SWANTONI IN'1)|.\N THIUKS OK T I f K I.OWKR M ISSI SSI I'I'I VALIJ^ 257 



rccoldcd ;i lililiiIxT oT paiiCs of NmIcIic/ (cxIs. I)csi(|cs (itlicl- lii:itcri;il. 



wliii'li it is li()|)('(l, ill coiiiicci ion with (he \()c:il)iil;iri('> collcdcd l)\- 

 (iiilhitin, Pike, Hriiitoii. and (iatsclict, will prcsci-vc a Uiiowlcdoc ol" 

 this ancioiit s|HMM-h for all tiiiio. Wat Sam is one of the conservative, 

 Indians, and is a leader in the dances held at their dance around in 

 the (ireenleaf mountains (pi. 10). 



The Natchez ari', therefore, j)ractically e.\tin<'t : Unl thanks to their 

 peculiar nianneis and cusloms and the romance and tra,i:'('d\- sur- 

 rounding- their last war with the French thev have probably attained 

 a fame which many existiiifr tribes will never enjoy. By students of 

 the Amei'ican Indians they ha\e often been iriven a position entirely 

 apart from their neighbors, and at one time no theory attemi)tin<; to 

 account for the origin of our Indian races, Avhether based on su])i)ose(l 

 Phoenician, (ireek, Xoi'se, or Celtic voyages, on the existence ol" an 

 island of Atlantis, or on miiii'ations from Asia, was complete without 

 some refei'ence to them. They have figured more prominently, and 

 with better I'cason, in hyi)otheses to ex|)lain the origin of the mounds 

 of the southern States and Mississippi valley, particularly in en- 

 deavors to connect these with the civilizations of Mexico and Central 

 America. AA'e know that the Xatche/ were mound builders, at least 

 to a limited extent, although they certainly can not I)e api)ealed to 

 in order to explain the origin of the Mississippi mounds generally. 

 Their value in this respect is rather as a standing proof that it was 

 possible to weld the proverbially independent American Indians into 

 states with unity of purpose sufficient to construct any work or set 

 of works with which we are acquainted. 



If the American Indian ever becomes a favorite theme for literary 

 and artistic efl'ort, it may be held as certain that the Natchez will 

 receive abundant attention, and indeed a beginning was made long 

 ago by Chateaubriand, who selected them for his idyllic story of 

 Atala and his more pretentious etfort which bears their name. 



TiiK TaI'nsa 



The meaning of this name is iniknown. There is a possibility that 

 the tribe, or a portion of it, figures in the l)e Soto narratives under 

 the name of (luachoya (P^lvas)," Guachoia (Garcilasso),* or Guachoy- 

 anqiie (Biedma).'^ It was at the place to which these are given that 

 De Soto died, and soon after that event the Fidalgo of Elvas records 

 that " The chief, thinking within himself that he was dead [although 

 the Spaniards pretended that he had ascended to the skies], ordered 

 two well-proportioned young men to be brought, sajdng that it w-as 



« Bourne. Narratives of Do Soto, i, 150. 1904. 



"Shipp, History of ncrnando dp Soto and Florida, 4:V^, 1881. 



' Bourne, Narratives of Do Soto, ii, o4, 



83220— Bull. 43— 10 IT 



