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Indian Place Names in Alabama

The University of Alabama Press

Contents

Acknowledgments..................................................ivForeword.........................................................vMap of Alabama Counties and Principal Rivers.....................viiiPreface..........................................................ixIntroduction.....................................................xi1. Source of Names...............................................xi2. Character of Names............................................xiii3. Number and Distribution of Names..............................xiv4. Pseudo-Indian Names...........................................xivSymbols and Abbreviations........................................xviiInternational Phonetic Alphabet..................................xviiiList of Names....................................................1Bibliography.....................................................80Appendix.........................................................851. Names.........................................................852. Pronunciation.................................................983. Appendix Bibliography.........................................100Index............................................................103

Chapter One

ABBEVILLE [[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]]

A town in Henry County, taking its name from that of a creek in the same county. See the following name.

ABBIE [[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]]

A creek in Henry County.

Yattayabba C. La Tourrette, 1844.

Pattayabao Cr. Rand McNally, 1934.

Abbie has been corrupted from an obscure Indian name, for which I can think of no satisfactory translation. I am inclined, however, to regard Hitchiti yatipi, "panther," as a possible source.

Owen suggests that the name, which he writes Pattayabba, may be derived from Creek atapalgi, a compound of atapha, "dogwood," and algi, "grove." He renders the Creek term freely by "dogwood."

But if the first element of Pattayabba has been transposed from Creek atapha, then the second may be from Creek api, "trunk of a tree," or "tree."

The old name of the stream is said to have been pronounced [[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]].

AFFONEE [[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]]

A tributary of Cahaba River in Bibb County.

Afanee C. La Tourrette, 1844.

Afanee Cr. Smith, 1891.

This name is obscure because of its initial vowel. The early spellings seem to point to Choctaw afana, "staked" (like a fence).

I am inclined, however, to regard Choctaw nafoni, "bones," as the real source. Such a phrase as "on Nafoni Creek" might easily become "on Affonee Creek."

Loss of an initial n appears, for example, in Ahoola Inalchubba, the name of a tributary of the Tombigbee, as shown on Bernard Romans' map of 1772. In correct Choctaw this name would be na hollo, "white man," im, "his," and ahchiba, "task" -White Man's Task.

ALABAMA [[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]]

1. A river about 312 miles long, beginning 11 miles below Wetumpka at the confluence of the Coosa and the Tallapoosa, and joining the Tombigbee 45 miles north of Mobile Bay to form Mobile River.

2. A state, admitted to the Union Dec. 14, 1819.

3. Alabama City, in Etowah County; incorporated Feb. 16, 1891.

4. Alabama Rolling Mill, a station on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, near Birmingham.

The Alabama Indians, an Upper Creek tribe, were known to the French as early as 1702 as the "Alibamons," and at that time were settled on the upper reaches of the stream which has received their name.

Early French maps usually show this stream as Rivire des Alibamons.

Alabama is derived from Choctaw alba, "plants," "weeds," plus amo, "to cut," "to trim," "to gather"-that is, "those who clear the land," or "thicket clearers."

There is no foundation in any Indian dialect for the popular translation of Alabama by "Here we rest."

ALAMUCHEE [[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]]

A tributary of Sucarnochee Creek in Sumter County.

Allimucha C. La Tourette, 1844.

Alamucha was an ancient Choctaw town in Kemper County, Mississippi.

This name possibly means "a little hiding place," from Choctaw alumushi, a compound of aluma, "hiding place," and the suffix -ushi, "little." If the second element of the name is Choctaw asha, "are there," then the meaning is "hiding places are there."

Simpson Tubby, a well-known Choctaw living near Philadelphia, Miss., thinks that Alamuchee refers to a secret Choctaw organization, whose chief formerly resided on Alamuchee Creek. I owe this bit of information to my friend, Mr. Lea Seale.

APALACHEE [[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]]

A stream forming one of the outlets of Tensaw River in Baldwin County.

D'Anville's map, 1732, shows the "Apalaches" at the head of Mobile Bay.

Apalachee, the name of a Muskhogean tribe, is probably from Hitchiti apalahchi, "on the other side." Combined with Hitchiti okli, "people," it forms the source of the Florida geographic name Apalachicola, which refers to people who live on the other side of a stream.

Webster's New International Dictionary derives Apalachee incorrectly from the Choctaw dialect.

ARBACOOCHEE [[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]]

A village in Cleburne County.

Arbacooche. Smith, 1891.

Abihkuchi was an Upper Creek town in Talladega County. The name is Creek for "Little Abihka." The Abihka were an ancient Muskhogean tribe, whose name is of uncertain etymology.

Gatschet translates it by "pile at the base, heap at the root," with reference to the custom of heaping up a pile of scalps at the foot of a war-pole.

According to another view, the Abihka received their name because of the peculiar manner in which they answered questions or expressed approbation. Yet another view is that Abihka is a derivative of Choctaw aiabika, "unhealthful place."

Delisle, 1718, records the name as les Abeikas.

ATOKA [[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]]

A station on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad in Elmore County.

The source of this name is Choctaw hitoka or hotoka, "ball ground."

Hitoka was likewise popular as the name of one who had become famous as a ball player.

In 1830 a certain Toko was one of the thirty captains in Greenwood Laflore's district of the old Choctaw nation.

About the same time a chief of Tala, "palmetto," one of the settlements of the Sixtowns Indians, was named Toka Hadjo, "ballground crazy," or "ballground extremely brave."

The Creek term hadjo, borrowed by the Choctaw, is an honorable war name.

The Sixtowns Choctaw lived in Newton, Jasper, and Smith Counties, Mississippi.

Atoka, a county in Oklahoma, bears the name of a Choctaw captain.

ATTALLA [[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]]

A city in Etowah County.

The first settlement here was called Atale, which is a corruption of Cherokee otali, "mountain."

AUTAUGA [[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]]

1. A creek flowing southward into Alabama River in Autauga County.

2. A county...