SWANTON] INDIAN- TRIBES OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY 301 



allowed a band of slaves to destroy the 30 people then composing the 

 tribe. Perrier excuses himself for this action on the ground that it 

 was necessary in order to allaj^ the panic terror into which the wdiite 

 settlers had fallen, and that it prevented the Indians and negro 

 slaves from entering into a combination against them." The actual 

 result w^as to bring about a conspiracy on the part of the negroes 

 themselves.'' It is evident, moreover, that this massacre Avas very 

 far from complete, since there are three distinct references to the 

 tribe subsequent to this period. Dumont, the only writer wdio dis- 

 sents from the usual statement regarding their absolute destruction, 

 is therefore proljably correct. lie says that the negroes were in- 

 structed to kill adult males only, and actually destroyed only seven 

 or eight, the rest being absent on a hunting expedition.'' 



A reference to this tribe and the Washa in the year 1739 has 

 already been given/' De Kerlerec's report of 1758 regarding the 

 tribes of the Mississippi and Missouri contains the following rather 

 disordered note : 



THE OUACHA 



The Chaouaclia. — The Cotapissa [Acolapissal as well as the Aroi/cllc.s and 

 the Bai/agoKlas were so many different nations which the vicinity of the 

 French and trade in liqnors have equally destroyed. There remain only some 

 Chaouachas, who form a little village 3 or 4 leagues from New Orleans and are 

 very few, not numbering more than 10 or 12 warriors.*' 



This is remarkable in two respects — first, in the fact that the very 

 tribe we should suppose extinct is the one noted as still in existence, 

 and, second, that the Washa, who are mentioned in the title of the 

 paragraph, are not even alluded to in its substance. It might be 

 thought that the two tribes had become confused and that Ouacha 

 should be substituted for Chaouaclia, but the position assigned to the 

 latter agrees closely with the position they are known to have occu- 

 pied only a short time before. 



We have still another late reference to the Chawasha, from Baudry 

 de Lozieres, but, as mentioned in a previous section, the date to which 

 this applies is by no means certain. It is as follows: 



The TchaouaeJuis. — Reduced to 40 warriors. A wandering, indolent, and lazy 

 nation, settled near the French in 1712. Corn is the only assistance one can 

 expect of them.'' 



It would seem certain that a remnant of this tribe lasted into the 

 latter half of the eighteenth century, when it must have declined 

 slowly and disappeared. 



"Charlevoix, Hist, of New France (Shea's ed.), vr, 90; Gayarre, Hist. Louisiana, i, 

 244-247. 



* Gayarre, Hist. Louisiana, i, 284; Dumont, Mem. Hist, sur La Louisiaue, ii, 202- 

 204 ; Du Pratz, Hist, de La Louisiane, iii, 304-317. 



'^ Dumont, Mem. Hist, sur La Louisiane, ii, 205. 



*P. 299. 



« Compte Rendu Cong. Internat. des .\mer., 1.5th sess.. i, 75-76. 



' Baudry de Lozi6res, Voy. a La Louisiane, 246, 1802. 



