GUALE INDIANS IN GEORGIA

GUALE INDIANS WERE AN HISTORIC CHIEFDOM LIVING ALONG THE COAST OF PRESENT DAY GEORGIA. DURING THE 17TH TO 18TH CENTURIES THEY WERE DESTROYED BY EPIDEMICS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND WARFARE FROM OTHER TRIBES. SOME SURVIVORS MIGRATED TO THE MISSION AREA. ARCHAEOLOGISTS INDICATE THAT PRECURSORS OF THE GUALE LIVED HERE FROM 1150 A.D. THE SAVANNAH PHASE WAS FROM 1150 TO 1300 A.D., IRENE PHASE FROM 1300 - 1600. THE PREHISTORIC GUALE WERE ORGANIZED INTO CHIEFDOMS. THEY BUILT PLATFORM MOUNDS, EARTHWORKS REQUIRING ORGANIZED PEOPLE. THE MOUNDS WERE USED FOR CEREMONIAL, RELIGIOUS AND BURIAL PURPOSES.

THE GUALE HAD GOOD RELATION SHIPS WITH THE FRENCH. THE SPANISH IN FLORIDA TRIED TO GET THEM INTO THEIR MISSION SYSTEM. THEY BECAME PART ON OF THE MISSION SYSTEMS. THEY BECAME PART OF THE MISSION SYSTEM AS WELL AS OTHER TRIBES.

BY THE MID 17TH CENTURY THE SPANISH HAD BUILT SIX CATHOLIC MISSIONS IN GUALE TERRITORY. GUALE WAS THE LEAST STABLE OF THE 4 MISSION PROVINCES. THEY REBELLED IN 1600 NEARLY SHAKING OFF THE MISSION. THEY KEPT A TRADE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FRENCH WHO GAVE THEM GOODS.

INDIANS IN SOUTHWEST MISSIONS WERE DRAWN TO MISSIONS FOR TRADE AND MANUFACTURED GOODS. VARIOUS NON GUALE INDIANS SETTLED IN OR NEAR THE
GUALE MISSIONS DURING 1600'S. IN 1675 THE SPANISH FIRST USED THE TERM YAMASEE TO NEWCOMER REFUGEES. THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE THE LA TAMA. IN THE GUALE PROVINCE SOME OF THE YAMASEE JOINED THE EXISTING MISSIONS. IN GUALE PROVINCE SOME YAMASEE JOINED THE MISSIONS, WHILE OTHERS DIDN'T.

BY 1684 THE WESTCO TRIBE AND THE BRITISH PROVINCE OF CAROLINA DESTROYED THE SPANISH MISSION SYSTEM IN GUALE. BY THIS TIME THE SPANISH AND INDIANS ABANDONED ALL SIX MISSIONS. SOME GUALE AND OTHER INDIANS RELOCATED TO FLORIDA. THE GUALE MOVED TO APALACHEE OR NEARBY REGIONS.

SPANISH FORCES DESTROYED STEWARTS TOWN. AN OLD GUILE PROVINCE THEY RESISTED COUNTERATTACKS. THE ALLIANCE BETWEEN THE YAMASEE AND COLONISTS IN SOUTH CAROLIN GREW STRONG. THE YAMASEE AND GUALE AND OTHERS REBUILT THE OLD LA TAMA CHIEFDOM.

THE GUALE WERE LIVING IN UPPER TOWNS, GEORGIA. MANY TOWNS IN HISTORIC VARIOUS NATIVE AMERICANS. IN 1702 BRITISH SOUTH CAROLINA FORCED INVADED SPANISH FORCES. THEY DESTROYED THE FEW REFUGEE MISSIONS. IN GUALE. BY 1733 THE ENGLISH BUILT A COLONY AS THERE WERE FEW GUALE HERE.

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