Yowani Choctaws facts for kids

The Yowani were a group of Choctaw people who lived in Texas a long time ago. Yowani was also the name of a Choctaw village before many Native American groups were moved from their lands.

When the United States bought a large area of land called the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, many Native American tribes wanted to move away. Spain allowed the Yowani and the Alabama-Coushatta to move to Spanish Texas. Later, in 1824, after Mexico became independent, another group of Yowani got permission to live in Texas. Over time, the Yowani left their original homes in Mississippi. By 1850, most Yowani had moved west. They lived with the Chickasaw Nation in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) and in parts of East Texas, as part of the Mount Tabor Indian Community.

During the Texas Revolution in 1836, the Yowani made a peace treaty with the new Texas government. After Texas became independent, relations between Native American tribes and settlers became difficult. President Mirabeau B. Lamar ordered the Texas Army to remove most of the Cherokee from Texas. Sadly, a group of settlers attacked the Choctaw instead. The Yowani survivors split up, with most leaving Texas.

Between 1840 and 1843, some Mexican soldiers fought against the settlers. They had help from Native American warriors, including some Yowani Choctaw. Peace came when Sam Houston became President of Texas again. He approved the Treaty of Bird's Fort, which ended the fighting. After these wars, some Yowani returned to East Texas. They joined other groups, including Cherokee and Creek people, to form the Mount Tabor Indian Community.

Most Yowani men fought in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. In the early 1900s, some Yowani Choctaw from Texas moved to the Chickasaw Nation in Indian Territory. They wanted to be officially recognized by the government as citizens of the Choctaw Nation. This would allow them to receive land. There was a long legal fight, but in 1909, the Supreme Court of the United States decided in favor of the Yowani. This meant they were recognized as citizens of the Choctaw Nation and could receive land.

Where the Yowani Lived

The first Yowani village was shown on a French map from 1777. It was near the Pascagoula River, west of what was called the "Choctaw Capital."

The Yowani Choctaw were named after the village where French traders found them. The word "Yowani" in Choctaw likely meant "caterpillar," which might have been common in that area.

Over time, the Yowani expanded their land. They moved west and north, reaching the Chickasawhay and Buckatunna rivers.

By 1764, some Yowani had moved west into Louisiana. There, they met the Coushatta and Caddo people. The Yowani started to adopt Caddo customs, and the groups became very close through marriage.

In the late 1800s, a famous anthropologist named James Mooney listed the Yowani as one of the 13 groups of the Caddo Confederacy.

Moving West to New Lands

When the Yowani moved into Louisiana, the area was controlled by Spain. France had given it to Spain after losing the Seven Years' War in 1763. In 1800, Spain gave Louisiana back to France. Then, in 1803, France sold this huge territory to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. This deal doubled the size of the young United States. Many French people and Native American tribes living there did not want to be ruled by the United States.

Spain agreed to let several tribes, including the Yowani Choctaw and the Alabama-Coushatta, move to Spanish Texas. Other tribes, like some Cherokee, Muscogee-Creek, Seminole, Shawnee, and Kickapoo, also moved to Texas to avoid the Americans. After Mexico became independent from Spain, it took control of Texas. In 1824, another Yowani group, led by Atahobia, asked the Mexican government if they could settle in Texas. They were allowed to create villages east of the Trinity River.

Between 1810 and 1836, many of the tribes who had moved to Texas, including the Yowani Choctaw, were often attacked by the Comanche and Lipan Apache tribes. The Yowani often joined with the English-speaking settlers to defend themselves against these groups.

By 1832, almost all Yowani families had left their traditional lands in Mississippi. By 1850, many Yowani had settled with other Choctaw in the Chickasaw Nation in Indian Territory. This area was set up in the 1830s when the U.S. government forced tribes from the East to move west of the Mississippi River.

The Yowani who stayed in East Texas joined other groups to form the Mount Tabor Indian Community. In Louisiana, they were closely related to the remaining Coushatta and other Choctaw groups.

Texas Indian Wars (1835–1843)

In 1835, settlers in Texas started the Texas Revolution to become independent from Mexico. The Texas government sent Sam Houston, who was respected by the Cherokee, to make a treaty with the Native Americans in East Texas. They signed a treaty on February 23, 1836, which was an attempt to create a community where the Choctaw were fully involved.

In March 1836, the Republic of Texas was formed. Sam Houston, as the first president, continued to seek peace with the tribes. By 1837, the Yowani had combined their settlements into one village in Rusk County. A census in 1837 showed that 70 Yowani Choctaw lived there and were peaceful.

However, the Texas government did not approve many of Houston's treaties. The next president, Mirabeau B. Lamar, did not respect the Native American tribes and refused to honor the treaties. New settlers often moved onto lands that belonged to the tribes, and some tribes fought back. In 1839, Lamar ordered the Texas Army to attack Cherokee villages, driving them out of Texas.

A group of settlers attacked a Yowani village, killing eleven Choctaw men, women, and children. After this attack, the Yowani Choctaw left their village. Some went back to Mississippi, others moved to Indian Territory, and a third group joined the Caddo people. A fourth group, led by Woody Jones, stayed in East Texas, hiding in the forests.

When Sam Houston was elected president again, he started new treaty talks. The Treaty of Bird's Fort was signed on September 29, 1843, ending most of the fighting in Texas. Many displaced tribes, including some Yowani Choctaw, formed the new Mount Tabor Indian Community.

Mount Tabor Indian Community

The Mount Tabor Indian Community was formed in 1844 when Benjamin Franklin Thompson bought 10,000 acres of land in Rusk County for the Cherokee. This community grew after Texas joined the United States in 1845.

More Yowani Choctaw, led by Archibald Thompson and Jeremiah Jones, moved to the Mount Tabor Indian Community before 1850. They were joined by McIntosh Creek Indians.

Civil War and Its Impact

When the American Civil War began, most people at Mount Tabor supported the Confederacy. The Confederacy promised Native American tribes their own state if they won. Many men joined the Confederate Army.

While some Yowani from Mount Tabor joined the Cherokee Mounted Rifles, most became part of the Texas 14th Cavalry. The war was very hard on the community, with almost a quarter of the men dying.

Dawes Commission and Land Rights

After the Civil War, many Cherokee left Mount Tabor to return to the Cherokee Nation. Most Texas Choctaw stayed in Texas, but some moved to the Chickasaw Nation. During the time of the Dawes Rolls, when people registered to receive land, many Choctaw took the chance to move north.

Many Yowani Choctaw from Texas wanted to register as citizens of the Choctaw Nation. Because they had lived in Texas for so long, the Choctaw Nation opposed their registration. In 1906, 70 Yowani Choctaw living in Texas were removed from the Choctaw Nation's list. William C. Thompson and his cousin sued to be put back on the list. In 1909, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in their favor. This meant the Texas Choctaw were reinstated and could receive land.

Recent Years and Recognition

Throughout the 1900s, there have been strong leaders in the Texas Choctaw community within the Mount Tabor Indian Community]. These leaders helped their people gain recognition and keep their community strong.

In 2017, Texas Governor Greg Abbot signed a law recognizing the Mount Tabor Indian Community in Texas. The community adopted a new constitution in August 2017, setting up a government with an Executive Committee, a Tribal Council, and a Tribal Court. Today, there are more than 500 members. The community continues to seek official recognition from the U.S. federal government as an American Indian Tribe.