CHICKASAW IN KENTUCKY

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT MUSKOGEAN TRIBE RELATED TO THE CHOCTAW IN CUSTOMS AND LANGUAGE. THEY LIVED IN NORTH MISSISSIPPI. THEIR VILLAGES IN THE 18TH CENTURY CENTERED ON THE HEADWATERS OF TOMBIGBOO RIVER MEET THE YAZOO RIVER AND THE TALLAHATCHIE RIVER. THEIR POPULATION IN THE 1700'S WAS ABOUT 4000.

THEY HAD A TRAIL 160 MILES LONG TO THEIR VILLAGES FROM TENNESSEE. THEY HAD TWO OTHER LANDING PLACES FURTHER UP THE RIVER. IN 1720 THEY HAD FOUR SETTLEMENTS AND THEIR LANGUAGE IS VERY DIFFICULT. THE WARLIKE CHICKASAW CLAIMED TERRITORY BEYOND THEIR VILLAGES IN NORTHERN OHIO AND TO TENNESSEE. AN OUTLYING COLONY OF CHICKEN LIVED ON THE SAVANNAH RIVER OPPOSITE AUGUSTA, GEORGIA.

THEY WERE NOTED FOR THEIR BRAVERY INDEPENDENCE AND WARLIKE. THEY CONSTANTLY FOUGHT THEIR NEIGHBORS - MANY OF THEM! IN 17 32 THEY CUT A
WAR PARTY OF IROQUOIS WHO INVADED THEIR COUNTRY. THEY WERE ENEMIES OF THE FRENCH TOO. THEY DEFEATED THE FRENCH IN 1736. THEY GAVE THE NATCHEZ SHELTER AND DROVE THE FRENCH OUT. IN 1715 THEY COMBINED WITH THE CHEROKEE AND DROVE THE SHAWNEE OUT. THEIR RELATIONS WITH THE U.S. BEGAN WITH THE HOPEWELL TREATY IN 1786 WHEN THEIR BOUNDARY ON THE NORTH WAS THE OHIO RIVER. THEY MOVED WEST OF MISSISSIPPI IN 1800'S. BY THE TREATY OF 1855 THEY WERE SEPARATED FROM THE CHOCTAW WERE MORE DEVOTED TO AGRICULTURE AND LESS RESTLESS THAN THE CHICKASAW. THEY EVENTUALLY INCORPORATED SMALL TRIBES ALONG THE YAZOO RIVER WHO SPOKE THE SAME LANGUAGE. THE CHICKASAW LANGUAGE SERVED AS A MEDIUM IN TRIBAL COMMUNICATION FOR ALL TRIBES ALONG THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

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