 Alabama-Coushatta Reservation, Texas | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,517 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States (Oklahoma) | 380 enrolled citizens,Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town[1] |
| United States (Texas) | 1,137 enrolled citizens,Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas[2] |
| Languages | |
| OriginallyAlabama; however, most now only speakEnglish | |
| Religion | |
| Protestantism, traditional beliefs | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Coushatta,Hitchiti,Chickasaw,Choctaw,Muscogee, and otherMuskogean-speaking peoples | |
TheAlabama orAlibamu (Alabama:Albaamaha) are anIndigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands. Their historical homelands were inAlabama on the upperAlabama River, and they formed part of theMuscogee Creek Confederacy. Today they live inOklahoma andTexas.
The Alabama and closely alliedCoushatta migrated from Alabama andMississippi to present-dayTexas in the late 18th century and early 19th century, under pressure from American settlers to the east. They shared anIndian reservation and became a singleNative American tribe, theAlabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas. Its 1,137 citizens[2] have about 4,500 acres (18 km2) of reservation.
TheAlabama-Quassarte Tribal Town is afederally recognized tribe, headquartered inWetumka, Oklahoma.[3]
TheAlabama language is part of theMuskogean language family. Alabama is closely related toKoasati and distantly toHitchiti,Chickasaw andChoctaw. Also known as Alibamu, an estimated 100 speakers, primarily from Texas, still speak the language.[4]
The Alabama first encountered Europeans whenHernando de Soto arrived in 1540 and visited numerous places duringhis expedition. In the 18th century, the French arrived on theGulf Coast and built a fort at what becameMobile, Alabama.
TheAlibamu andKoasati tribes were part of theCreek Confederacy. They had less contact with British colonists from theThirteen Colonies than otherCreek tribes did. They were the first to migrate away when British colonists began to settle in the region by the middle of the 18th century, after the land was ceded by the French following Britain's victory in theSeven Years' War (known in the colonies as theFrench and Indian War). Under pressure as well by Native American enemies, the Alabama and Coushatta tribes wanted to avoid the powerfulChoctaw in present-dayMississippi. They moved into territories of future states, first intoLouisiana and then intoTexas.
Alabama and Coushatta towns were divided into "red" and "white" towns. The "white" towns were responsible for keeping the peace and for providing refuge, while the "red" towns were responsible for conducting military campaigns. Though they had "red" and "white" towns, the Alabama-Coushattas thought of themselves as peace-loving people.[5]
In 1795, the Coushatta arrived in the Big Thicket area of East Texas. In 1805, nearly 1,000 Alabama came toTyler County's Peach Tree Village in East Texas. The two tribes developed a strong friendship as they roamed and hunted their new land together. In the early 19th century, the Texas Congress granted each tribe two strips of land along theTrinity River. Their land was soon taken over by American settlers, leaving them homeless.Sam Houston, the governor of Texas, recommended that the state purchase 1,280 acres (5.2 km2) for the Alabamas; although money was appropriated to buy 640 acres (2.6 km2) for the Coushattas, the land was never bought. Either through marriage or special permission, many Coushatta went to live on the land given to the Alabama.
By 1820, the Alabama and the Coushatta each had three primary towns in the Big Thicket region of eastern Texas. In 1854, the Alabama were given 1,280 acres (5 km2) inPolk County. The following year, 640 acres (2.6 km2), also in Polk County, were given to the Coushattas. The Coushatta claim was disputed by white settlers in 1859. When the Coushatta lost the land claim, the Alabama invited them to live on their land claim.
The federal government approved a large grant in 1928 to purchase additional land near the reservation; it was granted to the "Alabama and Coushatta tribes". Since that time, the reservation has officially been known as "Alabama-Coushatta".
Origin stories focus on the interconnectedness of the tribes. Oneoral history states that the two tribes sprouted from either side of acypress tree. In 1857, Se-ko-pe-chi, one of the oldest Muscogee inIndian Territory shared another origin story in 1857. He said that the tribes "sprang out of the ground between the Cohawba and Alabama Rivers." The emblem of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe in Texas comes from precontactMississippian culture: two intertwined woodpeckers, now symbolic of the connection between the two tribes.
Theobtusifolium subspecies of the plantPseudognaphalium obtusifolium is used in a compound decoction for nervousness and sleepiness,[6] and in a decoction as a face wash for nerves and insomnia.[7]
The Alabama who relocated to Texas supportedTexas independence. In gratitude, GovernorSam Houston recommended that Texas purchase land for the tribe when their existing land was overtaken by settlers.
The two tribes share many cultural characteristics. In a hearing before theIndian Claims Commission in 1974, Dr. Daniel Jacobson suggested that the Alabama and Coushatta tribes were culturally related because of intermarriage. TheHandbook of Texas reports that the languages come from the same stock, even though there could be some word variance.
They merged with theCoushatta to become the present-dayAlabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas. Although long under state trusteeship because the state controlled public lands, the tribe achieved Federal recognition in 1987 by an act of Congress, rather than by administrative process of the Department of Interior. The law that restored the tribe's federal relationship prohibited such gaming as was then prohibited under state laws.
The current tribal lands are in easternPolk County, Texas. TheAlabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation, Texas' oldest reservation, located at30°42′50″N94°40′26″W / 30.714°N 94.674°W /30.714; -94.674, has 18.484 km2 (7.137 sq mi) of land. The land purchased by the state and assigned to the Alabama in 1854 was expanded by another purchase, under a federal grant in 1928. The2000 census reported a resident population of 480 persons within the reservation. As of 2010, there are some about 1,000 citizens of the Alabama-Coushatta tribe.[8]
InOkmulgee County, Oklahoma, Alabama and Coushatta people formed theAlabama-Quassarte Tribal Town, which wasfederally recognized in 1936. Other Alabama descendants are enrolled inMuscogee (Creek) Nation.
