Page:IJAL vol 1.djvu/56

 4 8

��INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AMERICAN LINGUISTICS

��VOL. I

��certainty, because, while they were always closely associated with the Siouan Biloxi, they are just as constantly distinguished from them. Their name, which signifies "Bread People," is from Choctaw or a related dialect. This circumstance, contrasted with the fact that Biloxi is a corruption of the proper Siouan term for that tribe, along with some additional bits of evidence, have led the writer to consider the Pascagoula Muskho- gean, but the proof is insufficient.

The Grigra, or Gri, formed a distinct village among the Natchez Indians; but Du Pratz states that they were an alien people, whose language was distinguished by the use of a well-developed r. 1 From the fact that they sharedthis peculiarity with four neighbor- ing tribes, the Tunica, Yazoo, Koroa, and Tiou, while it was absolutely wanting from the tongues of the other people of that section, I have, in Bulletin 43, assigned all of these conjecturally to one stock, called from the only recorded language Tunican. At the time when I wrote the above work, my argument was rather weak, because the association between the five tribes was based merely on circumstantial evidence, albeit rather strong evidence of that class. Recently, however, my attention has been called to the following important statement in the "Journal of Diron d'Artaguette," under date of Jan. 14, 1723: "We summoned the Natchez chiefs to supply us with provisions, which they agreed to do; also the chief of the Tyous. This is a small nation which has its village a league to the south of the [Natchez] fort. This nation is not very large, consisting of only 50 men bearing arms. It has the same language as the Thonniquas [Tunica], and does not differ from them in any way as to customs." 2

This strengthens the whole case very considerably, since circumstantial evidence

1 Du Pratz, HistoiredeLa Louisiane (1758), 2: 222- 226.

'Travels in American Colonies (ed. by Mereness), 46.

��connecting Yazoo and Koroa with Tunica was stronger than that linking Tiou and Tunica, until the discovery of this reference. Nevertheless, Grigra still remains somewhat in doubt, since the tribe cannot be traced back to Yazoo River, like all of the others of the stock, and Du Pratz tells us that it united with the Natchez earlier than the Tiou.

The Opelousa lived west of the Mississippi, near the place which perpetuates their name. Although this name is in Choctaw, the tribe certainly was not Muskhogean. It is always referred to as allied with the Chitimacha and Atakapa, but rather with the latter than the former. For this reason I have placed it provisionally in the Atakapan stock, but absolute proof is wanting.

The Okelousa, or "Black Water" people, not to be confused with the preceding, are mentioned seldom. They seem, however, to be associated with the Houma, who are known to have been of Muskhogean stock, and hence I have so classed them.

The Bidai were on and near a western branch of the middle Trinity River, Texas, called after them. The word is perhaps Caddo, but evidence collected by Professor H. E. Bolton from the Spanish archives points to a connection with the Atakapan stock.

A great many tribes, and probably dialects as well, have been exterminated throughout southern Texas, but there is as yet no evidence that any of these was divergent enough to be given an independent position. In fact, relationships are rather indicated between the bodies now rated independent.

It is gratifying to the writer to find that of three cases in which proof of relationship has come to light since the publication of Bulletin 43, the writer's hypothesis, based on circum- stantial evidence or slight indications, was established in two cases and disproved in but one, the case for which was exceptionally weak. One of these was the status of the Tiou Indians, which has already been con- sidered. Another was the position of the

�� �