Description
The Chaouacha (or Chawasha) were an indigenous people of Louisiana, likely related to the Chitimacha, best known in history for being the victims of a massacre in retaliation for the Natchez revolt against French colonists in which they had had no part. When first described, they lived on the east bank of the Mississippi River, just south of New Orleans. In 1699, they were reported to be allied with the Ouacha/Washa and the Opelousa. In December 1729, following an attack by the Natchez on Fort Rosalie the prior month, colonists feared a widespread Indian rebellion or, even worse, a combined Native American and slave revolt. The governor of Louisiana, Étienne Perier, ordered a force of 80 enslaved Africans under the command of Louis Tixerant, a Company of the Indies warehouse keeper, to massacre the Chaouacha community, rewarding the men by freeing them from slavery.
Language
Chitimacha is a Gulf language, once spoken along the Louisiana coast. The language is unfortunately extinct now--most Chitimacha Indians switched to speaking Cajun French in the 18th century, and the last fluent speaker of the Chitimacha language died in 1940.
Culture
Along with the Washa and Yagenachito tribes, the confederation once occupied about 15 villages. The name Chawasha is a Choctaw term meaning “Raccoon Place.” When Spanish Explorers first came to America, the combined strength of the four groups was estimated to be about 20,000. However, as more and more European settlers came to the area, the tribes suffered greatly from infectious diseases, which reduced their number by half by 1700. At that time, the Chawasha had about 700 people. They subsisted on maize, potatoes, and wild game. They preferred deer, alligator, and aquatic species. Hunting and fishing were accomplished with the aid of bone, stone, or garfish scale pointed arrows, or through the use of blow guns and wooden darts, as well as, nets and traps for fishing.