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The Alabama-Coushatta Indians

By R. E. Moore

These are two tribes that combined to live together, the Alabama tribe and the Coushatta tribe. Neither tribe is originally from Texas. Both are from the Southeast -- Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. The Alabama are one tribe from Alabama and the Coushatta are another. Both were forced to move to Texas. The Alabama are a sub-tribe of the Creek Indian tribe, so anything you can find on the Creeks will be useful to you. The Creeks were, and still are, a large and important tribe. The Creek tribe was formed from the survivors of the many mound building tribes who lived in the Southeast United States. The Creek Indians are one of the five "civilized tribes" from the Southeast who now live in Oklahoma.

The record of the first contact with the Alabama comes from the De Soto expedition in 1641. Desoto found the "Alibamo" tribe in central Mississippi and attacked a killed many of them in a fierce battle. Later they moved east into present day Alabama where they lived at the junction of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers. DeSoto also found the Coushata living on the Tennessee river. By the 1780s the Americans wanted the land in Alabama and the Alabama were forced to move west across the Mississippi river into Louisiana around Opelousa. Around 1803 they moved west again into across the Sabine river into Northeast Texas. They were settled in the region of the Hasinais Caddo Indians where they still live today. In 1858 they were given 1280 acres of land where their reservation is today. In 1955 the Federal Government turned the administration of the reservation over to the State of Texas. So, this is not an official reservation like other Indians have.

The Alabama Coushatta are a culture of farmers who live in villages. Before contact with Europeans, they lived in Indian style houses in large villages. By historical times, 1700-1900, they lived in European style houses on European style farms. They were very much like the Caddo and the other Southeastern Indian tribes. Look for info about the Caddo, Creeks, Cherokees, or other southern Indians.

The Alabama-Coushatta are both part of the Southeastern Mound Building cultures. These cultures include the Creeks, Cherokees, Caddo, Natchez, Choctaw, Muscogee and others. All of these tribes shared a common religion. Each tribe had its own traditions and way of observing this religion. But the basic beliefs, ceremonies and traditions are basically the same.

They built huge temple mounds of dirt. These were like pyramids. On top they would place a temple or the house of a priest or chief. There are thousands of these mounds all over the southern US. In Texas the Caddo built mounds. You can visit Indian Mounds State Park near Alto and see some of them.

Fire was an important part of their religious tradition. Each house kept a sacred fire going all the time. At the main temple there was also a fire that burned all the time. These fires were built a special way. They would place four logs in the shape of a cross around the central fire. One log would point north, one east, one south and one west. As the fire burned the ends of these logs the people would push them in to the center. A home fire would have small logs and a dance ground, would have big logs to last longer. Fire was believed to be a part of the sun and the sun represented the highest God. Here is the Southeastern Indian symbol for fire and the sun.

The arms are the logs and the small circle in the middle is the fire.

For food these Indians farmed corn, beans, squash and other crops. They would also hunt deer and gather berries, roots, and nuts. They used bows and arrows to hunt larger animals in the forests like deer. One favorite food was bear. Bear meat must be very good to eat because the Indians and Europeans seemed to have liked it more than deer or beef when they could get it. To hunt smaller animals like birds and rabbits they used blow guns made from long lengths of cane.

They did things to make hunting easier in the woods around where they lived and farmed. Early European explorers reported finding the woods cleared like a European park. This means the grass was short and the undergrowth was cleared away. The Indians did not have tractors or lawn mowers to do this. They would set fires in the woods to burn away the old taller grass and small shrubs and bushes without hurting the old trees with thick bark. If this is done every year or so, the fire keeps the undergrowth out. The Indians would do this in the fall and winter. In the spring new green grass would get more sun and grow better on the burned areas than in undergrowth. This tender green grass would attract deer and animals to hunt. These fires also made it easier to find acorns and nuts on the ground. The Southeastern Indians used a lot of acorns for food. So these fires were useful and not destructive. This is one way the Indians controlled their environment. Here is a Myth about how the Indians got fire.

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"When Bear Lost Fire"
from Texas Indian Myths and Legends
by Jane Archer, Wordware Publishing

Bear roamed through thick forests, eating sweet honey from bee hives, fishing in rushing streams, and sleeping through long winters in deep, warm caves. Strong and powerful, Bear owned Fire.

Bear carried Fire everywhere, but one day Bear grew distracted by an abundance of tasty acorns. Bear set Fire on the ground, then gobbled up acorns with no thought to Fire.

Soon Fire burned low and grew afraid, for Bear moved farther away under ancient trees, tossing acorns into massive jaws.

"Help me!" Fire tried to burn brighter but with no success.

Bear didn't hear, having spotted a beehive. Thoughts of a thick yellow comb dripping with sticky sweetness danced in Bear's head. Copyright, 2000, Jane Archer

"Feed me!" Fire called desperately, almost extinguished from lack of fuel.

The people gathered pecans under nearby trees. They heard Fire cry out, but they knew it was dangerous to go near Bear who owned Fire. Still they could not ignore the helpless cries.

"What do you eat?" the people asked.

"Wood. I need wood."

The people quickly gathered a piece of wood from each direction, then returned. They laid a stick across Fire toward the north. They laid a stick across Fire toward the west. They laid a stick across Fire toward the south. They laid a stick across Fire toward the east. And finally Fire blazed up.

"You saved me." Fire burned brightly.

A loud roar came from under the oak trees, and Bear rushed into the clearing. The people scattered in all directions, dropping their baskets of pecans.

Bear reached down to take back Fire but jerked away, burned for the first time.
"Go away," Fire said. "You forgot me so I no longer know you."

Bear rose up high on two legs, growling and whining, but to no avail. Fire no longer knew Bear, so the mighty beast lumbered unhappily away with no interest in acorns or honey now.

"Come get me," Fire called to the people. "If you take care of me, I will take care of you."
And the People came for Fire.

Copyright, 2000 Jane Archer