Acolapissa facts for kids

The Acolapissa were a small group of Native Americans. They lived in the southeastern part of what is now the United States. Their homes were along the Pearl River. This river flows between today's Louisiana and Mississippi. People believe they spoke a Muskogean language. This language was similar to Choctaw and Chickasaw. These were spoken by other tribes in the same language family.

Acolapissa: Their Early History

The Acolapissa had at least six villages. Some thought the Tangipahoa settlement was also Acolapissa. In 1699, about 200 Chickasaw warriors attacked Acolapissa villages. They were led by two English traders. Their goal was to capture people to sell.

Around 1702, the Acolapissa moved from the Pearl River. They settled on a bayou north of Lake Pontchartrain. Soon after, the Natchitoches tribe joined them. The Acolapissa welcomed them. They let them settle near their own village.

Later, in 1722, they moved further west. This was to the area near where New Orleans would be built. They settled along the Mississippi River. French settlers were moving into the area. Also, new diseases from Europeans caused many deaths. Because of these pressures, the Acolapissa tribe joined with the Bayogoula. By 1739, these groups were absorbed into the Houma people. They no longer existed as separate tribes. Their descendants married each other.

How Many Acolapissa People Were There?

Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville wrote about the Acolapissa population. In 1699, he said there were 250 families. He also counted about 150 men. However, later research suggested a different number. Anthropologist James Mooney found that Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe had a better count. He believed the tribe had about 1500 people. In 1722, Father Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix wrote that the Acolapissa tribe had 200 warriors.

What Does "Acolapissa" Mean?

According to Allen Wright, the name Acolapissa means "those who look out for people." This comes from the Choctaw language. The Choctaw language is one of the Muskogean languages. The tribe's name was spelled in many ways. Some other spellings included Aquelou pissas, Quinipissa, Cenepisa, Colapissa, and Kolapissa.

Acolapissa Culture and Lifestyle

The Acolapissa decorated their bodies with tattoos. They wore very little clothing. This was because of the warm and humid weather. They built their homes using materials from nature. Their roofs were made of reeds and thatch.

Some records suggest the Acolapissa might have been the same as the Quinipissa or Tangipahoa tribes. Other sources say that several tribes near Lake Pontchartrain were called Mougoulacha.

The Acolapissa Language

The Acolapissa language was part of the Muskogean languages family. It was very similar to the Choctaw and Chickasaw languages.

The Acolapissa Today

The Acolapissa tribe is now considered extinct. Their descendants live in and around Houma, Louisiana. In 2014, the Houma tribe had about 11,000 people. In 1994, the U.S. government did not officially recognize them as a tribe.