Pacaha was a Native American tribe encountered in 1541 by the
Hernando de SotoHernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European to discover the Mississippi River....
expedition. This tribe inhabited fortified villages in what is today the northeastern portion of the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
ArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquin name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River. Its diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the...
.
The tribe takes its name from the chieftain Pacaha (born in early 1500s), who ruled the tribe from its primary village on the
Mississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
thought to be located in present-day
Crittenden County, ArkansasCrittenden County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, the population was 50,866. The county seat is Marion, while its largest city is West Memphis...
near
TurrellTurrell is a city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 957 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Turrell is located at ....
. The site, part of the
Nodena PhaseThe Nodena Site is an archeological site east of Wilson, Arkansas and northeast of Reverie, Tennessee in Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. Around 1400–1650 CE an aboriginal palisaded village existed in the Nodena area on a meander bend of the Mississippi River. The Nodena site...
, is known to archaeologists as "The Bradley Site".
Pacaha was a Native American tribe encountered in 1541 by the
Hernando de SotoHernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European to discover the Mississippi River....
expedition. This tribe inhabited fortified villages in what is today the northeastern portion of the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
ArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquin name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River. Its diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the...
.
The tribe takes its name from the chieftain Pacaha (born in early 1500s), who ruled the tribe from its primary village on the
Mississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
thought to be located in present-day
Crittenden County, ArkansasCrittenden County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, the population was 50,866. The county seat is Marion, while its largest city is West Memphis...
near
TurrellTurrell is a city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 957 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Turrell is located at ....
. The site, part of the
Nodena PhaseThe Nodena Site is an archeological site east of Wilson, Arkansas and northeast of Reverie, Tennessee in Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. Around 1400–1650 CE an aboriginal palisaded village existed in the Nodena area on a meander bend of the Mississippi River. The Nodena site...
, is known to archaeologists as "The Bradley Site". Information about Chief Pacaha and his people comes from journals made during the expedition of Hernando De Soto in 1541. The de Soto expedition stayed at Pacaha's village for approximately 40 days.
de Soto Expedition
The initial encounter between the Pacaha and the de Soto expedition was violent. Chief Pacaha's tribe had been at war for some time with a neighboring chieftain named
CasquiCasqui was a Native American tribe discovered in 1541 by the Hernando de Soto expedition. This tribe inhabited fortified villages in eastern Arkansas....
. The Casqui tribe is thought to have lived at a site near
Parkin, ArkansasParkin is a city in Cross County, Arkansas, in the United States, along the St. Francis River. The population was 1,602 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Parkin is located at ....
and the location of the present-day
Parkin Archeological State ParkParkin Archeological State Park, also known as Parkin Indian Mound, is an archeological site and state park in Parkin, Cross County, Arkansas. Around 1350–1650 CE an aboriginal palisaded village existed at the site, at the confluence of the St. Francis and Tyronza Rivers. Artifacts from this...
.
De Soto had encountered the
CasquiCasqui was a Native American tribe discovered in 1541 by the Hernando de Soto expedition. This tribe inhabited fortified villages in eastern Arkansas....
tribe first. When he pressed on to visit the Pacaha village, many of the Casqui people followed him. Many of the Pacaha, seeing the approach of their enemy, attempted to flee to an island in the river and drowned. The Casqui who had followed de Soto proceeded to sack the village, desecrate holy sites, and steal everything they could.
The Pacaha controlled more territory and had a larger population than the Casqui. Chief Pacaha was younger than the Casqui chief, however, and seemingly had more to lose from the continued aggressive Casqui attacks. De Soto contacted Chief Pacaha and convinced him that he had nothing to do with the attack and that the expedition's intentions were peaceful. De Soto even assured the Pacaha that the expedition would help the Pacaha attack the Casqui to punish them for their subterfuge.
The Casqui received advance warning of the planned attack. They returned the looted items and issued an apology in order to stave off retribution. De Soto arranged a dinner for the two leaders and arranged a peace treaty between the tribes. Chief Pacaha presented de Soto with one of his wives, one of his sisters, and another woman from his tribe. This action was in gratitude for the arrangement of peace and also to outdo his rival, who had only presented a daughter to de Soto.
The Hernando de Soto expedition records are the only historical records of Chief Pacaha and his tribe. Their later history is uncertain.
The name Pacaha was spelled Capaha in one account. Some scholars believe this word is related to the
QuapawThe Quapaw people are a tribe of Native Americans who historically resided on the west side of the Mississippi River in what is now the state of Arkansas. Today they live in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, where there is a Quapaw tribal jurisdictional area, which includes the Tar Creek Superfund site. ...
tribe who were found in Arkansas during expeditions in the 17th and 18th centuries. The primary village of the eastern Arkansas Quapaw was named "Kappa" or "Kappah". Human and cultural remains found at the suspected Pacaha site are repatriated to the Quapaw and
Tunica-BiloxiThe Tunica-Biloxi is a tribe of native Americans living in Mississippi and east central Louisiana. They got their food by hunting, farming, and fishing. This tribe was very important to the making of Louisiana's history. Nowadays, they provide and operate a fully functional casino-resort in...
tribes, which are still in existence.
Controversy
The accepted path of de Soto's travels was established by the research of the de Soto Commission in 1939 led by Dr.
John R. SwantonJohn Reed Swanton was an American anthropologist who worked with Native American peoples throughout the United States....
. It has been generally accepted by the United States government and most archaeologists as the actual route. Some detractors claim that de Soto instead travelled north into the states of
IndianaIndiana is a U.S. state, the 19
th admitted to the Union. It is located in the Great Lakes region, and with approximately 6.3 million residents, is ranked 16
th in population and 17
th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38
th in land area, and is the...
and
IllinoisIllinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
and found the
Ohio RiverThe Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. It is approximately 981 miles long and is located in the eastern United States....
instead of the
Mississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
.
Due to this controversy, some claim that the town of Pacaha was actually located on the present day site of
Terre Haute, IndianaTerre Haute is a city in Vigo County, Indiana near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 59,614 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and the self-proclaimed capital of the...
, with the Casqui tribe living near present-day
Vincennes, IndianaThe city of Vincennes is the county seat of Knox County, Indiana. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. As of the 2000 census, the population was 18,701...
. This route is not the officially accepted route but archaeological study and analysis continues.
See also
- List of sites and peoples visited by the Hernando de Soto Expedition
- Casqui
Casqui was a Native American tribe discovered in 1541 by the Hernando de Soto expedition. This tribe inhabited fortified villages in eastern Arkansas....
- Parkin Archeological State Park
Parkin Archeological State Park, also known as Parkin Indian Mound, is an archeological site and state park in Parkin, Cross County, Arkansas. Around 1350–1650 CE an aboriginal palisaded village existed at the site, at the confluence of the St. Francis and Tyronza Rivers. Artifacts from this...
- Nodena Site
The Nodena Site is an archeological site east of Wilson, Arkansas and northeast of Reverie, Tennessee in Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. Around 1400–1650 CE an aboriginal palisaded village existed in the Nodena area on a meander bend of the Mississippi River. The Nodena site...
- Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
- Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
The Southeastern Ceremonial Complex is the name given to the regional stylistic similarity of artifacts, iconography, ceremonies and mythology of the Mississippian culture that coincided with their adoption of maize agriculture and chiefdom-level complex social organization from...
External links