Coushatta
Encyclopedia
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The Coushatta are a historic Muskogean-speaking Native American
people living primarily in the U.S.
state of Louisiana
. When first encountered by Europeans, they lived in the territory of present-day Georgia
and Alabama
. Under pressure from Anglo-American colonial settlement, after 1763 and the French defeat in the Seven Years War, they began to move west into Mississippi
, Louisiana and Texas
, then under Spanish rule, where they were resettled by the early nineteenth century. Some of the Coushatta and closely allied Alabama
were removed west to Oklahoma
in the 1830s under Indian Removal
, together with other Muscogee peoples.
Today there are three federally recognized tribal governments and centers of population: the largest is the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana on 685 acres (2.8 km²) of reservation land in Allen Parish
. This is just north of the town of Elton
, Louisiana. The new Leatherwood Museum in Oakdale
, the largest community in Allen Parish, features an exhibit on the Coushatta.
Other federally recognized Coushatta tribes are the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, with a reservation near Livingston, Texas
; and the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town
in Wetumka, Oklahoma
.
, beans and squash, and supplementing their diet by hunting game and fish. They were known for their skill at basketry. Nearly all the Spanish expeditions (including the 1539-1543 Hernando de Soto Expedition) into the interior of Spanish Florida
recorded encountering the original town of the tribe. They referred to them as Coste, with their nearby neighbors being the Chiaha, Chiska, Yuchi
, Tasquiqui, and Tali. Their town was most likely in the Tennessee River Valley. (Click here for a list of towns encountered by the Hernando de Soto Expedition.)
Under pressure from new European settlers in the 17th-18th centuries, the Coushatta made treaties and ceded land, and they migrated west into present-day Alabama
. Along the way they established their town at Nickajack (Ani-Kusati-yi, or Koasati-place, in Cherokee) in the current Marion County, Tennessee
. Later they founded a major settlement at the north end of Long-Island-on-the-Tennessee, which is bisected by the present-day Tennessee-Alabama stateline. By the time of the American Revolution
, they had moved many miles down the Tennessee River
where their town is recorded as Coosada. In the 18th centuries, some of the Coushatta (Koasati) joined the emerging Creek Confederacy, where they became known as part of the "Upper Creek". They were closely related to the Alabama
Indians. Once part of the Creek Confederacy, the Coushatta tribe split and went to South Louisiana.
Notable chiefs among the Coushatta were the successive Long King and Colita, who led the people settled in present-day Polk County, Texas in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Colita's Village preceded the European-American development of Livingston
.
, in the Muskogean
family, is still spoken by some 400 people. In the early 21st century, fewer young people are learning it.
In 1972, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana achieved state recognition as a tribe, and in 1973 achieved federal recognition. They have acquired 685 acres (2.8 km²) of reservation, which is held in trust by the Department of Interior. In the twentieth century, the Coushatta people in Louisiana began cultivating rice and crawfish on tribally owned farms. This is where most of the contemporary population resides.
In the 1990s, the Coushatta of Louisiana hired the lobbyist Jack Abramoff
to assist them in pursuing establishing gambling on their reservation. They were taken advantage of in the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal
. They have established gaming on their reservation, as well as tax-free sales of certain items. The initiatives have raised significant revenues for the tribe and region, but the state filed suit to stop the specific class of gaming. Litigation is underway.
The Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town
in Wetumka, Oklahoma
achieved federal recognition in 1939, following passage of the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act
of 1936. In addition, its people have dual citizenship in the federally recognized Muscogee Creek Nation. It has an enrolled population of 370. The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas achieved federal recognition in 1987 and has a 4600 acres (18.6 km²) reservation near Livingston, Texas
. It has 500 enrolled members.
The Coushatta are a historic Muskogean-speaking Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
people living primarily in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. When first encountered by Europeans, they lived in the territory of present-day Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Under pressure from Anglo-American colonial settlement, after 1763 and the French defeat in the Seven Years War, they began to move west into Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Louisiana and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, then under Spanish rule, where they were resettled by the early nineteenth century. Some of the Coushatta and closely allied Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
were removed west to Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
in the 1830s under Indian Removal
Indian Removal
Indian removal was a nineteenth century policy of the government of the United States to relocate Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the river...
, together with other Muscogee peoples.
Today there are three federally recognized tribal governments and centers of population: the largest is the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana on 685 acres (2.8 km²) of reservation land in Allen Parish
Allen Parish, Louisiana
Allen Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Oberlin. As of the 2000 census, the population was 25,440. Allen Parish is in southwestern Louisiana, southwest of Alexandria....
. This is just north of the town of Elton
Elton, Louisiana
Elton is a town in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,261 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jennings Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Louisiana. The new Leatherwood Museum in Oakdale
Oakdale, Louisiana
Oakdale is a small city in Allen Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,137 at the 2000 census.Oakdale was founded as "Dunnsville" by William T. Dunn...
, the largest community in Allen Parish, features an exhibit on the Coushatta.
Other federally recognized Coushatta tribes are the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, with a reservation near Livingston, Texas
Livingston, Texas
Livingston is a town in Polk County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,433 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Polk County. Livingston was settled in 1835 as Springfield. Its name was changed to Livingston and became the county seat of Polk County in 1846.The Alabama-Coushatta...
; and the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town
Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town
The Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town is both a federally recognized Native American tribe and a traditional township of Muskogean-speaking Alabama and Coushatta peoples. Their traditional languages include Alabama, Koasati, and Mvskoke...
in Wetumka, Oklahoma
Wetumka, Oklahoma
Wetumka is a city in Hughes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,451 at the 2000 census. It is the headquarters for two federally recognized tribes, the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town and the Kialegee Tribal Town...
.
History
The Coushatta were traditionally agriculturalists, growing a variety of maizeMaize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, beans and squash, and supplementing their diet by hunting game and fish. They were known for their skill at basketry. Nearly all the Spanish expeditions (including the 1539-1543 Hernando de Soto Expedition) into the interior of Spanish Florida
Spanish Florida
Spanish Florida refers to the Spanish territory of Florida, which formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba, the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and the Spanish Empire. Originally extending over what is now the southeastern United States, but with no defined boundaries, la Florida was a component of...
recorded encountering the original town of the tribe. They referred to them as Coste, with their nearby neighbors being the Chiaha, Chiska, Yuchi
Yuchi
For the Chinese surname 尉迟, see Yuchi.The Yuchi, also spelled Euchee and Uchee, are a Native American Indian tribe who traditionally lived in the eastern Tennessee River valley in Tennessee in the 16th century. During the 17th century, they moved south to Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina...
, Tasquiqui, and Tali. Their town was most likely in the Tennessee River Valley. (Click here for a list of towns encountered by the Hernando de Soto Expedition.)
Under pressure from new European settlers in the 17th-18th centuries, the Coushatta made treaties and ceded land, and they migrated west into present-day Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Along the way they established their town at Nickajack (Ani-Kusati-yi, or Koasati-place, in Cherokee) in the current Marion County, Tennessee
Marion County, Tennessee
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 27,776. Its county seat is Jasper.Marion County is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
. Later they founded a major settlement at the north end of Long-Island-on-the-Tennessee, which is bisected by the present-day Tennessee-Alabama stateline. By the time of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, they had moved many miles down the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
where their town is recorded as Coosada. In the 18th centuries, some of the Coushatta (Koasati) joined the emerging Creek Confederacy, where they became known as part of the "Upper Creek". They were closely related to the Alabama
Alabama (people)
The Alabama or Alibamu are a Southeastern culture people of Native Americans, originally from Mississippi...
Indians. Once part of the Creek Confederacy, the Coushatta tribe split and went to South Louisiana.
Notable chiefs among the Coushatta were the successive Long King and Colita, who led the people settled in present-day Polk County, Texas in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Colita's Village preceded the European-American development of Livingston
Livingston, Texas
Livingston is a town in Polk County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,433 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Polk County. Livingston was settled in 1835 as Springfield. Its name was changed to Livingston and became the county seat of Polk County in 1846.The Alabama-Coushatta...
.
20th century to present
The Coushatta languageKoasati language
Koasati is a Native American language of Muskogean origin. The language is spoken by the Coushatta people, most of whom live in Allen Parish north of the town of Elton, Louisiana, though a smaller number share a reservation near Livingston, Texas, with the Alabama people...
, in the Muskogean
Muskogean languages
Muskogean is an indigenous language family of the Southeastern United States. Though there is an ongoing debate concerning their interrelationships, the Muskogean languages are generally divided into two branches, Eastern Muskogean and Western Muskogean...
family, is still spoken by some 400 people. In the early 21st century, fewer young people are learning it.
In 1972, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana achieved state recognition as a tribe, and in 1973 achieved federal recognition. They have acquired 685 acres (2.8 km²) of reservation, which is held in trust by the Department of Interior. In the twentieth century, the Coushatta people in Louisiana began cultivating rice and crawfish on tribally owned farms. This is where most of the contemporary population resides.
In the 1990s, the Coushatta of Louisiana hired the lobbyist Jack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff is an American former lobbyist and businessman. Convicted in 2006 of mail fraud and conspiracy, he was at the heart of an extensive corruption investigation that led to the conviction of White House officials J. Steven Griles and David Safavian, U.S. Representative Bob Ney, and nine...
to assist them in pursuing establishing gambling on their reservation. They were taken advantage of in the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal
Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal
The Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal is a United States political scandal relating to the work performed by political lobbyists Jack Abramoff, Ralph E. Reed, Jr., Grover Norquist and Michael Scanlon on Indian casino gambling interests for an estimated $85 million in fees. Abramoff and Scanlon...
. They have established gaming on their reservation, as well as tax-free sales of certain items. The initiatives have raised significant revenues for the tribe and region, but the state filed suit to stop the specific class of gaming. Litigation is underway.
The Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town
Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town
The Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town is both a federally recognized Native American tribe and a traditional township of Muskogean-speaking Alabama and Coushatta peoples. Their traditional languages include Alabama, Koasati, and Mvskoke...
in Wetumka, Oklahoma
Wetumka, Oklahoma
Wetumka is a city in Hughes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,451 at the 2000 census. It is the headquarters for two federally recognized tribes, the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town and the Kialegee Tribal Town...
achieved federal recognition in 1939, following passage of the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act
Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act
The Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of 1936, also known as the Thomas-Rogers Act, is a United States federal law that extended the US Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. It sought to return some form of tribal government to the many tribes in former Indian Territory...
of 1936. In addition, its people have dual citizenship in the federally recognized Muscogee Creek Nation. It has an enrolled population of 370. The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas achieved federal recognition in 1987 and has a 4600 acres (18.6 km²) reservation near Livingston, Texas
Livingston, Texas
Livingston is a town in Polk County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,433 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Polk County. Livingston was settled in 1835 as Springfield. Its name was changed to Livingston and became the county seat of Polk County in 1846.The Alabama-Coushatta...
. It has 500 enrolled members.
Film
- Rediscovering America: The Legends and Legacy of Our Past, part 2: Indians Among Us (1992). Produced and directed by Jonathan Donald; written by Roger Kennedy. Discovery Communications, Inc.
External links
- Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, Official site
- Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, Official site
- Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town, Official site