In the beginning the People lived in a great underground cavern. One day they came to the surface and found a large tree standing at the cave's entrance. As they exited, the stream of people divided. Those going to one side became the Alabamas; those to the other, the Coushattas. (The Coushatta people speak Koasati, and frequently refer to themselves as Koasatis; however, their official name is Coushatta.)
Of Muskogean stock and members of the Upper Creek Confederacy, the Alabamas and Coushattas have intertwined histories. Their languages are mutually intelligible, and there has been frequent intermarriage. Inhabiting the hospitable southeastern woodlands, they enjoyed a high standard of living. In 1541, when they first encountered Europeans, they resided in adjacent areas of what is today Alabama. In the early eighteenth century congenial relations were established with French traders, leading in 1714 to the construction of Fort Toulouse.
In 1763 the British assumed control of the former French territories, and with encouragement from the French, the Alabamas and Coushattas began migrating west. They crossed the Sabine River into East Texas in 1780. The Alabamas established towns on the Angelina and Neches Rivers, and the Coushattas settled along the Trinity River. In 1809 they had a combined population of approximately 1,650.
Although both tribes remained neutral in the 1836 settlers' rebellion against Mexico, they fed Anglo refugees who passed through their towns. In gratitude, the Republic of Texas Congress granted four leagues of land to the two tribes in 1840, but title was never issued because the land had already been claimed by Euro-Texans. In 1854 the state of Texas purchased 1,110.7 acres for an Alabama reservation, and approximately five hundred tribal members moved onto the land. The Coushattas joined the Alabamas there in 1858.
After playing a minor role with the Confederacy during the Civil War, the two tribes were increasingly forgotten in the decade of the 1870s. This trend culminated in 1878 with the abolition of the state Indian agent post. The economic situation improved significantly in 1881 with the construction of the Houston-Shreveport railroad, providing employment in logging and sawmilling industries, but the tribe was largely invisible to outsiders. Alabama and Coushatta volunteers during World War I were barred from serving because they were Native Americans.
In 1928 the federal government purchased an additional 3,071 acres for the tribes' reservation, bringing the total to 4,181.7 acres. A charter for the newly incorporated Alabama-Coushatta Indian Tribe of Texas was ratified on October 17, 1939. In 1954 the federal government relinquished trusteeship of the reservation, and that responsibility was assumed by the state. Federal recognition was restored on August 18, 1987. Today the reservation is home for approximately six hundred Alabama-Coushattas.
The tribes are organized in a matriarchal system of twelve clans; elders are consulted on important issues, and they participate in formal activities such as the inauguration of a new chief. Although the traditional stomp dance is no longer celebrated, other cultural expressions such as pine-needle basket weaving are maintained. Powwows became regular events in the 1960s and continue to be held monthly. The annual powwow in June attracts participants from across the country. Alabama-Coushatta dancers have toured widely, traveling as far as Australia and Egypt. Other cultural expressions are being increasingly pursued. In 1993 the tribe won a federal court case allowing children to wear long hair in their school as an act of religious expression. This victory was the result of a combined effort on the part of youth, parents, the tribal council, and elders.
Howard N. Martin, East Texas Historical Journal 17 "Polk County Indians: Alabamas, Coushattas, Pakana Muskogees," no. 1 (1979): 3-23.
Jonathan B. Hook
Cherokee
Houston, Texas
