Alabama or Alibamu, "plant" or "medicine gatherers" or "thicket clearers." Alabamas were culturally related to the neighboring Creeks and Choctaws.
Location Most fifteenth-century Alabamas lived along the upper Alabama River. By the seventeenth century they had moved to the lower course of that river. Today, most Alabamas live in Polk County, Texas; Allen Parish, Louisiana; and eastern Oklahoma.
Population Alabamas numbered between 700 and 1,000 in the eighteenth century. In the 1990s there were about 400 living in Louisiana, about 800 enrolled in Texas, and 900 enrolled as part of the Creek Nation.
Language Alabamas spoke a Muskogean language. Historical Information
History Alabamas probably descended from Mound Builder cultures and may have originated north and west of the Mississippi. They encountered a hostile Spanish party under Hernando de Soto in 1540. By the early eighteenth century they had become allies of the French, who built Fort Toulouse in Alabama country in 1713.
Many Alabamas left their homeland following the French defeat in 1763. Some joined the Seminoles in Florida. Some resettled north of New Orleans, and later some of that group moved on to western Louisiana and Texas. Land given them in recognition of their contribution in the 1836 fight against Mexico was promptly stolen by non-natives. In 1842, the Alabamas and the Coushatta Indians were given a 1,280-acre reservation along the Trinity River. The United States added 3,081 acres to that reservation in 1928. In 1954 the tribe voluntarily terminated its relationship with the federal government, at which time the state took over control of the reservation. The tribe reverted to federal status in 1986.
Those who remained in Alabama fought unsuccessfully with the Creeks against non-natives in the 1813-1814 Creek war. Survivors of that conflict settled in the Alabama town of Tawasa. Most were resettled in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) with the Creeks in the 1830s. Part of the Creek Nation until 1938, the Alabama-Quassartes at that time received a federal charter, several hundred acres of land, and political, but not administrative, independence.
Louisiana Alabamas maintained a subsistence economy during the early twentieth century, gradually entering the labor market. Tourism and tourist-related sales of cane baskets and wood crafts began to grow in midcentury.
Religion The sun (fire) was worshiped, as were a host of lesser deities and beings. Alabamas celebrated the Green Corn ceremony as well as other ceremonies throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Dances might be social or ceremonial in nature. Most councils and ceremonies began with an emetic tea (black drink). Priests, doctors, and conjurers underwent a rigorous training period that included healing techniques, songs, and formulas.
Government Alabamas were part of the Creek Confederacy, although each village was politically sovereign. In most towns of the confederacy, a chief (miko), usually from a white clan, was chosen largely by merit. He was head of a democratic council that had ceremonial and diplomatic responsibilities. The nature of his power was to influence and to carry out certain duties, not to command. Decisions were taken by consensus. There were also a subchief and a war chief. A town crier announced the governmental decisions to the people.
Customs Chunkey was a popular game. One threw a pole after a rolling stone disc, scoring points by hitting the disc and coming closest to where it finally fell. There were also many other games, most of which involved gambling. The dead were buried with their heads to the east and sometimes a knife in the hand for fighting eagles on the way to the afterworld. Alabamas had over 50 clans in the eighteenth century, although probably fewer before contact. Infidelity in marriage was an offense punishable by public whipping and exile.
Dwellings Towns were laid out in a square and enclosed by walls up to several hundred feet long. By design, entrance and egress were difficult: On one side the gate was too low for a horse to enter, and another side might open onto a steep embankment. Many towns were surrounded by mud-covered wooden stockades. Their ceremonial centers included bark-covered, circular structures, a plaza, and a game field.
Dwellings were pole-frame structures with plastered walls and bark-covered or shingled, gabled roofs. The outer covering was of mud and grass or mats. Many families had a winter house and a summer house. They also had a two-story granary, one end of which was used for storing grain and roots (lower) and for meetings (upper). The other end, with open sides, was a general storage area (lower) and a reception area (upper). A fourth building, if one could afford it, was a storehouse for skins. The four buildings were placed to form a square, in the manner of the ceremonial Square Ground. Fires stood on the bare floor or on a stone hearth; there was usually a smoke hole in the roof.
Diet Alabamas ate fish, squirrels and other small game, deer and other large game, and their crops. The winter hunt, during which men traveled up to 250 miles or more, lasted from after the harvest until the spring planting. The less able remained behind in the villages.
Key Technology Fish were taken with spears, bows and arrows, and poison. Women wove cane or palmetto baskets. Many points and knives were made of flint, although mortars and pestles were generally wooden. Bows were also made of wood (cedar was considered the best), with hide (perhaps bark in earlier times) strings. Men also hunted with blowguns and possibly spears. Other notable items included hide wrist guards, drums, and pottery.
Trade Alabamas exported flint and animal products and imported pipes and shells. They participated in the general interior-coastal trade.
Notable Arts Women made pottery and wove geometric designs into their baskets. Artisans worked silver ornaments from the sixteenth century on.
Transportation Most precontact transportation was via dugout pirogues.
Dress Personal adornment included ornaments in pierced ears and noses, body paint, and various armbands, bracelets, and necklaces. In the late eighteenth century, women wore cloth skirts, as well as shawls, or capes, that covered one breast and were fastened over the left shoulder, made of the skin of buffalo calves. They parted their hair down the middle and tied each section off. Men generally had four braids, two behind and two in front. They wore breechclouts, cloaks or shirts, and bear or buffalo robes in winter.
War and Weapons Alabamas often joined forces with the Coushatta people against the Tohome, among others. Men decorated their hair for war with buffalo horns. They fought with the war club and bow and arrow. The war chief carried along the sacred war ark or medicine bundle. Life (of one’s own people) was considered precious, and warriors were extremely careful not to risk inopportune or imprudent fighting or capture.
Contemporary Information
Government/Reservations The Alabama-Coushatta Reservation, established in 1854, is located in Polk County, Texas. It consists of 4,400 acres and is governed by a tribal council. There were 477 Indian residents in 1990.
The 154-acre Coushatta Reservation is located in Allen Parish, Louisiana. About 400 people lived there in the early 1990s. Indian residents are often referred to as Koasati Indians. They are governed by a tribal council.
The Alabamas and Quassartes of Oklahoma live mostly near Weleetka, in Okfuskee County. Tribal headquarters is in Henryetta. They are still administered together with the Creek Nation.
Economy Some Alabamas continue to make traditional arts and crafts. There is income from tourism, including camping and recreation, in Texas. The Coushatta in Louisiana own a Christmas tree farm and a bingo establishment.
Legal Status The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe, and the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town of the Creek Nation are federally recognized tribal entities.
Daily Life Most Alabamas are Protestants. The Alabama-Coushattas operate a tribal museum; they also host various dances as well as a June powwow. Both the Alabama and the Coushatta languages are still spoken in Texas. In Louisiana, federal money has helped the people improve sanitation and build schools, a health clinic, and a tribal center. Residents of Oklahoma often visit and intermarry with members of the other communities. A few older people in Oklahoma speak both languages.
