SWANTON] INDIAN TRIBES OF THE LOWER MlSSISSliTI VALLEY 



43 



• 2 past(M-n bands. 



* liicliidiiifr ;!(» Iloiinia and Tiiiiiea livintr witli tlieiu. 



The.se figures are .so fragmontary and confiictino- that it is nearly 

 impo.ssible to base any satisfactory conclusions upon them. A close 

 examination of the more reliable among them has led the writer to 

 conclude that on an average two and a half warriors should be allowe<l 

 to a cabin and one warrior to every three and a half of the population. 

 P^ortunately, in the case of almost every tribe some one figure occurs 

 which seems to be approximately correct, and by using this and the 

 estimates given as guides it is possible to form some idea, although a 

 very general one, of the numbers of Indians in the region under 

 consideration at the end of the eighteenth century. The following 

 table has been constructed in the manner suggested, and is supi)osed 

 to a))ply to about the year KiDS, except in the two cases otherwise 

 specified : 



Natchez , 

 Taensa . . 

 Avoyel .. 



Bayogoulaand Quinipis.sa (or Mugulasha) 



Acolapi.ssa 



Houma 



Upper Yazoo tribes (Chakehiuma, Taposa, Ibitoupa.and Choula). 



Washa, ('liawasha, and Olcelousa 



Pascagoula. Bilo.xi. and Moctobi 



Mobile, Toiionie, and Naniaba 



Chatot (in 1720) 



Lower Yazoo tribes (Tunica, Koroa, Ofo, and Yazoo) 



Chitimacha 



Atakapa, .\lcol{isa, Bidai, Deadoses, etc 



Opelousa ( in 1715 ) 



Total 



Popula- 

 tion. 



3, 500 



875 



280 



875 



1,050 



1,225 



750 



700 



<i875 



1,225 



350 



7 2,450 



2, 625 



3,. 500 



45.1 



20, 735 



Warrior.'!. 



"490 Chakcliiiima. 

 " 14i» Cbakchimna. 

 '' r>6 ('liakehiiiiiia. 

 '' 4.55 Pascajioiila. 

 ^ 130 Pascasoiila. 



1,000 

 2.50 

 80 

 2.50 

 300 

 350 



6 215 



200 



«250 



350 



100 



A 700 

 7.50 



1,000 

 130 



5,925 



Cabins. 



400 

 100 



32 

 107 

 120 

 140 

 <-85 



80 



/lOO 



140 



40 



«280 



300 



400 



f 52 Pascasoula. 



I.."i7.~i Tunica, (>12 Yazoo and Koroa, 2(>.'> Ofo. 

 '' 4."ii» Tunica, 175 Yazoo and Koroa, 75 Ofo. 

 ' ISO Tunica, 70 Yazoo and K<jroa, .'50 Ofo. 



De la Vente's estimate of 5,000 as the ancient strength of the Natchez 

 when they arrived in the country they occupied in historic times " 

 Avould appear to be rather an under than an over estimate, but Mr. 

 Mooney has suggested that this figure probably refers to the number 

 of warriors. Such an understanding would be necessary if we would 



« See p. 39. 



