swANTON] INDIAN TRIBES OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY 293 



theiu: "The Chicasaw, Choktah, and also the Chokchooma, who 

 ill process of time were forced b}' war to settle between the two former 

 nations, came together from the west as one family," and states that 

 the Tallahatchie river, a large eastern affluent of the Yazoo, was called 

 '' the Chokchooma river '' on its lower course because this tribe settled 

 upon it first after they came from the west." 



H. B. Cushman gives the tradition as follows: "Many years after 

 the Choctaws and Chickasaws had established themselves east of 

 the Mississippi river a Choctaw chief named Shakchi Ilumma (Craw- 

 fish Red) recrossed the Mississippi river with his family and a large 

 number of adherents, and established a colony (under the name of 

 their chief, Shakchi Humma) in the present State of Arkansas. In 

 the course of years this colony bec'bme greatly enlarged by constant ac- 

 cessions, and with increasing numbers and strength also became inso- 

 lent and overbearing to that extent that a war arose between them and 

 another tribe, in which they were defeated and driven back over the 

 Mississippi to their former country." '^ 



The Ranjel narrative of De Soto's expedition speaks of them as 

 follows : " In Cliica(;a the governor ordered that half of his army 

 make war on Sacchuina; and on their return the chief Miculasa made 

 peace.f The Elvas narrative records the affair thus: '" The governor, 

 taking 30 cavalry and 80 infantry, marched to Saquechuma, the 

 province of the chief whom the Cacique said had rebelled. The town 

 was untenanted, and the Indians, for greater dissimulation, set fire 

 to it ; but the people with the governor, being very careful and vigi- 

 lant, as were also those that had been left in Chicaca, no enemy dared 

 to fall upon them."" '^ The " Niculasa " presented to De Soto just be- 

 fore this event was evidently the Chakchiuma chief whose name is re- 

 corded more correctly by Ranjel as Mikulasa, evidently Miko lusa, 

 " Black Chief." 



In the Tonti narrative in Margry the destruction of the village of 

 Tangibaho, which they found burned, was said to be due to the 

 " Chouchoumas," ^ but reasons have already been given for believing 

 that the tribe spoken of was not the Chakchiuma proper. 



In 1690, while Tonti was encamped " opposite the river of the 

 Taencas, which runs from Arkansas," his Shawnee companion went 

 hunting on the opposite side of the river, where he was attacked by 

 three Chacoumas. " He killed one of them and was slightly wounded 

 by an arrow in the left breast." ^ The wording appears to place this 

 encounter on the west side of the Mississippi, but perhaps there is 



"Adair, Hist. Amer. Ind., 66, 352, 1775. 



* History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez Indians, 242-245. 



<■ Bourne, Narratives of De Soto, ii, 132—133. 



"Ibid., I, 101, 102. 



« Margry, Decouvertes, i, 604. 



^French, Hist. Coll. La., 72, 1846. 



