48 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [hull. 43 



these two syllables when they speak together."" White-earth has 

 usually been identified as the White-apple, or Apple village, and if 

 this is accepted, as seems reasonable under the circumstances,'' we 

 must expect to find in Jenzenaque the village of the AValnuts or 

 Hickories. IMiile such appears probable on circumstantial evidence, 

 the word Jenzevaqne does not resemble the Natchez equivalents for 

 either 'walnut' or '"hickory' {yu'xtal^ 'walimt'; a'c«, 'hickory'). 

 Tsi'nits-nA'gi, ' childish,' was the nearest combination of sounds 

 m}^ Natchez informant could suggest for this, but it can hardly be 

 regarded seriously. The White Apple village and the village of the 

 Gris can not be satisfactorily identified with any names in Iber- 

 ville's list, and the same is true of the Flour village. The native 

 name of the Great village is never given by later writers, but it was 

 evidently that originally known as Natchez, the Naches of Iberville, 

 the original significance of which can not now be determined. Gats- 

 chet\s derivation from the Chitimacha or the Mobilian trade jargon 

 has no solid basis. 



PHYSICAL AND MORAL CHARACTERISTICS 



The Natchez, like many other American tril)es, impressed travelers 

 as tall, strong, robust, and '' of a proud air.'' '" '' They are," says 

 Penicaut, " fairly handsome in the face and their women also. They 

 have rather agreeable voices, not speaking so strongly from the throat 

 as the other savages." '' Charlevoix remarks : '' The women are pretty 

 well shaped for savages, and neat enough in their dress and every- 

 thing they do," « and Dumont gives similar testimony. " Besides," 

 he says: 



All these savage women have very well-proporlioned ficnres and are sener- 

 ally quite agreeajjle in appearance, hut some more tlian otliers, according to 

 difference in nationality. Among the Paskagoulas and the Billoxis, for example, 

 they are very negligent of themseh-es and are not extremely neat, while Itlie 

 women] of the Natchez tal^e very good care of their appearance and inMde them- 

 selves on an extreme cleanliness./" 



Du Pratz sa3^s: 



All the natives of America in general are very well formed. One sees very 

 few under 5i feet, and many taller. The leg is made as if in a mold. It is 

 sinewy and the flesh on it is firm. They have long thighs, the head erect 



" Du Pratz, Hist, de La Louisiane, ii, 222. Gatschet strives to rcfor this word to a 

 French origin, but this seems improbable. 



""A village called White Earth is rarely mentioned, but inasmuch as this designa- 

 tion was subsequently given to one of the two large concessions on St. Catharine's creek 

 it is possible that it was earlier applied to a village on the same site. In that case 

 it would have been distinct from White Apple village, which is placed on Dumont 's 

 map higher up near the Grand village. Possibly White Earth was the name of a 

 chief rather than a village, and this is intimated in one place by De Kiclioliourg liimsclf. 



•^ Se(> the liUxembourg IM^moire sur La Louisiane, 1.S5, 1752. 



'' Margry, Deconvertes, v, 446. 



" French, Hist. Coll. La., 165, 1851. 



'Dumont, MC-m. llist. sur La Louisiane. i, ll'.O, 1753. 



