it included the Santee, Sewee, Etiwaw, Wando, Stono, Kiawa, Edisto, Ashepoo, Combahee, Indians of St. Helena, Wimbee, Witcheau, and Coosa. However, there is good reason to reject the Santee and Sewee from this association and to place them with the Siouan tribes of the east, to which the Catawba and other tribes of northeastern South Carolina and eastern North Carolina belonged. This is the conclusion of Mooney, and it is confirmed by the following arguments. On his second expedition toward the north, in 1609, Francisco Fernandez de Ecija had as interpreter, "for all that coast," Maria de Miranda, a woman from the neighborhood of Santa Elena, named presumably from the former governor of Santa Elena, Gutierrez de Miranda. In Cayagua entrance (Charleston Harbor) he met a Christian Indian, Alonso, with whom he had previously had dealings and who is spoken of as "interpreter (lengua) of the River Jordan," the Santee, upon which stream his own town was located. Ecija states that Alonso and Maria de Miranda understood one another and even goes so far as to state that "they spoke the same language." From what follows, however, it is evident that we are to understand only that they understood and could use the same languages, for just below Ecija says of another Indian whom he calls "mandador of the River Jordan" that he spoke through the said Maria de Miranda, "because the said Indian understood something of the language of Escamaqu." This indicates that the language of the Santee River people was distinct from that of "Escamaqu" or Santa Elena. While he was on the Santee, Ecija secured the surrender of a Frenchman living among the "Sati" (Santee) Indians. This man declared that he had obtained news of the English colony to the northward from three Indians, and when the explorers were in Charleston Harbor on their return an Indian came down the river who he said was one of those who had informed him. Ecija questioned this Indian, but "understanding that he (the Indian) understood the language of Santa Elena, the said captain (Ecija) commanded that the said Maria de Miranda should speak with him. Then he asked him through her the same questions that the Frenchman had asked him in the language of Sati." These facts show plainly that the language spoken on Santee River and that of Santa Elena were not mutually intelligible. In 1700-1701 John Lawson traveled northeastward from Charleston to the Tuscarora country, thus passing through the very heart of the eastern Siouan territory. He visited and described both the Santee and Sewee and hence must have had opportunities to hear their speech. It is significant, therefore, that he states of the languages of all the people through whose territories he had passed that none of them had the sounds f or l. This is true of Catawba, the sole representative of the Siouan languages of the east from which we have much material. It is therefore probable that Lawson was correct for the other languages to which he refers. Santee and Sewee would thus share this dialectic peculiarity and be associated by it with the other eastern Siouan tribes. On the other hand, several town or tribal and personal names from the Cusabo country contain and one an f. It is perhaps significant that in forming companies of his Indian allies before marching against the Tuscarora, Capt. Barnwell placed the "Corsaboy" in one company with the Yamasee, Yuchi, and Apalachee, while the "Congerees and Sattees," the last of whom must be the Santee, were with the "Watterees, Sagarees, Catabas, Suterees, and Waxaws." The composition of his other companies shows clearly that neighboring and related tribes were purposely placed together. On the other hand, there are certain linguistic considerations which seem to indicate an alliance between the Cusabo tribes proper and the Indians of the Muskhogean stock. It is to be noted that the French Huguenots established among the Cusabo in 1562 visited the Guale chief to obtain corn, accompanied by Cusabo guides, and had no difficulty in communicating with him. When Spanish missionaries were sent to the Province of Guale, south of the Savannah, they composed a grammar in the language of the people among whom they lived, and this grammar subsequently fell into the hands of missionaries among the Cusabo. It would naturally be supposed that if any radical difference existed between the languages of the two provinces some comment would have been made, but neither the missionaries at this time nor the Spanish explorers then or later so much as hint that any such difference existed, though they do indeed recognize the country north of the Savannah River as constituting a distinct province from that to the southward. In 1600, when testimony was taken from a number of Guale chiefs, it is stated in a letter detailing the proceedings that "the notary who had been eight years in the Province of Santa Elena, although he did not speak the language, understood much of the languages of those provinces, and attested that the Guale Indians 1 Lawson, Hist. Carolina, p. 378. 2 In his vocabulary of Woccon, another Siouan dialect, there is no ƒ and but one 1, in the word for "duck." 3 See pp. 20-24. 4 South Carolina Hist. and Genealogical Mag., ix, pp. 30-31. 5 Since their guides belonged to the Maccou or Escamacu tribe, which there is some reason to think may have been identical with that later known as Yamacraw, this fact might not in itself be conclusive, but these Maccou were found to be associating intimately with the other Cusabo tribes in their neighborhood without any suggestion of a difference in language, and a little later the Spaniards applied their name to the entire district or "province" otherwise designated Orista or Santa Elena, the southern part of the Cusabo territory (see p. 60). Ruidiaz, La Florida, п, p. 307; Barcia, La Florida, pp. 138-139. spoke the truth." Somewhat more equivocal is a reference to an interpreter named Diego de Cardenas, who is said to have "understood the language of Santa Elena and also that of the Province of Guale." He himself testifies, in 1601, that he "has been many times in the lengua de Guale and is lengua of that (province) and of Escamacu." Most important of all is, of course, the flat statement by Gov. Pedro Menendez Marques, when, in writing in 1580 of the Indians of Santa Elena, among whom he then was, he says "they speak the Guale language." A more nearly literal translation of the words he uses would perhaps be, "It (Santa Elena) pertains to the linguistic Province of Guale (viene á la lengua de Guale)."" In his expedition north on the Atlantic coast, to which reference has already been made,3 Governor Ibarra went no farther than Guale (St. Catherines Island), but one of the chiefs who came to see him at this place was named Oya, in all probability the same as the Oya or Hoya mentioned by French and Spaniards as living near the present Beaufort, S. C. While Ibarra was at St. Catherines we also learn that "the chief of Aluete said that the chief of Talapo and the chief of Ufalague and the chief of Orista, his nephew and heirs, were his vassals and had left him and gone to live with the mico of Asao" (St. Simons Island); and when the governor came to Asao on his return he met them there and had a conference with them.5 Orista was certainly a Cusabo chief, and there is every reason to suppose that the others mentioned with him were also Cusabo. As we have already stated, in his dealings with the Indians north of Cumberland Island, Governor Ibarra employed two interpreters, Juan de Junco and Santiago. There is no hint that any change was made after that time, and not the slightest indication that the Cusabo employed a language different from that of the Guale Indians, among whom Ibarra met them. The chief of Oya is referred to as a "mico" along with the chief of Guale, while the chiefs Talapo, Ufalague, and Orista seemed to have moved down the coast to Asao as the result of some slight disagreement with their neighbors and to have settled there as if they were perfectly at home. Again, as has already been remarked, while ƒ and l are absent from the Siouan dialects to the north, r is a conspicuous sound, appearing in such names as Congaree, Sugeree, Wateree, Shakori, etc. It also appears in one form of the name Santee given by Lawson-Seretee. On the other hand, it is wanting in all Cusabo names that have come down to us with one or two exceptions which need cause no disturbance. Thus, the name Orista, given above, appears persistently in 1 Lowery, MSS. * Lowery and Brooks, MSS. 4 Serrano y Sanz, Doc. Hist., p. 188. Ibid., p. 191. Spanish documents, but it is evidently the Edisto of the English and the Audusta of the French. The Edisto are in one place called Edistare, but it is probable that this form was after the analogy of the Siouan names, and it may, in fact, have been obtained through a Siouan interpreter. Moreover, Laudonnière, on inquiring of the Cusabo Indians about the great chief Chicora, of whom he had learned through Spanish writings, was told instead of a chief Chiquola living toward the north. The l, it is to be seen, is substituted for r. Spanish attempts to record the Cusabo language were cut short by the unfriendliness of the natives and the abandonment of the missions. Linguistic material may yet be discovered, however, among the unpublished documents of Spain. At all events the Spaniards had a very much better excuse than our own South Carolina colonists for their almost complete failure to make any permanent record of the language of the people among whom their first settlements were made. A few detached phrases and the following place, personal, and other names are practically all that is left of Cusabo: ABLANDOLES. Mentioned together with the "Chiluques" as a tribe of Santa Elena. As the latter probably refers to a non-Cusabo tribe, the Cherokee, the former may not be a Cusabo tribe either.2 AHOYABI, AOBI (?). A small town near Ahoya, or Hoya. ALUSH. A chief of Edisto.3 ALUSTE, ALUESTE, ALIESTE, ALUETE. A chief and village probably located near Beaufort, South Carolina. This may be only a form of Edisto (see p. 60). APPEE-BEE. The Indian name of Foster Creek, S. C. ASHEPOO, ASHIPOO, ASSHEPOO, ASHA-PO, ISHPOW. A tribe and a river named from it still so called; in one place this is made a synonym for Edisto. AWENDAW, OWENDAW, AU-EN-DAU-BOO-E. An old town, perhaps Sewee." The name is preserved to the present day. BABICKOCK. A creek flowing into Edisto River, near its mouth. BACKBOOKS, BACKHOOKS. Coast people at war with the Santee; they may have been Siouan instead of Cusabo.7 BARCHO AMINI. An Indian of Santa Elena of the town of Cambe, perhaps a Spanish name.2 BLUACACAY. A Santa Elena Indian.2 BOHICKET. An Indian village near Rockville, S. C.; a creek and a modern place are still so called.8 BOO-SHOO-EE, BOO-CHAW-EE. A name for the land about the peninsula between Dorchester Creek and Ashley River. There are a number of variants of this name." CALLAWASSIE. An island on one side of Colleton River. 10 CAMBE. A town in the province of Santa Elena.2 CATUCO. Name given in one place to the fort at Santa Elena. It seems to be an Indian word.11 1 Laudonnière, Hist. Not. de la Floride, pp. 29–31. 2 Copy of MS. in Ayer Coll., Newberry Lib. 3 S. Car. Hist. Soc. Colls., v, pp. 20, 170. Serrano y Sanz, Doc. Hist., pp. 187-188. S. Car. Hist. and Gen. Mag., VI, p. 64. 7 Ibid., p. 45. S. Car. Hist. Soc. Colls., v, pp. 63, 334. 9 S. Car. Hist. and Gen. Mag., vi, p. 63 et seq. 10 Modern name. 11 Brooks, MSS. CHATUACHE, SATUACHE, SATOACHE. A town and mission station 6 to 10 leagues north of the Spanish fort of Santa Elena.1 CHEHAW. A river; the name probably refers to the Chiaha tribe, to be discussed later.2 CHICHESSEE, CHECHESSA. A river flowing into Port Royal Sound, and also a creek, otherwise known as Deer Creek.2 CLOWTER. Head warrior of the "Ittuans.' It appears from certain writers that he took his name from a white family of the name Crowder, therefore it is not really an Indian name.3 СОМВАНЕЕ, СОМВОНЕ, СОМВЕНЕ, СОМВЕЕ, СОМВАНЕ. A tribe on a river which still bears their name; they were bounded by the Coosa, who were said to live northeast of Combahee River. Coosa, Kusso, Causa, CussOES, KUSSOES, Kusso, Coosoe, Cussoe, Coosaw, KUSIAH, CUSSAH, KISSAH, CASOR, COCAOYO, Cocao, Cozao. A tribe sometimes reckoned among the Cusabo and sometimes excluded from them. They lived on the upper reaches of the rivers from the Ashley to the Coosawhatchie.* CUSABO, CUSABES, CORSA BOY, CUSABEES, CUSABOE, COOSABOYS, KORSABOI, CUSSOBOS, COÇAPOY, COSAHUE, COSAPUE, COSSAPUE. Collective name for the tribes, or part of the tribes, now under discussion. Originally it seems to have been applied to a town (see p. 58). COTEBAS. A place." DATHA, DATHAW. An island on the coast. This is south of Port Royal Sound; and although it is in South Carolina it may have been in the Yamasee territory. It is also given as the name of a chief.” DAWHO. A modern river name. EDISTO, EDISTAH, EDISTA, EDISTOE, EDISTOH, EDISTOW, EDISLOH, EDISTARE, ODISTASH, ORISTA, ORISTANUM (Latinized), AUDUSTA, ADUSTA, USTA. One of the Cusabo tribes.8 ESCAMACU, EESCAMAQU, ESCAMAQU, ESCAMAQUU, ESCAMATU, USCAMACU, Camacu, CAMAQU, MACCou. One of the most important of the tribes near Port Royal in Spanish times; it frequently gave its name to the province (see p. 60). ETIWAW, ETEWAUS, ETIWANS, ITTAWANS, ITUAN, ITWAN, ITTAVANS, ETTIWAN, ITAWANS, ETWANS, ITAWANS, ILWANS, EUTAW (?). A tribe on Wando River, sometimes included with the Cusabo and sometimes excluded from them." GUALDAPE. Name of the region where Ayllón made his last settlement, in 1526 (see pp. 38-41). HEMALO. A Cusabo chief who visited Madrid and was killed by a Spanish captain in 1576. HOBCAW POINT. The extreme south termination of land lying between the Waccamaw River and the sea; also a point on the south bank of Wando River where it debouches into Cooper River, now Remley's Point. The name Hobcaw Neck was applied anciently to all land between Shem-ee Creek and Wando River.10 1 Serrano y Sanz, Doc. Hist., p. 132; Lowery, MSS. 2 Modern name. 'South Carolina Pub. Docs., MS. The name occurs in numerous places. See p. 68 et seq. Occurs in numerous places. See pp. 31-80 following; also Mooney, Bull. 22, Bur. Amer. Ethn., pp. 82, 86. S. Car. Hist. Soc. Colls., v, p. 332. 7 See p. 42. • Modern geographical name. See pp. 24-25. 10 S. Car. Hist. and Gen. Mag., XIV, p. 61. |