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Natchitoch Indian Tribe
Natchitoch (Caddo form, Näshi/tosh).
A tribe of. the Caddo confederacy which spoke a dialect similar to
that of the Yatasi but different from that of the
Kadohadacho and
its closely affiliated tribes. Their villages were in the
neighborhood of the present city of Natchitoches, near those of
another tribe called Doustioni. Whether the army of De Soto
encountered them is unknown, but after La Salle's tragic death among
the Hasinai his companions traversed their country, and Douay speaks
of them as a "powerful nation." In 1690 Tonti reached them from the
Mississippi and made an alliance; and in 1699 Iberville learned of
them through a Taensa Indian, but did not visit them in person. Next
year, however, he sent is brother Bienville across to them from the
Taensa villages. From that time and throughout the many vicissitudes
of the 18th century the tribe never broke faith with the French. In
1705 they came to St Denis, commandant of the first French fort on
the Mississippi, and asked to be settled in some place where they
might obtain provisions, as their corn had been ruined. They were
placed near the Acolapissa, and remained there until 1712 when St
Denis took them back to their old country to assist them in
establishing a new post as a protection against Spanish
encroachments, and also in the hope of opening up commercial
relations. This post, to which a garrison was added in 1714,
remained an important center for trade and travel toward the south
west for more than a century. St Denis sent messages to the tribes
living in the vicinity, urging them to abandon their villages and
come to settle near the post, assuring them that he would never
forsake them. Some of the tribes yielded to his persuasions, hoping
to find safety during the disturbances of the period, but the
movement only accelerated the disintegration already begun. In 1731,
St Denis, at the head of the Natchitoch and other Indians, besides a
few Spaniards, inflicted severe defeat on a strong party of
Natchez under the Flour
chief, killing about 80 of them. The Natchez, after their wars
against the French, had fled to Red river and were living not far
from the trading post and fort. The importance of this establishment
and the friendliness of the Natchitoch made the latter so
conspicuous in the affairs of the time that during the first half of
the 18th century Red river was known as the Natchitock, a variant of
Nashitosh or Natchitoch. DuPratz states that about 1730 their
village near the French post numbered 200 cabins. Owing to wars in
which they were forced to take part, to the introduction of new
diseases, particularly smallpox and measles, the population of the
tribe rapidly declined. In his report to President Jefferson, in
1805, Sibley gives their number as only 50, and adds, "The French
inhabitants have a great respect for these natives, and a number of
families have a mixture of their blood in them." Shortly afterward
they ceased to exist as a distinct tribe, having been completely
amalgamated with the other tribes of the Caddo confederacy, from
whom they differed in no essential of custom, or of ceremonial or
social organization.
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historical value only and are not the
opinions of the Webmasters of the site.
Handbook
of American Indians, 1906
Index of Tribes or Nations
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