216 BUREAU OF AMERICAN EfTHNOLOGY [Bull. 137 



YUSTAGA OR HOSTAQUA 



A "province" or tribe in northwestern Florida southeast of Aucilla 

 River. The towns of Ossachile and Asile and the Mission of San 

 Matheo were probably within its territories. The name is first 

 applied by Biedma to a province which De Soto traversed in 1539. 

 It appears again in the Laudonniere and Le Moyne narratives 

 as a consolidated tribe hostile to the Apalachee. The name appears 

 once more in the form Ustaqua in a letter dated 1670, but mentioning 

 operations of the year 1659. It is suspected that the Ossachile left 

 this province about 1656 to appear in Creek history under the name 

 Osochi. The subsequent fate of the rest of the tribe or province was 

 probably identical with that of the remainder of the Timucua. 



Yustaga population. — In 1675 there were said to be about 40 per- 

 sons in Asile, about 300 in San Marcos, 300 in Machaba, and 300 in 

 San Pedro. It is suspected that some of these were from the former 

 Timucua province. Mooney's estimate of 1,000 as of the year 1650 

 would seem not to be excessive. 



INTERPRETATIONS OF TRIBAL NAMES 



The following tribal names are the only ones for which we are 

 able to suggest interpretations: 



Abihka. Stiggins states that they got their name from the peculiar use of 



an aflSrmative particle aw instead of caw used by the rest of the nation. 



Later a folk-explanation was given referring to a supposed event in the 



past history of the tribe. 

 Acolapissa. Meaning in Choctaw "those who hear and see," and having reference 



perhaps to a border tribe that may have acted as scouts. 

 Akokisa. The terminal -isa is for ishak, "people," and the whole may mean 



"western people," or "river people." (Atakapa language.) 

 Alabama. Possibly meaning "medicine gatherers," or "thicket clearers." It 



may contain the word albina, "to camp." (Alabama language.) 

 Apalachee. Meaning "people on the other side" (of a river presumably), or 



"allies." 

 Apalachicola. From Muskhogean dialects and signifies "people of the other 



side," with reference probably to the Apalachicola River or some neigh- 

 boring stream. 

 Atakapa. Meaning in Choctaw "man eaters," "cannibals." 

 Avoyel. Meaning "people of the rocks," or "flint people." (Avoyel or Natchez 



language.) 

 Bayogoula. Meaning in Choctaw and Chickasaw "people of the bayou," with 



reference either to their location or to their totem animal, the alligator. 

 Bidai. Perhaps from a Caddo term signifying "brushwood," and having reference 



to the Big Thicket about which they lived. 

 Biloxi. Probably a corruption of the native name of this tribe taneks a°ya, 



"first people." 

 Caddo. A contraction of Kadohadacho, the name of a leading Caddo tribe. 



The term signifies "true chiefs." 

 Calusa. Fontaneda, who was a captive among them, says it signifies "a fierce 



people", but the correctness of this can neither be affirmed nor denieci. 



