoula together 90 to 100
warriors and 270 to 300 people exclusive of children.
Adai. Meaning unknown.
Connections.- This tribe was at first thought to have constituted
an independent linguistic stock and the name Adaizan was given to
it, but later Dr. Gatschet determined that the Adai language was
a somewhat aberrant Caddo dialect, and it was therefore placed in
the Caddoan stock.
Location.- Near the present Robeline in Natchitoches Parish.
History.- In 1699 Iberville mentions the Adai under the name
Natao. In 1717 the mission of San Miguel de Linarcs was
established among them by Spanish Franciscan missionaries. The
buildings were destroyed in 1719 by a force of French and
Indians, but they were rebuilt 2 years later as San Miguel de los
Adaes, and the mission was not finally abandoned until 1773. In
October 1721 a military post called Nuestra Senora del Pilar de
los Adaes was located close to the mission and continued until
the latter was given up. For 50 years this post was the capital
of Texas in spite of, or because of, the fact that it was on its
extreme eastern frontier. In 1778 De Mezieres states (in Bolton,
1914) that the tribe was almost extinct, but in 1805 Sibley
reported a small Adai settlement on Lake Macdon near an affluent
of Red River. The survivors probably combined with the other
Caddoan tribes of thc region and followed their fortunes.
Population.- Bienville reported 50 warriors among them in 1700
but twice as many in 1718. When thc mission of San Miguel was
rebuilt it is said to have served 400 Indians. In 1805 the Adai
village contained only 20 men but the number of women was much
greater. The total Adai population in 1825 was 27. My own
estimate for 169 is about 400.
Connection in which they have become noted.- The Adai were
peculiar in having spoken a dialect so diverse from the other
Caddo forms of speech that, as already stated, Powell (1891) at
first gave them an independent status as constituting the Adaizan
linguistic family. Historically, the Adai Indian and White
settlement was noted as the eastern-most outpost of the Spaniards
and of the Franeiscan Spanish missions, and it was the capital of
the Province of Texas for 50 years.
Alabama. Some of this tribe moved to Louisiana shortly after the
territory east of the Mississippi was abandoned by the French.
Most of them finally passed on into Texas, but a few are still
settled in the southwestern part of the State. (See Alabama.)
Apalachee. A band of Apalachee Indians moved from the
neighborhood of Mobile to Louisiana in 1764, remained for a short
time on the Mississippi River and then moved up to Red River,
where they obtained a grant of land along with the Taensa. Later
they sold this land and part of them probably removed to
Oklahoma, but others remained in Louisiana and amalgamated with
other tribes.
(See Florida.)
Atakapa. Meaning in Choctaw and Mobilian, "man eater," because
they and some of the Indians west of them at times ate the flesh
of their enemies.
Skunnemoke, the name of a chief, extended to the whole people.
Tuk-pa'-han-ya-di, Biloxi name.
Yuk'hiti ishak, own name.
Connections.- The Atakapa were originally placed in an
independent linguistic stock, including also the Bidai, Deadose,
and probably the Opelousa, but it has now been determined that
they belonged to one family with the Chitimacha, their eastern
neighbors, and probably the Tunican group on the Mississippi, the
whole being called the Tunican stock.
Location.- Atakapa bands extended along the coast of Louisiana
and Texas from Vermillion Bayou to and including Trinity Bay.
(See Akokisa under Texas.)
Subdivisions and Villages
The Atakapa about Trinity Bay and the lower course of Trinity
River were called Akokisa by the Spaniards, but they differed in
no respect from the Atnkapa of Lake Charles. There was, however,
an eastern Atakapa dialect which was distinctly different from
the one current in the Lake Charles and Trinity Bay sections and
was spoken by two different bands, one about Vermillion Bay and
one on the Mermentou River. There were a number of small villages
but their names are unknown.
History.- In 1528 Cabeza de Vaca learned of the existence of some
of these Indians, calling them Han. The portion of the Atakapa
living in Louisiana came to the attention of the French after the
latter had established themselves on the Mississippi River, but
it so happened that they had more dealings with the people of
Trinity Bay, the Akokisa. This was owing in the first place to
the romantic adventures of a French officer, Simars de Belle-
Isle, left upon this coast in 1719. In 1721 Bernard de la Harpe
and Captain Beranger accompanied by Belle-Isle visited the bay
and carried some Indians off with them to New Orleans.
Fortunately for us, Beranger recorded a number of words in their
language which prove it to have been almost identical with the
Atakapa of Lake Charles. The Indians subsequently escaped and are
reported to have reached their own country. In 1779 the band of
Atakapa on Vermillion Bayou furnished 60 men and the Mermentou
band 120 men to Galvez for his expedition against the British
forts on the Mississippi. In the latter part of the eighteenth
century numerous plots of land were sold to French Creoles by the
Atakapa Indians, but the last village of the easternmost band was
not abandoned until early in the nineteenth century. The last
village of the Atakapa who spoke the eastern dialect was on the
Mermentou and Indians are said to have lived there down to 1836.
The Calcasieu band held together for a longer period, so that in
1908 a few persons were living who once made their homes in the
last native village on Indian Lake or Lake Prien. It was from two
of these that Dr. Gatchet, in January 1885, obtained his Atakapa
linguistic material. (See Gatschet and Swanton, 1932.) Although
in 1907 and 1908 I found a few Indians who knew something of the
old tongue, it is today practically extinct. (See also J. O.
Dyer, 1917.) As early as 1747 a Spanish mission was proposed for
the Akokisa Indians, and in 1766, or about that time, it was
established on the left bank of Trinity River, a short distance
below the present Liberty. It was named Nuestra Senora de la Luz,
and near it was the presidio of San Agustin de Ahumada erected
the same year. Before 1772 both of these had been abandoned. In
1805 the principal Akokisa village was on the west side of
Colorado River about 200 miles southwest of Nacogdoches, but
there was another between the Neches and the Sabine. The ultimate
fate of the tribe is unknown.
Population.- Exclusive of the Akokisa, Mooney (1928) estimates a
population of 1,500 Atakapa in 1660, which the Akokisa would
perhaps swell to 2,000. In 1747 a Spanish report gives 300
Akokisa families, a figure which is probably too high. In 1779
the Bayou Vermillion and Mermentou bands had 180 warriors. Sibley
(1832) states that in 1805 there were 80 warriors in the only
Atakapa town remaining but that 30 of these were Houma and
Tunica. The same writer adds that in 1760-70 the Akokisa numbered
80 men.
Connection, in which they have become noted.- The traditional
fame of the Atakapa rests upon the sinister reputation it had
acquired as a body of cannibals. After the French began to settle
southwestern Louisiana, they distinguished as the Atakapas
district a section of southern Louisiana including the parishes
of St. Mary, Iberia, Vermillion, St. Martin, and Lafayette, a
usage which continues in commercial reports to the present day.
The capital of this district, the modern St. Martinville, was
known as the Atakapas Post. In Spartanburg County, S. C., is a
place called Tucapau, the name of which may have been taken from
this tribe.
Avoyel. The name signifies probably "people of the rocks,"
referring to flint and very likely applied because they were
middlemen in supplying the Gulf coast tribes with flint. Also
called:
Little Taensa, so-called from their relationship to the
Taensa (q.v.).
Tassenocogoula, name in the Mobilian trade language, meaning
"flint people."
Connections.- The testimony of early writers and circumstantial
evidence render it almost certain that the Avoyel spoke a dialect
of the Natchez group of the Muskhogean linguistic family.
Location.- In the neighborhood of the present Marksville, La.
History.- The Avoyel are mentioned first by Iberville in the
account of his first expedition to Louisiana in 1699, where they
appear under the Mobilian form of their name, Tassenocogoula. He
did not meet any of the people, however, until the year following
when he calls them "Little Taensas." They were encountered by La
Harpe in 1714, and Le Page du Pratz (1758) gives a short notice
of them from which it appears that they acted as middlemen in
disposing to the French of horses and cattle plundered from
Spanish settlements. In 1764 they took part in an attack upon a
British regiment ascending
the Mississippi (see Ofo), and they are mentioned by some later
writers, but Sibley (1832) says they were extinct in 1805 except
for two or three women "who did live among the French inhabitants
of Washita." In 1930 one of thc Tunica Indians still claimed
descent from this tribe.
Population.- I have estimated an Avoyel population of about 280
in 1698. Iberville and Bienville state that they had about 40
warriors shortly after this period. (See Taensa.)
Connection in which they have become noted.- The name of the
Avoyel is perpetuated in that of Avoyelles Parish, La.
Bayogoula. Meaning "bayou people," either from their location or
from the fact that their tribal emblem was the alligator.
Connections.- Their language was of the southern Mushkogean
division, not far removed from Houma and Choctaw.
Location.- Near the present Bayou Goula, in Iberville Parish.
History.- Unless this tribe was the Pishenoa encountered by Tonti
in 1686 and not mentioned subsequently, it was first visited by
Iberville in 1699. It then occupied one town with the Mugulasha
(q. v.). In the winter of 1699-1700 thc Bayogoula suffered
severely from a surprise attack of the Houma. In the spring of
1700, for what cause we know not, the Bayogoula attacked their
fellow townsmen, the Mugulasha, and destroyed them, but in 1706
they suffered a similar fate at thc hands of the Taensa who had
sought refuge with them. The remnant of the Bayogoula was given a
place near New Orleans, but some time later they moved up the
river to the present Ascension Parish, where they were found in
1739 between the Houma and Acolapissa. Yet our informant states
that thc three tribes were virtually one and thc same, the
distinction being kept up merely because the chief of each band
was descended from the tribe mentioned. Thc subsequent history of
the Bayogoula is identical with that of the Houma. (See Houma
under Mississippi.)
Population.- Mooney (1928) estimates that in 1650 there were
1,500 of the Bayogoula, Quinipissa, and Mugulasha together. My
own estimate for the same tribes, as of 1698, is 875. In 1699
Iberville gave about 100 cabins and 200-250 warriors, and the
Journal of his companion ship, Le Marin, has 400-500 people. In
1700, after the destruction of the Mugulasha, Gravier gives a
population of 200, and about 1715 they are said to have had 40
warriors. For their numbers in 1739, see Houma under Mississippi.
Connection in which they have become noted.- This tribe shared
with the Washa the distinction of having been the first Indians
within the limits of the present State of Louisiana to meet
Iberville in the year in which the French colony of Louisiana was
founded. The name is preserved in the post village of Bayou
Goula, Iberville Parish, La., which seems to be close to the
location of the original Indian town.
Biloxi. Tho Biloxi settled in Louisiana about 1764, and a very
few are still living there. (See Mississippi.)
Caddo. The Caddo Indians are given under five different heads:
the Adai and the Natchitoches Confederacy in Louisiana; the
Eyeish, the Hasinai Confederacy, and the Kadohadacho Confederacy
in Texas.
Chatot. The Chatot entered Louisiana about 1764, lived for a
while on Bayou Bocuf, and later moved to Sabine River, after
which nothing more is hoard of them. (See Florida.)
Chawasha. Meaning unknown, though possibly "raccoon place
(people)."
Connections.- A reference to this tribe and thc Washa by
Bienville places them in the Chitimacha division of the Tunican
linguistic stock. I had erroneously concluded at an earlier
period, on slender circumstantial evidence, that they were
Muskhogeans.
Location.- On Bayou La Fourche and eastward to thc Gulf of Mexico
and across the Mississippi.
History.- After the relics of De Soto's army had escaped to the
mouth of the Mississippi River and while their brigantines were
riding at anchor there, they were attacked by Indians, some of
whom had "staves, having very sharp heads of fish-bone." (See
Bourne 1904, vol. 2, p. 202.) These may have belonged to the
Chawasha and Washa tribes. The same two tribes are said, on
doubtful authority, to have attempted to attack an English sea
captain who ascended the Mississippi in 1699, but they were
usually friendly to the French. In 1712 they were moved to the
Mississippi by Bienville and established themselves on the west
side, just below the English Turn. In 1713 (or more probably
1715) they were attacked by a party of Chickasaw, Yazoo, and
Natchez, who killed the head chief and many of his family, and
carried off 11 persons as prisoners. Before 1722 they had crossed
to the east side of the river, half a league lower down. In 1730,
in order to allay the panic in New Orleans following on the
Natchez uprising of 1729 which resulted in the massacre of the
Whites at Natchez, Governor Perrier allowed a band of Negro
slaves to attack the Chawasha, and it is commonly reported that
they were then destroyed. The French writer Dumont (1753) is
probably right, however, when he states that only seven or eight
adult males were killed. At any rate they are mentioned as living
with the Washa at Les Allemands on the west side of the
Mississippi above New Orleans in 1739, and in 1758 they appear as
constituting one village with the Washa. Except for one uncertain
reference, this is the last we hear of them, but they may have
continued for a considerable period longer before disappearing as
a distinct body.
Population.- Mooney (1928) gives an estimate of 1,400 for the
Washa, Chawasha, and Opelousa together in the year 1650. My own
estimate for the first two and the Okelousa, as of 1698, is 700.
This is based on Beaurain's (La Harpe's) estimate (1831) of 200
warriors for the 3 tribes. About 1715 there are said to have been
40 Chawasha warriors; in 1739, 30 warriors of the Washa and
Chawasha together; and in 1758, 10 to 12.
Connection in which they have become noted.- The Chawasha
attained temporary notoriety on account of the massacre
perpetrated upon them in the manner above mentioned.
Chitimacha. Perhaps derived from the name of Grand River in the
native tongue, which was Sheti, though Gatschet (1883) interprets
it through the Choctaw maguage as meaning "those who have pots."
Connections.- The Chitimacha have given their name to a group of
languages under the Tunican linguistic stock, including also the
Chawasha and Washa.
Location.- On Grand River, Grand Lake, and the lower course of
Bayou La Teche.
Subdivisions and Villages
The earliest French writers couple with this tribe the narne of n
tribe or supposed tribe called Yakna-Chitto, "Big Earth," but it
is not known whether they were a part of the Chitimacha or an
entirely independent people. In later times the Chitimaeha were
drawn into two unnamed subdivisions, one near the upper end of
Bayou La Fourche and the other on Grand Lake. Following are the
known villages:
Ama'tpan na'mu, two villages: (1) 3 miles east of Charenton on
Bayou Teche (2) on the east side of Grand Lake opposite
Charenton.
Grosse Tete na'mu, 2 miles from the village at Plaquemine.
Hi'pinimsh na'mu, at the Fausse Pointe in the western part of
Crand Lake, near Bayou Gosselin.
Ka'me naksh teat na'mu, at Bayou du Plomb, near Bayou Chene, 18
miles north of Charenton.
Ku'shuh na'mu, on Lake Mingaluak, near Bayou Chene.
Na'mu ka'tsi, the Bayou Chene village, St. Martin's Parish.
Ne'kun tsi'snis, opposite Ile aux Oiscaux, in the Lac de la
Fausse Pointe.
Ne Pinu'nsh, on Bayou Teche, 2 miles west of Charenton.
Oku'nkiskin, probably at some sharp bend on Bayou La Teche
judging from their name.
Shatshnish, at Jeanerette.
She'ti na'mu, on Grand River west of Plaquemine.
Sho'ktangi ha'ne hetci'nsh, on the south side of Graine a Voice
Inlet, Grand Lake.
Tca'ti kuti'ngi na'mu, at the junction of Bayou Teche with the
Atchafalaya Bayou.
Tcat kasi'tunshki, on the site of Charenton.
Tsa'htsinshup na'mu, the Plaquemine village, on Bayou des
Plaquemines near Grand River.
Waitinimsh, at Irish Bend near Franklin.
There are said to have been others at the shell bank on the shore
of Grand Lake, close to Charenton, and at a place called
"Bitlarouges."
History.- Iberville made an alliance with the Chitimacha in 1699,
shortly after his arrival in the present Louisiana. In August
1706, the Taensa captured some Chitimacha by treachery and
enslaved them, and later the same year a Chitimacha war partly
killed St. Cosme, missionary to the Natchez, and three other
Frenchmen encamped with him. War followed between the Chitimacha
on one hand and the French and their Indian allies on the other,
which dragged along until 1718. The Chitimacha suffered severely
during these 12 years and this war was responsible for the fact
that in the early days of the Louisiana colony the greater part
of the Indian slaves were Chitimacha. By the terms of the peace
concluded in 1718, the Chitimacha agreed to settle at a
designated spot upon the Mississippi, not far from the present
Plaquemine. This, they or rather the eastern portion of them, did
in 1719. In 1739 they seem to have been farther down, near the
head of Bayou La Fourche. In 1784 one village is reported on
Bayou La Fourche and two on the Teche. By 1881 the only survivors
were near Charenton, where they occupied a small part of what had
once been a considerable reservation. In that year and the year
following Dr. A. S. Gatschct of the Bureau of American Ethnology
collected from them a considerable body of linguistic material
and some ethnological information. (See Gatschet, 1883.)
Descendants of the tribe, mostly mixed-bloods, occupy the same
section at the present time, but the Plaquemine band has
disappeared.
Population.- Mooney (1928) estimated that in 1650 the Chitimacha
numbered 3,000 souls. The present writer allowed 750 warriors to
the tribe in 1698, based on Beaurain's estimate of 700-800 in
1699, which would mean about 2,625 souls. In 1758 the Mississippi
band counted only about 80 warriors and in 1784 Hutchins gives
27. The size of the western band is nowhere indicated separately
but the census of 1910 gives 69 for the entire tribe, 19 of whom
were then at school in Pennsylvania. In 1930, 51 were returned.
Connection in which they have become noted.- The Chitimacha were
the most powerful tribe of the northern Gulf coast west of
Florida in United States territory. They also attained prominence
in early Louisiana history on account of their long war with the
French and the number of Chitimacha slaves in colonial families
arising from that fact. Tho survivors are noteworthy as the best
basket makers in the whole Gulf region.
Choctaw. Choetaw began moving into Louisiana not long after the
settlement of New Orleans, at first temporarily, but later for
permanent occupancy, especially after the territory east of the
Mississippi had been ceded to Great Britain. Some settled on the
northern shores of Lake Pontchartrain, where a few still remain,
while other bands established themselves on the Nezpigue, Red
River, Bayou Boeuf, and elsewhere. Most of these drifted in time
to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, but a few families are still
scattered about the State of Louisiana. (See Mississippi.)
Doustioni. A small tribe of the Natchitoches Confederacy
(q.v.).
Houma. When first encountered by Europeans, the Houma lived near
the present boundary line between Mississippi and Louisiana, if
not actually on the Louisiana side. In 1706 or shortly afterward
they moved altogether within the limits of Louisiana, where their
descendants have remained to the present day. (See Mississippi.)
Koasati. Part of this tribe entered Louisiana near thc end of the
eighteenth century and lived on Red River and in the western part
of the State. At the present day, the largest single band of
Koasati in existence is northeast of Kinder, La. (See Alabama.)
Koroa. The Koroa camped, hunted, nnd had at times more permanent
settlements in northeastern Louisiana. (See Mississippi.)
Mugulasha. This was a tribe which formerly lived in the same town
as the Bayogoula on the lower course of the Mississippi. Some
early writers state that they were identical with thc Quinipissa
and they will be treated in connection with that tribe.
Muskogee. The true Muskogee were represented by one band, a part
of the Pakana tribe, which moved into the colony about 1764. They
were settled upon Calcasieu River in 1805. Later they seem to
have united with the Alabama now living in Polk County, Tex., but
there are no known survivors at the present day. (See Alabama.)
Natchez. When this tribe was attacked by the French after they
had destroyed the Natchez post, they escaped into Louisiana and
fortified themselves at Sicily Island, from which most of them
again escaped. A part under the chief of the Flour Village
attacked the French post at Natchitoches in the fall of 1731,
drove the Natchitoches from their town, and entrenched themselves
in it. St. Denis, commander of that post, attacked them, however,
having been previously reinforced by some Caddo and Atakapa, and
inflicted upon them a severe defeat. After this no considerable
number of Natchez seem to have remained in Louisiana. (See
Mississippi.)
Natchitoches Confederacy. The word "Natchitoches" is generally
supposed to be derived from "nashitosh", the native word for
pawpaw but an early Spanish writer, Jose Antonio Pichardo, was
told that it was from a native word "nacicit" signifying "a place
where the soil is the color of red ochre," and that it was
applied originally to a small creek in their neighborhood running
through red soil. The following are synonyms:
Nachittoos, Yoakum, 1855-56, vol. 1 p. 392.
Nachtichoukas, Jefferys, 1761, pt. 1, p. 164.
Nacitos, Binares (1700) in Margry, 1875-86, vol. 6, p. 217.
Nactythos, Iberville (1699) in Margry, 1850, 1875-86, vol. 4, p.
178.
Nadchito, Bienville (1700), in Margry, 1875-86, vol. 4, p. 434.
Naketosh, Gatschet, Caddo and Yatassi MS., p. 77, B. A. E.
Napgitache, McKenney and Hall, 1854, vol. 3, p. 82.
Naquitoches, Belle-Isle (1721), in Margry, 1875-86, vol. 6, p.
341.
Nashi'tosh, Mooney, 1896, p. 1092.
Nasitti, Joutel (1687) in Margry, 1875-89-6, vol. 3, p. 409.
Natsytos, Iberville (1699) in Margry, 1875-86, vol 4, p. 178.
Notchitoches, Carver, 1778, map.
Yatchitcohes, Lewis and Clark, 1840, p. 142.
As part of the Caddo, the same terms were applied to them as
appear under Kadohadacho (q. v.).
Connections.- They belonged to the Caddo division of the Caddoan
linguistic stock, their nearest relatives being the Indians of
the Kadohadacho and Hasinai Confederacies.
Location.- In northwestern Louisiana.
Subdivisions
Doustioni, appearing sometimes as Souchitioni, a small tribe near
the present Natchitoches.
Natchitoches, close to the present site of Natchitoches.
Ouachita, on Ouachita River not far from the present Columbia.
Yatasi, on Red River near Shreveport.
A tribe called Capiche is mentioned by Tonti, but it is otherwise
never referred to. Another called Nakasa, Nakase, Natches or
Natache was probably a part of the Yatasi, and Tonti mentions a
tribe called Choye, probably the Chaye of Joutel (1713), as a
people associated with the Yatasi. At a relatively late date part
of the Yatasi went to live with the Indians of the Kadohadacho
Confederation while the rest settled close to the Natchitoches.
History.- Moscoso, De Soto's successor, perhaps encountered some
of the tribes of this group though his route lay farther north
and west. On February 17, 1690, Tonti reached the villages of
these Indians coming from the Taensa on Lake St. Joseph, nnd went
on up the river to the Kadohadacho, visiting the Yatasi on the
way.
In March 1700 Bienville followed the same route from the Taensa
and reached the Natchitoches Indians in April, stopping at the
Ouachita town en route. He went up Red River as far as the Yatasi
and then returned to Biloxi. In 1702 the Natchitoches tribe,
having lost their crops, descended the Red River and the
Mississippi to the French fort near the mouth of the latter, then
commanded by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, who received them
kindly and sent them to live with the Acolapissa Indians on Lake
Pontchartrain. A few years later St. Denis visited the
Natchitoches country himself. In 1707 four Indians of this tribe
took part in an expedition against the Chitimacha to avenge the
death of the missionary St. Cosme. In 1713-14 St. Denis sent for
the Natchitoches Indians in order to take them back to their old
country, where he had planned to establish a post. On learning of
the intentions of their neighbors, the Acolapissa Indians fell
upon them, killed 17 and captured 50 women and girls, but the
latter were apparently recovered soon afterward and all were
returned to their old town, where the post was established
according to plan in 1714. From this time until his death St.
Denis' career was intimately bound up with this post and the
Indians about it, though he was frequently engaged in expeditions
into and across Texas. He was formally appointed commandant of
the post July 1, 1720, and retained it until his death in June
1744. In 1731, with the assistance of his Indians and a
detachment of soldiers from the Spanish post of Adai, he won a
signal victory over a large body of Natchez Indians, the only
clear-cut advantage which the French gained in the Natchcz War.
In the meantime Natchitoches had become the center of a
flourishing trade with the Indians extending far to the north and
west, and when St. Denis died his son, Louis de St. Denis
continued to enjoy the advantages of it and to share the prestige
of his father. During all of this time, however, the Natchitoches
Indians seem to have been decreasing, and toward the end of the
eighteenth century they parted with most of their lands to French
Creoles, though their relations with the latter seem to have been
uniformly cordial. Part of them remained in their old country
permanently and either died out or mixed with the newcomers,
while the rest joined their relatives of the Kadohadacho and
Hasinai Confederations and followed their fortunes.
Population.- In 1700 Bienville estimated that there were 400-450
warriors in the Natchitoches Confederacy, but in 1718 he reported
that the number had fallen to 80, while La Harpe {1831} reported
a total population of 150-200. In 1805 Sibley (1832) reported 52
warriors and for the Natchitoches tribe by itself, 32, and 20
years later a total population of 61 was returned. An estimate of
1,000 for all of these tribes before White contact would probably
be ample.
Connection in which they have become noted.- The city of
Natchitoches, La., is named after this group of tribes and is
noteworthy as the oldest permanent settlement in the State. The
victory which they enabled St. Denis to win over the Natchez
Indians occupies a noteworthy place in the history of the
section.
Ofo. This tribe entered Louisiana some time in the latter half of
the eighteenth century and finally united with the Tunica,
settling with them at Marksville. (See the article Mosopelea
under Ohio and Tunica under Mississippi.)
Okelousa. Meaning "black water."
Connections.- The associations of this tribe were mainly with
Muskhogean peoples and this fact, coupled with the Muskhogean
name, indicates their linguistic affiliations with a fair degree
of certainty.
Location.- The Okelousa moved about considerably. The best-
determined location is the one mentioned by Le Page du Pratz
(1758), on the west side of the Mississippi back of and above
Pointe Coupee. (See History below.) (See also .Mississippi.)
History.- After De Soto reached the principal Chickasaw town, the
head chief came to him, January 3, 1541, "and promptly gave the
Christians guides and interpreters to go to Caluca, a place of
much repute among the Indians. Caluca is a province of more than
90 villages not subject to anyone, with a savage population, very
warlike and much dreaded, and the soil is fertile in that
section." (See Bourne, 1904, 1922, vol. 2, p. 132.) There is
every reason to think that Caluca is a shortened form of Okalousa
and it is rather likely that the later Okelousa were descended
from these people, but if so either De Soto's informants had very
much exaggerated their numbers or they suffered immense losses
before we hear of them again. The name in De Soto's time may,
however, have been applied to a geographical region. Nicolas de
la Salle, writing in 1682, quotes native informants to the effect
that this tribe, in alliance with the Houma, had destroyed a
third. La Harpe (1831) mentions them as allied with the Washa and
Chawasha and wandering near the seacoast, a statement which led
me to the erroneous conclusion that the three tribes thus
associated were related. The notice of them by Le Page du Pratz
has been mentioned above. They finally united with the Houma, the
Acolapissa, or some other Muskhogean band on the lower
Mississippi.
Population.- Unknown, but for an estimate, see Chawasha.
Opelousa. - Probably from Mobilian and Choctaw Aba lusa, "black
above," and meaning "black headed" or "black haired."
Connections.- No words of the Opelousa language have survived,
but the greater number of the earlier references to them speak as
if they were allied with the Atakapa, and it is probable that
they belonged to the Atakapan group of tribes.
Location.- In the neighborhood of the present Opelousas.
History.- The Opelousa seem to have been mentioned first by
Bienville in an unpublished report on the Indians of the
Mississippi and Gulf regions. They were few in numbers and led a
wandering life. They maintained some sort of distinct tribal
existence into the nineteenth century but disappeared by the end
of the first quarter of it.
Population.- About 1715 this tribe was estimated to have 130
warriors; in 1805 they are said to have had 40, and in 1814 the
total population of the tribe is placed at 20.
Connection in which they have become noted.- The Opelousa gave
their name to an important post and the district depending upon
it.
Ouachita. A tribe of the Natchitoches Confederacy (q. v.).
Pascagoula. This tribe entered Louisiana about 1764 and lived on
Red River and Bayou Boeuf. Their subsequent history is wrapped in
uncertainty. (See Mississippi.)
Quapaw. From 1823 to 1833 the Quapaw lived with the Kadohadacho on
a southern affluent of Red River. (See Arkansas.)
Quinipissa. Signifying "those who see," perhaps meaning "scouts,"
or "outpost."
Connections.- The Quinipissa belonged to the southern division of
the Muskhogean stock, and probably were very closely related to
the Choctaw.
Location.- On the west bank of the Mississippi River and some
distance above New Orleans.
History.- There may have been a connection between this tribe,
the Acolapissa (q. v.) and the Napissa or Napochi. (See
Mississippi.) They were met first by La Salle and his companions
when the latter were on their way to the Gulf of Mexico in 1682.
They treated the explorers in a hostile manner but made peace
with Tonti in 1686. When Iberville ascended the river in 1699, no
tribe of the name was to be found, but later it was learned that
the chief of the Mugulasha tribe, then forming one village with
the Bayogoula, was the same Quinipissa chief who had had dealings
with La Salle and Tonti. According to some writers, the Mugulasha
were identical with the Quinipissa; according to others, the
Mugulasha had absorbed the remains of the Quinipissa. In May
1700, the Bayogoula rose against the Mugulasha and destroyed them
as a tribe, though they probably adopted many of them as
individuals. We hear nothing further regarding them.
Population.- There is no separate estimate of the number of the
Quinipissa. (See Bayogoula.)
Connection in which they have become noted.- The Quinipissa are
noted only for thc encounter, ultimately hostile, which La Salle
had with them in 1682 when he descended to the mouth of the
Mississippi.
Souchitioni, see Natchitoches Confederacy.
Taensa. Meaning unknown, but the name is evidently derived from
that of one of the tribes constituent towns.
Connections.- They were one of the three known tribes of the
Natchez division of the Muskhogean stock.
Location.- At the western end of Lake St. Joseph, in Tensas
Parish. (See also Alabama.)
Villages
The only list of Taensa villages preserved was obtained by
Iberville through the medium of the Mobilian trade language and
it is uncertain how much of each name is a Mobilian translation.
In four of them we recognize the Mobilian word for people, Okla.
These villages are: Taensas, Ohytoucoulas, Nyhougoulas,
Couthaougoula, Conchayon, Talaspa, and Chaoucoula. Gatschet has
endeavored to interpret all but one of them; Taensas by reference
to tan'tci, "corn"; Ohytoucoulas from u'ti, "chestnut";
Couthaougoula from uk'ha'tax, "lake"; Conchayon from ko'nshak,
"reed"; Talaspa from ta'`lapi, "five" or ta'`lepa, "hundred";
Chaoucoula from issi, "deer" or ha'tche, "river." most of these
seem in the highest degree doubtful. All of the towns were
situated close together in the place above indicated.
History.- It is altogether probable that thc Spaniards under De
Soto encountered the Taensa or bands afterward affiliated with
them, and the probability is strengthened by the fact that La
Salle in 1682 was shown some objects of Spanish origin by the
chief of the Tacnsa. However, La Salle and his companions are the
first Europeans known to have met them. The French were treated
with great kindness and no war ever took place between the two
peoples. The Taensa were subsequently visited by Tonti and by
Iberville. When the latter was in their town in 1700 the temple
was destroyed by fire, whereupon five infants were thrown into
the flames to appease the supposedly offended deity. De Montigny
undertook missionary work among them for a brief period but soon
went to the Natchez as presenting a larger field and his place
was never filled. In 1706 the Taensa abandoned their villages on
account of the threatening attitude of the Yazoo and Chickasaw
and settled in the town of the Bayogoula whom they afterward
destroyed or drove away in the tragic manner above described.
(See Bayogoula.) The Taensa appear to have moved shortly to a
spot in the vicinity of Edgard, St. John Baptist Parish, and
later to the Manchac. In 1715 they left this latter place and
moved to Mobile, where they were assigned a townsite 2 leagues
from the French post, at a place formerly occupied by the Tawasa.
Before 1744 they had crossed the Tensaw River, to which they gave
their name, and made a near settlement which they retained until
Mobile was surrendered to the British in 1763. Soon after that
event, they moved to Red River. In April 1764, they asked
permission to establish themselves on the Mississippi River at
the upper end of Bayou La Fourcho, but they seem never to have
gone there. For more than 40 years they occupied a tract of land
on Red River adjoining that of the Apalachee. Early in thc
nineteenth century both tribes sold their lands and moved to
Bayou Boeuf. Still later the Taensa seem to have moved farther
south to a small bayou at the head of Grand Lake which still
bears their name, where they intermarried with the Chitimacha,
Alabama, and Atakapa. Some taensa blood is known to run in the
veins of certain Chitimacha, but as a tribe they are entirely
extinct.
Population.- Mooney's estimate (1928) for the Taensa and Avoyel
in 1650 is 800, and my own for 1698 slightly greater or nearly
the same, although De Montigny (in Shea, 1861), writing in 1699,
gives only 700. In 1700 Iberville estimated 120 cabins and 300
warriors, but in 1702 allows them 150 families. Somewhat later Le
Page du Pratz (1758) says they had about 100 cabins. In 1764 this
tribe, with the Apalachee and Pakana Creeks, counted about 200
all told. Sibley (1832) places the number of Taensa warriors in
1805 at 25.
Connection in which they become noted.- The Taensa were noted for
(1) the peculiarity of their customs, which were like those of
the Natchez, (2) the tragic destruction of their temple in 1700
and the human sacrifices which followed, (3) the perpetuation of
their name in Tensas Parish, Tensas River, and Tensas Bayou, La.,
and the Tensaw River and Tensaw Village in Baldwin County, Ala.
Tangipahoa. Meaning probably "corncob gatherers," or "corncob
people."
Connections.- The name of this tribe and its affiliations with
the Acolapissa indicate that it belonged to the southern division
of the Muskhogean stock.
Location.- Probably on the present Tangipahoa River, Tangipahoa
Parish.
History.- The original home of the Tangipahoa seems to have been
as given above, and their relations with the Acolapissa must have
been very close, for Iberville was informed by some Indians that
they constituted a seventh Acolapissa town. In 1682 La Salle's
party discovered a town on the eastern side of the Mississippi, 2
leagues below the settlement of the Quinipissa, which had
recently been destroyed, and one of his companions calls this
"Tangibao," while others speak of it as hlaheouala or
Mahehoualaima. The last two terms may refer to the name of the
town and the first to that of the tribe which occupied it.
Probably a part of the Tangipahoa only settled here, but, as we
hear little of them after this period, we must assume that they
had been absorbed by some other people, most likely the
Acolapissa.
Population.- (See Acolapissa.)
Connection in which they have become noted.- Tangipalloa Parish,
Tangipahoa River, in Amite and Pike Counties, Miss., and
Tangipahoa Parish, La., and the post town of Tangipahoa preserve
the name of the Tangipahoa.
Tawasa. Some Tawasa accompanied the Alabama to Louisiana but not
until after the separate existence of the tribe had been ended.
(See Alabama.)
Washa. Appearing often in literature in the French form
Ouacha, meaning unknown.
Connection.- The nearest relations of the Washa were the Chawasha
(q.v.) and both belonged to the Chitimachan branch of the
Tunican linguistic family.
Location.- Their earliest known location was on Bayou La Fourche,
perhaps in the neighborhood of the present Labadieville,
Assumption Parish.
Villages
None are known under any but the tribal name.
History.- As stated in treating the Chawasha, this tribe and the
one just mentioned may have been those which attacked Moscoso's
flotilla at the mouth of the Mississippi. Shortly after Iberville
reached America in 1699, the Washa and three other tribes west of
the Mississippi came to make an alliance with him and a little
later, on his way up the great river, he fell in with some of
them. He calls Bayou La Fourche "the River of the Washas." In
July 1699, Bienville made a vain attempt to establish friendly
relations with them, but we hear little more of them until
1715{1} when Bienville moved them to the Mississippi and settled
them 2 leagues above New Orleans on the south side of the
Mississippi. In 1739 the Washa and Chawasha were found living
together at Les Allemands, and they probably continued in the
same neighborhood until a considerably later period. Sibley
(1832) says the tribe in 1805 was reduced to 5 persons (2 men and
3 women) scattered in French families.
Population.- A memoir attributed to Bienville states that in 1715
the Washa numbered 50 warriors, having been reduced from 200.
This is the only separate estimate of them. (See Chawasha for the
combined population of the two tribes for other periods.)
Connection in which they have become noted.- The name Washa is
preserved in Washa Lake, near the seacoast of Terrebonne Parish,
La., and it was formerly given to Lake Salvador, southeast of New
Orleans.
Yatasi. A tribe of the Natchitoches Confederacy (q.v.).
NOTE
{1} So stated In a ms. by Blenville, In Swanton (1911) this date
was given erroneously as 1718 on other authority.
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