swanton] EARL* EISTOEY OF THE CREEK INDIANS 27 
About one-sixth of all Creeks arc probably of Coosa descent, and it is 
unlikely thai a tribe of such size should have given up its language 
while much smaller bodies retained theirs almost or quite down to 
the present time. 
The Tukabahchee are considered by most Creek Indians at the 
present day as the leaders of the nation. Nevertheless Milfort, 1 
and also Adair v on the authority of a Tukabahchee chief of his time, 
declare thai they had formerly been a distinct people. This ques- 
tion will be considered again when we come to take up Tukabahchee 
history, but it may be said that, even though the tribe were once 
distinct, it would not necessarily follow that its language was also 
different. There is, at all events, little reason to suppose it was 
anything other than some Muskhogean dialect. A foreign origin 
is also attributed to the Okchai Indians by the same writers. 
Some of the living Okchai appear to remember a tradition to this 
effect, but while it is probably correct there is no further proof , and 
there is no likelihood that their ancient speech was anything other 
than Muskogee. 3 
Still another people, the Pakana, who now speak pure Muskogee, 
are reported to have been at one time distinct, both by Adair 4 and 
by Stiggins. 5 Since they settled near Fort Toulouse, they have 
somet imes been spoken of as if they were a branch of the Alabama, but 
this is probably due merely to association, just as the Okchai have 
occasionally been classed with the Alabama because an Alabama 
town was known as Little Okchai. In the absence of more assured 
information it will be best to class them with the Muskogee. 
Northern Florida was occupied by the Timucua Indians, but 
south of them were several tribes, which were reckoned as distinct 
by the Spaniards, though next to nothing has been preserved of their 
languages and very few hints regarding their affinities are to be 
found. 
The Calusa of the western side of the peninsula were the most 
important South Florida people, and they were the last to disappear, 
some of them remaining in their old seats until the close of the last 
Seminole war. The chief centers of their population were Charlotte 
Harbor and the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River, and this is of 
importance in connection with the following facts. In a letter writ- 
ten by Capt. John II. Bell, agent for the Indians in Florida, addressed 
» Milfort, Memoire, pp. 265-266. 
' A. lair, Hist. Am. Inds., p. 179. 
3 Milfort and Adair, Ibid. There is one direct statement to the effect that Okchai was a distinct lan- 
guage (Coll. Mass. Hist. Soc., 1st ser., n, p. 48), but the language of the Little Okchai (Alabama) may 
be meant (see next paragraph). 
« Adair, ibid., p. 2."i7. 
• See p. 272. 
