158 BUREAU OF AMEiRICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 137 



the lower Mississippi in 1700 he reported that the "Napissa" had 

 united with the Chickasaw, and it is possible that this tribe was iden- 

 tical with the Napochi. It is also possible that the Acolapissa and 

 Quinipissa (q. v.) were branches of the same people. The tribe is 

 of interest as having been one of those nearest in position to the site 

 of the prehistoric settlement at Moundville. 

 Napochi population. — Unknown. 



NASONI 



Under the name Nissohone or Nisione, this tribe first appears in 

 1542 as a "province" entered by the Spaniards under Moscoso, De 

 Soto's successor, during his attempt to reach Mexico by land. It was 

 in northwestern Louisiana or northeastern Texas, southwest of the 

 present Shreveport. Elvas says it was "poor" and had little corn. 

 In 1687 Joutel, La Salle's companion, makes mention of it. There 

 were, in fact, at that time two Nasoni towns, an upper and a lower. 

 The latter was located 27 miles north of Nacogdoches, and it remained 

 there until 1752 and probably longer. Upper Nasoni was near Red 

 River, but just south of that stream. Joutel and his companions 

 spent considerable time there, but do not call it by the name of Nasoni. 

 However, it was so designated by La Harpe and other later explorers. 

 In 1716 the Mission of San Jose de los Nazones was established in the 

 territory of the Lower Nasoni for that tribe and the Anadarko, on a 

 southern branch of Shawnee Creek. It was abandoned in 1719, re- 

 established August 13j 1721, by the Marquis de Aguayo and Father 

 Espinoza, and suppressed in 1729-30, after the abandonment of the 

 presidio which protected it. When again established it was outside 

 of Caddo territory. It is not known whether the Upper Nasoni united 

 with it or fused with the Kadohadacho. The name appears in the 

 census of 1790, but apparently it lost its separate status before the 

 end of the century. Its later history was identical with that of the 

 rest of the Caddo (q. v.). 



Nasoni population. — In 1778-79 the Nasoni and Anadarko together 

 are said to have had 25 men. 



NATASI 



A Caddo tribe on Red River between the present Natchitoches and 

 Shreveport mentioned by writers between 1690 and 1719. It was prob- 

 ably a part of the Yatasi (q. v.). 



NATCHEZ 



In 1542 when De Soto reached the Mississippi River at the town 

 of Guachoya where he was soon to die, he learned of a powerful chief 



