Coushatta

The Coushatta (Koasati: Koasati, Kowassaati or Kowassa:ti) are a Muskogean-speaking Native American people now living mainly in the U.S. states of Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.

When Europeans first arrived, the Coushatta lived in areas now known as Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. They have long been closely linked with the Alabama people, who are also part of the Creek Confederacy. The Koasati language is related to the Alabama language and can be understood with the Mikasuki language.

Because of changes brought by European colonization after 1763 and the French loss in the Seven Years' War, the Coushatta moved westward into Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, which were then ruled by Spain. They settled in these places by the early 1800s. Some Coushatta and Alabama people were moved west to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) in the 1830s, along with other Muscogee peoples, during a time known as Indian Removal.

Today, Coushatta people belong to three federally recognized tribes: Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town in Wetumka, Oklahoma, Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, and Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas.

Language

The Koasati language is part of the Apalachee-Alabama-Koasati group of the Muskogean languages. Around the year 2000, about 200 people spoke this language, and most lived in Louisiana. The language uses the Latin script for writing.

History

Further information: List of sites and peoples visited by the Hernando de Soto Expedition

The Coushatta were good farmers who grew maize, beans, and squash. They also hunted and fished. They were known for their basket weaving. Spanish explorers, including Hernando de Soto in 1539-1543, wrote about meeting the Coushatta near the Tennessee River Valley. The Spanish called them Coste.

In the 1600s and 1700s, the Coushatta moved west to stay away from European settlers. They lived in places that are now Alabama, Tennessee, and later along the Tennessee River. By the time of the American Revolution, some Coushatta joined the Muscogee (Creek) Confederacy and became part of the "Upper Creeks." They were closely related to the Alabama people and often married into their communities. In the 1830s, many Coushatta and Alabama people were forced to move to Indian Territory, which is now Oklahoma. Their descendants there are now the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town in Wetumka, Oklahoma.

Some Coushatta chose to move to Louisiana, and their descendants are today the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana. Others settled in Texas and are now the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, with a reservation near Livingston, Texas. These tribes have worked hard to keep their traditions and languages alive.

In the 20th century, the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town in Oklahoma gained federal recognition in 1939. The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana achieved federal recognition in 1973. In Louisiana, the Coushatta have farms growing rice and crawfish. The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas gained federal recognition in 1987 and has a reservation with many members.

Ethnobotany

The Coushatta people used a plant called sweet everlasting to help with fevers. They made tea from the leaves and also used it in baths for sick people.