TheNatchitoches (/ˈnækətɪʃ/NAK-ə-tish;Caddo:Náshit'ush)^[2] are aNative American tribe from northwesternLouisiana^[1] andTexas. They organized themselves in one of the three Caddo-speaking confederacies along with theHasinai (between the Sabine and Trinity rivers in eastern Texas), andKadohadacho (at the borders of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana).

Natchitoches territory was along the Red River of the South in northeastern Texas and northwestern Louisiana, they were important allies of the French in the 17th and 18th centuries, played a major role in the subjugation of theNatchez in theNatchez uprising and the so-called Natchez wars.

In the early 17th century, the Natchitoches were joined by some of the remnants of theKadohadacho, atribe with many members who had been killed orenslaved by theChickasaw. They settled on theCane River around present-dayNatchitoches, Louisiana, which is a city named after the tribe.

Many historians have claimed that the nameNatchitoches is derived from the Native wordnashitosh meaning "pawpaw people". However, Native American linguistJohn R. Swanton wrote that the word may actually be derived fromnacicit meaning "Place where the soil is the color of red ochre".^[3][1]

Member tribes of the historic Natchitoches Confederation:

• Doustioni orDotchetonne^[a] were a band who likely lived near theGulf of Mexico. The French edition led bySieur de la Salle in 1682 recorded them as allies of theKadohadacho. J. R. Swanton identified them as a Caddo tribe from the area around Bayou Dauchite in northwestern Louisiana, both are not proven.^[4] At the invitation of their French allies, they settled near the related Lower Natchitoches on the Red River. Severely decimated by disease and war, they lost their independent identity and were absorbed by the other Caddo tribes. No further record of the tribe survives.
• (Lower) Natchitoches (Caddo:Náshit'ush orNashitosh) (lived in the vicinity of the French trading post Natchitoches in Northwest Louisiana; theUpper Natchitoches were part of the Kadohadacho Confederacy to the north)
• Ouachita orWashita (Caddo:Wishita – "good hunting grounds",^[b] (lived along theOuachita River named after them and along theBlack River (the name for the lower reaches of the Quachita River after the confluence of the Taensa River) in northeastern Louisiana, about 1690 they settled near Pargoud Landing near today's Monroe, Louisiana, joined the Natchitoches Confederation around 1720 due to losses from disease and wars)
• Yatasi orLower Yatasi (Caddo:Yáttasih – "Those other people",^[c] lived in the area south of modernShreveport in Northwest Louisiana, the French were welcomed by the Yatasi as allies in the fight against the then hostile Kadohadacho. At the beginning of the 18th century, the Chickasaw killed a large number of Yatasi, so that the majority joined the Natchitoches Confederation, but a small splinter group - theUpper Yatasi - joined the Kadohadacho Confederation, were important intermediaries first with the French, later with the Spanish, even after the takeover of Louisiana by the Americans they kept the fur trade.)

Descendants of the Natchitoches along with other members of the Caddo Confederacy tribes are enrolled in thefederally recognizedCaddo Nation of Oklahoma.^[5]

In 2017, the State of Louisianastate-recognized the Natchitoches Tribe of Louisiana, affirming its distinct cultural and historical identity. This recognition acknowledges the unique heritage of the Natchitoches people and their continued presence in the region.^[6]

• Nacogdoche

• Edmonds, Randlett (2003).Nusht'uhtiʔtiʔ Hasinay: Caddo Phrasebook. Richardson, TX: Various Indian Peoples Publishing.ISBN 1-884655-00-9.
• Lauber, Almon Wheeler (1969) [1913].Indian Slavery in Colonial Times Within the Present Limits of the United States. New York: AMS Press [Columbia University Press]. p. 30.

• Caddo Nation, federally recognized tribe based in Oklahoma
• Natchtioches Tribe of Louisiana, state-recognized tribe in Louisiana
• "Natchitoches, a tribe of American Indians" .The American Cyclopædia. 1879.
• "Natchitoches. A tribe of the Caddoan linguistic family of Indians" .New International Encyclopedia. 1905.

• Caddoan peoples
• Native American tribes in Louisiana
• Native American history of Louisiana
• Pre-statehood history of Louisiana
• Native American tribes in Texas
• Native American history of Texas
• Pre-statehood history of Texas

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• Articles with short description
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• Articles using infobox ethnic group with image parameters
• Articles containing Caddo-language text
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• Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from The American Cyclopaedia with a Wikisource reference
• Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the New International Encyclopedia