Pascagoula facts for kids

The Pascagoula were a group of Native American people. They lived along the coast of Mississippi. Specifically, they lived near the Pascagoula River. Their name, Pascagoula, means "bread people". This name comes from a language called Mobilian Jargon. The Choctaw people also used this name. The Biloxi tribe called them Pascoboula.

The Pascagoula Story

Early Encounters

In 1699, a French explorer named Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville met the Pascagoula tribe. He was impressed by the women of the tribe.

The Legend of the Singing River

There is a famous local story about the Pascagoula people. It tells how they became known as the "Singing River" tribe. The Pascagoula were a very peaceful tribe. The story says that a nearby tribe, the Biloxi, planned to attack them.

A Biloxi princess named Anola fell in love with Altama. Altama was the chief of the Pascagoula. But Anola was supposed to marry a Biloxi chieftain. This made her intended husband very angry. He led his soldiers to fight the Pascagoula.

The Pascagoula tribe was greatly outnumbered. They were afraid of being captured and enslaved by the Biloxi. So, the legend says, they held hands. They walked into the Pascagoula River together. As they walked, they sang a special song. This was a song they sang before death. Because of this, the river became known as the "Singing River". Some people say you can still hear their song at night.

Their Language

The Pascagoula people had their own unique language. A doctor named John Sibley wrote about it. He said it was different from the languages of other tribes nearby. They also spoke Mobilian Jargon. Unfortunately, we do not have any records of the Pascagoula language today. It is now considered unclassified.