184 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [boll. 73 
The name Tamali suggests the Hitchiti form of the name of a 
Creek clan, the Tamalgi, Hitchiti Tamali, and it is possible that 
there is historical meaning in this resemblance, but there is just 
enough difference between the pronunciations of the two to render 
it doubtful. 
THE TAMAHITA 
In 1673 the Virginia pioneer Abraham Wood sent two white men, 
James Needham and Gabriel Arthur, the latter probably an indentured 
servant, in company with eight Indians, to explore western Virginia 
up to and beyond the mountains. They were turned back at first "by 
misfortune and unwillingness of ye Indians before the mountaines 
that they should discover beyond them"; but May 17 they were 
sent out again, and on June 25 they met some "Tomahitans" on 
their way from the mountains to the Occaneechi, a Siouan tribe. 
Some of these came to see Wood, and meanwhile the rest returned to 
their own country, along with the two white men and one Appo- 
matox Indian. From this point the narrative proceeds as follows: 
They jornied nine days from Occhonechee to Sitteree: west and by south, past nine 
rivers and creeks which all end in this side ye mountaines and emty themselves into 
ye east sea. Sitteree being the last towne of inhabitance and not any path further 
untill they came within two days jorney of ye Tomahitans; they travell from thence up 
the mountaines upon ye sun setting all ye way, and in foure dayes gett to yetoppe, 
some times leading thaire horses sometimes rideing. Ye ridge upon ye topp is not 
above two hundred paces over; ye decent better than on this side, in halfe a day they 
came to ye foot, and then levell ground all ye way, many slashes upon ye heads of 
small runns. The slashes are full of very great canes and ye water runes to ye north 
west. They pass five rivers and about two hundred paces over ye fifth being ye 
middle most halfe a mile broad all sandy bottoms, with peble stones, all foardable 
and all empties themselves north west, when they travell upon ye plaines, from ye 
mountaines they goe downe, for severall dayes they see straged hilles on theire right 
hand, as they judge two days journy from them, by this time they have lost all theire 
horses but one; not so much by ye badness of the way as by hard travell. not haveing 
time to feed, when they lost sight of those hilles they see a fogg or smoke like a cloud 
from whence raine falls for severall days on their right hand as they travell still towards 
the sun setting great store of game, all along as turkes, deere, elkes, beare, woolfe and 
other vermin very tame, at ye end of fiftteen dayes from Sitteree they arive at ye 
Tomahitans river, being ye 6th river from ye mountains, this river att ye Tomahitans 
towne seemes to run more westerly than ye other five. This river they past in can- 
noos ye town being seated in ye other side about foure hundred paces broad above 
ye town, within sight, ye horses they had left waded only a small channell swam, they 
were very kindly entertained by them, even to addoration in their cerrimonies of 
courtesies and a stake was sett up in ye middle of ye towne to fasten ye horse to, and 
aboundance of corne and all manner of pulse with fish, flesh and beares oyle for ye 
horse to feed upon and a scaffold sett up before day for my two men and Appomat- 
tocke Indian that theire people might stand and gaze at them and not offend them 
by theire throng. This towne is seated on ye river side, haveing ye clefts of ye river 
