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but felt this so keenly that according to Andrews, a Cherokee trader, they "had quitted their lands and were drawn near to the Creeks, who received them kindly." This, however, may refer to the Natchez, because the bulk of the Chickasaw certainly remained in the same situation. Under date of June 15, 1738, the above trader informed William Stephens that the Choctaw and French had fallen out, and this news determined some Chickasaw who had come to Carolina to return.'

To retrieve the disaster he had suffered, Bienville, in 1740, collected a huge army on the Mississippi with which he hoped to deal his enemy a crushing blow, but, being unable adequately to provision such a force, the greater part was soon obliged to disband. A small expedition, under the Canadian Céloron, moved on toward the Chickasaw, who, believing it to be the advance guard of that huge host they had seen assembling against them, entered into a peace agreement, the terms of which on the surface were decidedly favorable to the French. Nevertheless, the Chickasaw recovered their courage as soon as the expedition had dissolved, the treaty became a dead letter, and the Indians were soon raiding French posts and intercepting canoes on the Mississippi as formerly. These wars were not undertaken without great losses on their part. Adair, who was with them in the forties, thus describes the manner in which their numbers had become reduced:

The Chikkasah in the year 1720, had four large contiguous settlements, which lay nearly in the form of three parts of a square, only that the eastern side was five miles shorter than the western with the open part toward the Choktah. One was called Yaneka, about a mile wide and six miles long, at the distance of twelve miles from their present towns. Another was ten computed miles long, at the like distance from their present settlements, and from one to two miles broad. The towns were called Shatara, Chookheereso, Hykehah, Tuskawillao, and Phalacheho. The other square was single, began three miles from their present place of residence, and ran four miles in length, and one mile in breadth. This was called Chookka Pharàah, or "the long house." It was more populous than their whole nation contains at present. The remains of this once formidable people make up the northern angle of that broken square. They now scarcely consist of four hundred and fifty warriors, and are settled three miles westward from the deep creek, in a clear tract of rich land, about three miles square, running afterwards about five miles towards the N. W. where the old fields are usually a mile broad. The superior number of their enemies forced them to take into this narrow circle, for social defence; and to build their towns on commanding ground, at such a convenient distance from one another as to have their enemies, when attacked, between two fires.2

From the estimates of Chickasaw population given in even very early times it would seem that this decrease was not as great as Adair supposes; the matter will be taken up in another place.

Besides the towns above enumerated one or two additional Chickasaw settlements are to be mentioned. Adair speaks of a town occu

1 Ga. Col. Docs., IV, pp. 134, 156.

148061°-22- -27

Adair, Hist. Am. Inds., pp. 352, 353.

pied by them "in the upper or most western part of the Muskohge country, about 300 miles eastward of their own nation," which was known as "Ooe-ása," the latter half of the word evidently from Chickasaw ansha, to settle, to stay. This can not have lasted long, as we find David Taitt, in a letter written at Tukabachee, March 16, 1772, saying:

About Thirteen Chickasaws were at the Abicouchies lately wanting to settle in this Nation: the Head man of the Town gave them leave to settle the Ground they formerly possessed on Condition of their Continuing in this Land, they returned to their own lands and it is uncertain whether they come back.2

The settlement must have been attempted, however, because 11 days later he met the very same number of Chickasaw in the Natchez town, and he says of them:

These Chickasaws are making a Settlement on the side of a Creek called Caimulga, about 15 miles north from this, and falling into the Coosa River at the Chickasaw Trading path, about a mile above Clamahumgey.3

As a "Kiamulgatown" appears in the roll of towns taken just before the removal it is possible that these Chickasaw continued to occupy it until then, but it is more likely that they had been displaced by Creeks, or perhaps Shawnee."

Another Chickasaw settlement was made at a very early date near New Windsor on the South Carolina side of Savannah River. This was not later than the third decade of the eighteenth century, for in 1737, when they moved over to the newly established post of Augusta, Georgia, it is said that they had been located at the former place "for some time past." A Chickasaw band continued near Augusta probably down to the period of the American Revolution. The chief of the band in 1737 was named the "Squirrel King."5

In June, 1755, we find reference to 35 Chickasaw Indians "that usually reside about Augusta;" and under date of November 27, 1760, the same records speak of Chickasaw settled at New Savannah, about 12 miles from Augusta. In 1795 the tribe laid claim to land opposite Augusta on the basis of this early settlement, and a memorial was sent to the United States Government to substantiate it, but it was probably not occupied after the Revolution. The later history of the Savannah band is thus given by Hawkins, quoting Tåsikaia miko, a Kasihta chief. It contains an interesting hint regarding the past history of the people under consideration.

1 Adair, Hist. Am. Inds., p. 54. Mr. Halbert interprets it very plausibly as wiha ansha, "home of emigrants," and identifies it with the Breed Camp mentioned in the census of 1761, perhaps because the Chickasaw Indians are known to have been called "the breed."

Mereness, Trav. in Amer. Col., pp. 525-526.

3 Ibid., pp. 531-532.

* See p. 319.

Ga. Col. Rec., IV, p. 47.

Ibid., VII, p. 206.

7 Ibid., VIII, p. 433.

Ramsey, Ann. of Tenn., p. 81.

Cussetuh and Chickasaw consider themselves as people of one fire (tote-kit-cau humgoce) from the earliest account of their origin. Cussetuh appointed the first Micco for them, directed him to sit down in the big Savanna, where they now are, and govern them. Some of the Chickasaws straggled off and settled near Augusta, from whence they returned and sat down near Cussetuh, and thence back to their nation. Cussetuh and Chickasaw have remained friends ever since their first acquaintance.1

Hawkins adds that on account of this friendship the Kasihta town refused to take part in the war between the Creeks and Chickasaw in 1795. As Hawkins wrote in 1799 it appears that this band of Chickasaw had rejoined their own people by that date.

Still another outsettlement was on the lower course of the Tennessee River, where it is mentioned by Coxe 2 and some other very early writers, but it was soon abandoned for the main settlements. In comparatively late times a small body settled temporarily on the Ohio.

In 1752 and 1753 the Chickasaw defeated MM. Benoist and Reggio. Under date of August, 1754, the Colonial Documents of Georgia inform us that the Chickasaw had been twice attacked, evidently referring to these expeditions, and reported that they could not stand a third assault without help. Aid was in consequence sent to them. A little later war broke out with the Cherokee and terminated about 1768 with a decisive Chickasaw victory on the Chickasaw old fields.5

During this period they were harassed more by the Choctaw and other French Indians than by the French, and their numbers fell off greatly in consequence. Romans, who visited their towns in 1771, compares them with the Choctaw rather to their own disadvantage. He says that the Chickasaw towns, or "town" as he chooses to call it, "they divide into seven by the names of Melattaw (i. e., hat and feather); Chatelaw (i. e., copper town); Chukafalaya (i. e., long town); Hikihaw (i. e., stand still); Chucalissa (i. e., great town); Tuckahaw (i. e., a certain weed); and Ashuck hooma (i. e., red grass); This was formerly inclosed in palisadoes, and thus well fortified against the attacks of small arms, but now it lays open. He says that the traders nicknamed this tribe "the breed," presumably on account of the extent to which it had intermixed with others and with the whites. He himself declares that there were only two genuine Chickasaw of the old stock living-one a man named Northwest.

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The fidelity which this tribe had displayed with but individual exceptions toward the English was afterwards transferred to the Americans, and few disputes arose between the two peoples. In 1786 official relations with the United States Government began

1 Hawkins, Ga. Hist. Soc. Colls., I, p. 83.
French, Hist. Colls. La., 1850, p. 229.

Romans, Concise Nat. Hist. E. and W. Fla., p. 59.
Ga. Col. Rec., VI, pp. 448-450.

It means "town

Haywood, Hist. of Tenn., pp. 446-462.
The translation is wrong.
deserted."

7 Romans, op. cit., p. 63.

when, by the Hopewell treaty, their northern boundary was placed at the Ohio. In 1793-1795 war broke out with the Creeks, who invaded the Chickasaw country to the number of 1,000. Here they attacked a small stockade. They were met by a mere handful of Chickasaw, but an unaccountable panic seized the invaders, who fled precipitately. This victory was won by a body of about 200 Chickasaw. Soon afterwards peace was made.2

Although they were at peace with the white settlers, the latter after this time began to press steadily in upon the Chickasaw, who, by a treaty signed July 23, 1805, made their first cession of territory to the United States Government. Further cessions were made. September 14, 1816, October 19, 1818, and October 20, 1832. By the provisions of the treaty signed on the date last mentioned they yielded up their right to all of their lands to the east of the Mississippi3 and accepted new homes in the territory now included in the State of Oklahoma. The actual migration began in 1822, ten years before the treaty was signed, and extended to 1838. Together with the Choctaw they occupied what is now the southeastern part of this State between the Arkansas and Canadian Rivers on the north and the Red River on the south. The two tribes mingled to.gether rather indiscriminately at first, but were separated in 1855, the Chickasaw being assigned the westernmost part of the above area. Here a national government was established after the pattern of those of the Choctaw and the other "civilized tribes," and this lasted until the nation merged into the State of Oklahoma, of which the Chickasaw are now citizens.

THE CHOCTAW

The present work has been undertaken primarily with the object of furnishing an adequate setting for an understanding of the evolution of the Creek Confederacy and the various elements entering into it. What has been said regarding the South Carolina and Florida tribes and the Chickasaw have marginal importance in the carrying out of this purpose, though they are of less absolute concern. When we come to the Choctaw, however, we are met with a different problem. The Choctaw were always one of the largest southern tribes, and they were more numerous than the Creeks even in the palmiest days of the latter. Although of the same linguistic stock, their customs, social organization, and even their physical characteristics were very different. They never seem to have been on a footing of friendship with the Creeks, and in fact fought them on equal terms during a long period. So far as our acquaintance with them extends they appear to have been a relatively homogeneous

1 Eighteenth Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., part 2, p. 650.
Haywood, Hist. Tenn., p. 461; also Stiggins's MS.

See Eighteenth Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., part 2.

people, whose history lacks the complication of that of most of the tribes so far considered. While it is capable of extended treatment, for our present purpose a few words will tell all about it that we need to know. It is probable that the Apafalaya chief and river spoken of by Ranjel and the Pafallaya province of Elvas,1 refer to the Choctaw, or to some of them, since Adair informs us that "Long Hairs," (Pa"s-falaya) was a name given to the Choctaw by their neighbors. We do not hear of the tribe again until late in the seventeenth century, when they occupied the region in the southeastern part of the present State of Mississippi and the southwestern part of Alabama, which they held until their removal to Oklahoma in the fourth decade of the nineteenth century. A small portion of them have remained in their old country to the present day, while a few are to be found in Louisiana.

POPULATION OF THE SOUTHEASTERN TRIBES

The population of an Indian tribe at any early period in its history can not be determined with exactness. In the case of the Creeks we have to consider not only the Muskogee or Creeks proper, but a number of tribes afterwards permanently or temporarily incorporated with them, and the problem is proportionately complicated. Fortunately we are helped out by a considerable number of censuses, some of which were taken with more than usual care.

The Cusabo tribes were always small, even at the time of their first intercourse with the Spaniards and French, but we have no data regarding their population until the year 1715, just before the outbreak of the Yamasee war, when a careful estimate approaching an actual.enumeration as closely as was possible at that time was made under the auspices of Governor Johnson of South Carolina. There were then two bands left belonging to this group. The "Corsaboys" (i. e., the Cusabo proper) are credited with five villages, 95 men, and a total population of 295, while the Itwans of Charleston Entrance had but one village, with 80 men, and a total population of 240. The entire population of this group was therefore 535, and they are already described as "mixed with the English settlement." The Yamasee war depleted their numbers considerably. Most of them probably remained in the same place, where they progressively declined and disappeared, though a few retired among the inland Indians. The Coosa are not separately enumerated in this list, and it is uncertain whether they were omitted or are included among the Cusabo. According to Adair some of them later joined the Catawba, but probably not all.1

1 Bourne, Narr. of De Soto, I, p. 99; 11, pp. 129-130.

2 Adair, Hist. Am. Inds., p. 192.

S. Car. MS. Docs. at Columbia; also Rivers, Chap. in Early Hist. S. Car., p. 94.

• Adair, Hist. Am. Inds., p. 225.

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