Avoyel
Encyclopedia
The Avoyel or Avoyelles was a small Natchez
-speaking tribe who inhabited land near the mouth of the Red River in the area of present-day Marksville
, Louisiana
. The indigenous name for this tribe is Tamoucougoula. The word Avoyel is of French derivation and means either "Flint People" or "the people of the rocks."
. Avoyelles Parish
is named for the Avoyelles tribe. The traditional homeland for the Avoyel was near the mouth of the Red River and included lakes and bayous.
Numbering 280 in 1698, as recorded by the French, the tribe declined markedly after that. They were likely affected by the same drastic decimation as were other tribes, by new infectious diseases unwittingly carried by Europeans, to which the natives had no acquired immunity
. By 1805 they were said to have been reduced to only two or three women. The Avoyel survivors were likely absorbed into the neighboring Tunica people through marriage.
Natchez language
Natchez was a language of Louisiana. Its two last fluent speakers, Watt Sam and Nancy Raven, died in the late 1930s. The Natchez nation is now working to revive it as a spoken language.-Classification:...
-speaking tribe who inhabited land near the mouth of the Red River in the area of present-day Marksville
Marksville, Louisiana
Marksville is a city in and the parish seat of Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,537 at the 2000 census. Louisiana's first land-based casino, Paragon Casino Resort, opened in Marksville in June 1994...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The indigenous name for this tribe is Tamoucougoula. The word Avoyel is of French derivation and means either "Flint People" or "the people of the rocks."
History
The Avoyelles were neighbors of the Tunica peopleTunica people
The Tunica people were a group of linguistically and culturally related Native American tribes in the Mississippi River Valley, which include the Tunica ; the Yazoo; the Koroa ; and possibly the Tioux...
. Avoyelles Parish
Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana
Avoyelles is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Marksville. In 2000, its population was 41,481. The parish is named for the Avoyel Indian tribe.-History:...
is named for the Avoyelles tribe. The traditional homeland for the Avoyel was near the mouth of the Red River and included lakes and bayous.
Numbering 280 in 1698, as recorded by the French, the tribe declined markedly after that. They were likely affected by the same drastic decimation as were other tribes, by new infectious diseases unwittingly carried by Europeans, to which the natives had no acquired immunity
Immunity (medical)
Immunity is a biological term that describes a state of having sufficient biological defenses to avoid infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion. Immunity involves both specific and non-specific components. The non-specific components act either as barriers or as eliminators of wide...
. By 1805 they were said to have been reduced to only two or three women. The Avoyel survivors were likely absorbed into the neighboring Tunica people through marriage.
See also
- Tunica peopleTunica peopleThe Tunica people were a group of linguistically and culturally related Native American tribes in the Mississippi River Valley, which include the Tunica ; the Yazoo; the Koroa ; and possibly the Tioux...
- Avoyelles Parish, LouisianaAvoyelles Parish, LouisianaAvoyelles is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Marksville. In 2000, its population was 41,481. The parish is named for the Avoyel Indian tribe.-History:...