Cusabo
Encyclopedia
The Cusabo were a group of historic Native American
tribes who lived along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean
in what is now South Carolina
, approximately between present-day Charleston
and south to the Savannah River
, at the time of European encounter. English
colonists often referred to them as the Settlement Indians of South Carolina. At least five of the tribes appeared to speak a common language, although one distinctly different from major language families known nearby, such as Algonquian
, Iroquoian, Muskogean and Siouan. With the English settling on their land at Charleston beginning in the 17th century, the Cusabo developed a relationship of accommodation with the colony that persisted through the early 18th century. After the Yamasee War
of 1712, surviving tribal members migrated to join the Creek or Catawba
.
in Georgia), Edisto, Escamacu (also St. Helena Indians), Etiwan (also Irwan or Eutaw), Kiawah, Stono, Wando, Wappoo and Wimbee. Non-Cusabo Settlement Indians listed in a 1696 report include the Sewee and Santee
.
. It did not appear to be related to other known language families on the North American continent. There is evidence that at least five tribes on the coast, in the territory from the lower Savannah to the Wando River
(east of Charleston), spoke a common language which was different from the Guale
and Sewee languages of neighboring peoples. It is likely the Ashepoo, Combahee, Escamaçu, Etiwan, and Kiawah also spoke this language, which has been referred to as Cusaboan. Only a few words (mostly town names) of this language were recorded in the 16th century by the French explorer René Goulaine de Laudonnière
. (One example wasSkorrye or Skerry, meaning "bad" or "enemy"). Most words lack translations. Approximately 100 place names and 12 personal names in Cusabo have survived. The place names do not seem to be related to Algonquian
, Iroquoian
, Muskogean languages
or Siouan. (In places where the Sewee and Santee
lived, the place names are in the Catawban languages
.)
John R. Swanton
thought that the bou or boo element, presumably the same bou in the Cusabo word Westo boe meaning "Westoe River", that occurs in many coastal place names is a related to Choctaw
-bok (river). He speculated that Cusabo was related to the Muskogean family. Later scholars think this might have been relation of sounds might have been a coincidence without meaning, especially since the older Choctaw form was bayok (small river, river forming part of a delta). They believe that Cusabo was a different language. Blair Rudes has suggested that the <-bo> suffix and other evidence may indicate a relationship to the Arawakan languages
of the Caribbean indigenous peoples. This suggests that parts of the Atlantic Coast may have been settled by indigenous peoples from the Caribbean islands.
(he was kidnapped from the Pee Dee River
area by Spanish in 1521, and learned Spanish. His "Testimony of Francisco de Chicora" was recorded by the chronicler Peter Martyr
and published in 1525.) In 1526, Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón's party visited this area and recorded some names.
The English colony of South Carolina
was founded in the midst of Cusabo land and the loose group of tribes became closely tied to the colony. In the first decade after the founding of Charles Town in 1670, there was conflict and warfare between some of the Cusabo and the new colony. The Kussoe (Coosa) subtribe was the first to come into violent conflict, Carolina declared war against them in October of 1671. The Kussoe went into hiding but remained in the area. In the early years of the colony, it was not difficult for Indians to "lie low" if they wanted. For three years colonial records make no mention of the Kussoe or the war.
In 1674 records note an alleged Kussoe attack in which three colonists were killed. During the same year the Stono, a Cusabo subtribe, fought with the colony. This conflict (not to be confused with the later Stono Rebellion
of African slaves) was similar to the Kussoe War. Colonial records are unclear on how the Kussoe-Stono War ended, except that it was resolved in South Carolina's favor. The colony forced the tribes to cede large tracts of rich land. In addition, they required the Kussoe to make a symbolic tribute payment of one deerskin
per month. The Kussoe, Stono, and other Cusabo subtribes remained in the area, living in relative accord with the colonists until the Yamasee War
of 1715.
One of South Carolina's first powerful Indian allies was the Westo
tribe, who during the 1670s conducted numerous slave raid attacks on nearly every other Indian group in the region. Contemporary scholars believe the Westo were an Iroquoian tribe that had migrated from the Great Lakes area, possibly an offshoot of the Erie
during the Beaver Wars
. By the late 1670s, South Carolina colonists came into direct conflict with the Westo. The colony demanded that the Westo cease attacking the Cusabo and other Settlement Indians. Continued Westo attacks played a role in South Carolina's decision to destroy the Westo, which they did with Indian assistance, in 1679-1680.
By the turn of the century, the Cusabo had become fairly integrated into South Carolina's society, although they retained their tribal identities and lived in their own villages. A relationship developed between the two groups, with the Indians serving as a kind of police and security force in exchange for trade goods, weapons, and money. The colony paid the Cusabo for "vermin" such as wolves, "tigers" (cougars), and bears. They also hunted game animals and sold the meat to colonists. But their chief service was in capturing runaway slaves. South Carolina worked to encourage Indian hostility toward Africans, and African fear of Indians. A series of laws were passed that rewarded Indians for capturing runaway slaves and absolved them of responsibility if runaways were killed in the process. In contrast, Africans suffered punishment and severe penalties for attacking Indians. As late as 1750, reportedly more than 400 "ancient native" (or Settlement Indians) lived within South Carolina, with their "chief service" being "hunting Game, destroying Vermin and Beasts of Prey, and in capturing Runaway slaves."
During the Tuscarora War
, the Cusabo joined the first South Carolina army, under John Barnwell
. They fought against the Tuscarora in North Carolina in 1711 and 1712. Part of the "Yamasee Company", the Cusabo troops numbered fewer than 15 men.
In 1712, South Carolina granted Palawana Island, near Saint Helena Island
, to the Cusabo, where many were already living. Barnwell took a census in early 1715 that listed the Cusabo ("Corsaboy") as living in five villages and having a population of 95 men and 200 women and children. The "Itwan", a Cusabo subtribe, was listed separately as living in one village with a population of 80 men and 160 women and children.
During the Yamasee War of 1715, the Cusabo were one of the few Indian groups that sided with the colony of South Carolina. After the war, most of them migrated out of the area, joining either the Creek
or Catawba
.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes who lived along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
in what is now South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, approximately between present-day Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
and south to the Savannah River
Savannah River
The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the northernmost part of the border...
, at the time of European encounter. English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
colonists often referred to them as the Settlement Indians of South Carolina. At least five of the tribes appeared to speak a common language, although one distinctly different from major language families known nearby, such as Algonquian
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
, Iroquoian, Muskogean and Siouan. With the English settling on their land at Charleston beginning in the 17th century, the Cusabo developed a relationship of accommodation with the colony that persisted through the early 18th century. After the Yamasee War
Yamasee War
The Yamasee War was a conflict between British settlers of colonial South Carolina and various Native American Indian tribes, including the Yamasee, Muscogee, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Catawba, Apalachee, Apalachicola, Yuchi, Savannah River Shawnee, Congaree, Waxhaw, Pee Dee, Cape Fear, Cheraw, and...
of 1712, surviving tribal members migrated to join the Creek or Catawba
Catawba (tribe)
The Catawba are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans, known as the Catawba Indian Nation. They live in the Southeast United States, along the border between North and South Carolina near the city of Rock Hill...
.
Political divisions
Subtribes of the Cusabo included the Ashepoo, Combahee, Coosa (also spelled Coosaw, Cussoe, or Kussoe; not the same people as the earlier Coosa chiefdomCoosa chiefdom
The Coosa chiefdom was a powerful Native American paramount chiefdom near what are now Gordon and Murray counties in Georgia, in the United States. It was inhabited from about 1400 until about 1600, and dominated several smaller chiefdoms...
in Georgia), Edisto, Escamacu (also St. Helena Indians), Etiwan (also Irwan or Eutaw), Kiawah, Stono, Wando, Wappoo and Wimbee. Non-Cusabo Settlement Indians listed in a 1696 report include the Sewee and Santee
Santee tribe
The Santee Indian Organization, a remnant tribe, was officially recognized by the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs, January 27, 2006. Historically it was a small tribe , speaking a Siouan language and centered in the area of the present town of Santee, South Carolina...
.
Language
Although in the 1930s anthropologist John Swanton theorized that the Cusabo may have spoken a form of the Muskogean language, more recent research disputes this. The language spoken by the Cusabo is virtually unknown and now extinctExtinct language
An extinct language is a language that no longer has any speakers., or that is no longer in current use. Extinct languages are sometimes contrasted with dead languages, which are still known and used in special contexts in written form, but not as ordinary spoken languages for everyday communication...
. It did not appear to be related to other known language families on the North American continent. There is evidence that at least five tribes on the coast, in the territory from the lower Savannah to the Wando River
Wando River
The Wando River is a tidewater river in the coastal area of South Carolina. It begins in the town of Awendaw and empties into the Cooper River at Charleston Harbor. Its drainage area is . -External links:...
(east of Charleston), spoke a common language which was different from the Guale
Guale
Guale was an historic Native American chiefdom along the coast of present-day Georgia and the Sea Islands. Spanish Florida established its Roman Catholic missionary system in the chiefdom in the late 16th century. During the late 17th century and early 18th century, Guale society was shattered...
and Sewee languages of neighboring peoples. It is likely the Ashepoo, Combahee, Escamaçu, Etiwan, and Kiawah also spoke this language, which has been referred to as Cusaboan. Only a few words (mostly town names) of this language were recorded in the 16th century by the French explorer René Goulaine de Laudonnière
René Goulaine de Laudonnière
René Goulaine de Laudonnière was a French Huguenot explorer and the founder of the French colony of Fort Caroline in what is now Jacksonville, Florida...
. (One example wasSkorrye or Skerry, meaning "bad" or "enemy"). Most words lack translations. Approximately 100 place names and 12 personal names in Cusabo have survived. The place names do not seem to be related to Algonquian
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
, Iroquoian
Iroquoian languages
The Iroquoian languages are a First Nation and Native American language family.-Family division:*Ruttenber, Edward Manning. 1992 [1872]. History of the Indian tribes of Hudson's River. Hope Farm Press....
, Muskogean languages
Muskogean languages
Muskogean is an indigenous language family of the Southeastern United States. Though there is an ongoing debate concerning their interrelationships, the Muskogean languages are generally divided into two branches, Eastern Muskogean and Western Muskogean...
or Siouan. (In places where the Sewee and Santee
Santee tribe
The Santee Indian Organization, a remnant tribe, was officially recognized by the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs, January 27, 2006. Historically it was a small tribe , speaking a Siouan language and centered in the area of the present town of Santee, South Carolina...
lived, the place names are in the Catawban languages
Catawban languages
The Catawban, or Eastern Siouan, languages form a small language family in east North America. The Catawban family is a branch of the larger Siouan Siouan–Catawban family.-Family division:The Catawban family consists of two languages:...
.)
John R. Swanton
John R. Swanton
John Reed Swanton was an American anthropologist and linguist who worked with Native American peoples throughout the United States. Swanton achieved recognition in the fields of ethnology and ethnohistory...
thought that the bou or boo element, presumably the same bou in the Cusabo word Westo boe meaning "Westoe River", that occurs in many coastal place names is a related to Choctaw
Choctaw language
The Choctaw language, traditionally spoken by the Native American Choctaw people of the southeastern United States, is a member of the Muskogean family...
-bok (river). He speculated that Cusabo was related to the Muskogean family. Later scholars think this might have been relation of sounds might have been a coincidence without meaning, especially since the older Choctaw form was bayok (small river, river forming part of a delta). They believe that Cusabo was a different language. Blair Rudes has suggested that the <-bo> suffix and other evidence may indicate a relationship to the Arawakan languages
Arawakan languages
Macro-Arawakan is a proposed language family of South America and the Caribbean based on the Arawakan languages. Sometimes the proposal is called Arawakan, in which case the central family is called Maipurean....
of the Caribbean indigenous peoples. This suggests that parts of the Atlantic Coast may have been settled by indigenous peoples from the Caribbean islands.
History
The names of many subtribes of the Cusabo and Catawba may be recognised among the provinces that were described by Francisco de ChicoraFrancisco de Chicora
Francisco de Chicora was the baptismal name given to a Native American kidnapped in 1521, along with 70 others, from near the mouth of the Pee Dee River by Spanish explorer Francisco Gordillo and slave trader Pedro de Quexos, based in Santo Domingo and the first Europeans to reach the area. From...
(he was kidnapped from the Pee Dee River
Pee Dee River
The Pee Dee River, also known as the Great Pee Dee River, is a river in North Carolina and South Carolina. It originates in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, where its upper course above the mouth of the Uwharrie River is known as the Yadkin River. It is extensively dammed for flood...
area by Spanish in 1521, and learned Spanish. His "Testimony of Francisco de Chicora" was recorded by the chronicler Peter Martyr
Peter Martyr d'Anghiera
Peter Martyr d'Anghiera was an Italian-born historian of Spain and its discoveries during the Age of Exploration...
and published in 1525.) In 1526, Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón's party visited this area and recorded some names.
The English colony of South Carolina
Province of Carolina
The Province of Carolina, originally chartered in 1629, was an English and later British colony of North America. Because the original Heath charter was unrealized and was ruled invalid, a new charter was issued to a group of eight English noblemen, the Lords Proprietors, in 1663...
was founded in the midst of Cusabo land and the loose group of tribes became closely tied to the colony. In the first decade after the founding of Charles Town in 1670, there was conflict and warfare between some of the Cusabo and the new colony. The Kussoe (Coosa) subtribe was the first to come into violent conflict, Carolina declared war against them in October of 1671. The Kussoe went into hiding but remained in the area. In the early years of the colony, it was not difficult for Indians to "lie low" if they wanted. For three years colonial records make no mention of the Kussoe or the war.
In 1674 records note an alleged Kussoe attack in which three colonists were killed. During the same year the Stono, a Cusabo subtribe, fought with the colony. This conflict (not to be confused with the later Stono Rebellion
Stono Rebellion
The Stono Rebellion was a slave rebellion that commenced on 9 September 1739, in the colony of South Carolina...
of African slaves) was similar to the Kussoe War. Colonial records are unclear on how the Kussoe-Stono War ended, except that it was resolved in South Carolina's favor. The colony forced the tribes to cede large tracts of rich land. In addition, they required the Kussoe to make a symbolic tribute payment of one deerskin
Deerskin trade
The deerskin trade between Colonial America and the Native Americans was one of the most important trading relationships between Europeans and Native Americans, especially in the southeast. It was a form of the fur trade, but less known, since deer skins were not as valuable as furs from the north...
per month. The Kussoe, Stono, and other Cusabo subtribes remained in the area, living in relative accord with the colonists until the Yamasee War
Yamasee
The Yamasee were a multiethnic confederation of Native Americans that lived in the coastal region of present-day northern coastal Georgia near the Savannah River and later in northeastern Florida.-History:...
of 1715.
One of South Carolina's first powerful Indian allies was the Westo
Westo
The Westo were a Native American tribe encountered in the Southeast by Europeans in the 17th century. They probably spoke an Iroquoian language. The Spanish called these people Chichimeco , and, Virginia colonists may have called the same people Richahecrian...
tribe, who during the 1670s conducted numerous slave raid attacks on nearly every other Indian group in the region. Contemporary scholars believe the Westo were an Iroquoian tribe that had migrated from the Great Lakes area, possibly an offshoot of the Erie
Erie
Erie is a city in Pennsylvania, United States.Erie may also refer to:*Erie , a tribe of Native Americans-Places:*Lake Erie, one of the five Great Lakes of North America*Erie Canal, a canal running from the Hudson River to Lake Erie...
during the Beaver Wars
Beaver Wars
The Beaver Wars, also sometimes called the Iroquois Wars or the French and Iroquois Wars, commonly refers to a series of conflicts fought in the mid-17th century in eastern North America...
. By the late 1670s, South Carolina colonists came into direct conflict with the Westo. The colony demanded that the Westo cease attacking the Cusabo and other Settlement Indians. Continued Westo attacks played a role in South Carolina's decision to destroy the Westo, which they did with Indian assistance, in 1679-1680.
By the turn of the century, the Cusabo had become fairly integrated into South Carolina's society, although they retained their tribal identities and lived in their own villages. A relationship developed between the two groups, with the Indians serving as a kind of police and security force in exchange for trade goods, weapons, and money. The colony paid the Cusabo for "vermin" such as wolves, "tigers" (cougars), and bears. They also hunted game animals and sold the meat to colonists. But their chief service was in capturing runaway slaves. South Carolina worked to encourage Indian hostility toward Africans, and African fear of Indians. A series of laws were passed that rewarded Indians for capturing runaway slaves and absolved them of responsibility if runaways were killed in the process. In contrast, Africans suffered punishment and severe penalties for attacking Indians. As late as 1750, reportedly more than 400 "ancient native" (or Settlement Indians) lived within South Carolina, with their "chief service" being "hunting Game, destroying Vermin and Beasts of Prey, and in capturing Runaway slaves."
During the Tuscarora War
Tuscarora War
The Tuscarora War was fought in North Carolina during the autumn of 1711 until 11 February 1715 between the British, Dutch, and German settlers and the Tuscarora Native Americans. A treaty was signed in 1715....
, the Cusabo joined the first South Carolina army, under John Barnwell
John Barnwell (colonist)
John Barnwell was a native of Ireland who emigrated to the Province of South Carolina in 1701. He led an army against the Tuscarora in 1711–1712. Later he served the colony as an official in talks with England in forming the government...
. They fought against the Tuscarora in North Carolina in 1711 and 1712. Part of the "Yamasee Company", the Cusabo troops numbered fewer than 15 men.
In 1712, South Carolina granted Palawana Island, near Saint Helena Island
Saint Helena Island, South Carolina
St. Helena Island is one of the Sea Islands in Beaufort County, South Carolina that are historic sites of early European colonization of North America. St. Helena is also the center of African-American Gullah culture and language. It is sometimes claimed to be the oldest settlement in the United...
, to the Cusabo, where many were already living. Barnwell took a census in early 1715 that listed the Cusabo ("Corsaboy") as living in five villages and having a population of 95 men and 200 women and children. The "Itwan", a Cusabo subtribe, was listed separately as living in one village with a population of 80 men and 160 women and children.
During the Yamasee War of 1715, the Cusabo were one of the few Indian groups that sided with the colony of South Carolina. After the war, most of them migrated out of the area, joining either the Creek
Creek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
or Catawba
Catawba (tribe)
The Catawba are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans, known as the Catawba Indian Nation. They live in the Southeast United States, along the border between North and South Carolina near the city of Rock Hill...
.