South Carolina – Indians, Native Americans – Natchez

Name, Language

• Alternate: Natches, Nah'-Chee, Nauche, or W'Nahk'-Chee
• Possible meanings: W'Nahk'-Chee means "fast warrior(s)"
• Language family: Muskogean

Current Status

• Active obtaining official state recognition on February 2, 2007.
  

Contact Information

• Natchez Tribe of South Carolina

  Chief Samuel Earl Davis
  79 Bluff Road
  Columbia, SC 29201
  

SC Location, Territory

• Traditional: Along the Edisto River near Four Holes area in Dorchester County

• Today: Four Holes area in Dorchester County, Creeltown area in Colleton County and headquartered in Columbia

Population Estimates

• ?

History

• The Natchez originally lived near present-day Louisiana but were driven out of their traditional home-land by French colonists. In 1735, a group of Natchez sought refuge in the Edisto area of South Carolina.

• In 1744, the Natchez left Four Holes, SC fearing retribution by the Catawbas for killing seven members of their tribe.

• The Natchez sought refuge once again within other locat tribes. These combined tribes have remained in the same area of South Carolina since the mid-1700s, calling themselves the Kusso-Natchez.

Dwellings

• Homes: Rectangular "longhouse dwellings" made of saplings lashed together and coated on the outside with mud; lighter materials such as clapboards might have been used in summer.
• Villages: Villages consisted of individual homes and usually a council house for town meetings.

Food

• Farming – Corn, beans, squash, sunflowers and gourds
• Fishing – Salt and fresh water fish
• Hunting – Deer, bear and smaller game using bows and arrows, blow guns, and snares

Clothing

• Men: Loin cloth made of deerskin in warm months; leggings, moccasins, and a cloak called a "matchcoat" were worn in cold months.
• Women: Knee-length skirts of deerskin; "matchcoats" similar to those of men in cold months. Natchez women blackened their teeth with a mixture of wood and tobacco ash.
• Both men and women adorned themselves with jewelry made of shells, beads, or metal and tattooing was common among both.

Beliefs and Practices

• Like most southeastern tribes, the Natchez had a complex belief system that stressed order. Their deities were part of the natural world, with the Sun being the most important.
• In addition to rites of passage and of purification for individuals, the Natchez held large communal ceremonies to mark the seasons and the yearly food cycle.
• The Green Corn Ceremony was the most important yearly ritual. It took place in late summer when the corn crop ripened. In preparation homes were cleaned, all food from the previous year was disposed of and all fires were extinguished. The ceremony began with two days of ritual fasting by priests and distinguished men in the center of the village. On the third day a new fire was kindled and the head priest gave a sermon to the entire village. Then preparations for a great feast were made which was consumed on the fourth day followed by singing and dancing. The ceremony was closed by all members of the tribe painting their bodies with white clay and then immersing themselves in water. This ceremony was thought to purify the village and prepare them for the year to come.
• Ball games, which were widespread among southeastern Native Americans, were played by Natchez men.

• Natchez Indian Tribe History
• The Natchez Indians