The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-13
INDIAN NAMES IN THE SOUTH.
How the ChOctaws Left Souvenirs of
Their Language.


From the New Orleans Picayune
John A. Watkins, one Of the city's most
venerable jewellers, having now passed hos
Sth year, is very familiar with the tom
toms, usages, beliefs and traditions of
the Choctaws of Mississippi, much of his
time, when a youth. having been spent
among them. In speaking on the sub
ject of the names of many localities,
rivers, etc, in Mississippi and Louisiana,
Mr.. Watkins remarked that they show
their Choctaw origin. But" he OBJ
served, the original names have be-
come so corrupted and changed that only
one familiar with the Choctaws and their
language could interpret them" In this
connection it should be remarked that
Mr. Watkins familiarity with the In
dams began in the year 1873 and that it
was continued until the removal of the
Indians to the Indian territory, about
1868
For Instance" said Mr. Watkins, "ln
the word Coahoma, the name of a county
in Mississippi, we have an example among
many of this corruption of Choctaw
nomenclature. The word COahoma is de-
rived from Co-i-homma, meaning red
tiger Issaquena is deer river, or creek
corrupted from ssi, meaning deer and
ok-hi-na, meaning creek or river. It.
awamba county, in Mississippi meaning
go and KILL was originally Ita-taka-lom-
bi. This is very remarkable example
of change.
There is in the same state a creek
called Noxubee. The change from the
original in this word has also been very
striking. The Indian form of the word
was Ok-a-mak-shobi. and its meaning was
Sinking creek Tradition says in regard
to the origin of this appellation that long
ago an obstinate and bloody battle was
10, go l.g Il l.
the Choctaws and the Creeks, who had
been traditional enemies from time i'm
memorial. So many were slain on both
sides that the bodies of the dead thrown
into the creek, gave to its waters the
appellation that commemorated both the
incident of the battle and its malodorous
conclusion"
In mentioning the various rivers and To-
calities in which appear ITALIA" as the
two first syllables of the name, Mr. Wat
kins quoted several examples to show how
this word, meaning rock" has been
changed from the original "tulr' (rock)
into its present form. Tallahatchie means
1.-The rock river" the terminal "hatchie"
should be "hucha," meaning river" In
another instance, that of Tallahassee in
Florida, the terminal "hatchie," has been
meaning rock river" Tallahoma, a town
in Mississippi, is derived from the origi-
nal Choctaw Tullhomma, having for its
meaning red rock" or red stone.''
M
Watkins. lin Indian or in French as
'bogue,' which occurs in such names of
rivers or creeks as Boguechitto. Bogueho-
ma and Boguelusa, in Mississippi; and
Boguefalala, in Louisiana and Mississippi
The term 'bogue" is merely a corruption
of the Indian box creek.
I'm the names given above 'chitto means
big falala,' means long,. and 1usa'
means black To illustrate this more full
IT, the river in Mississippi known as Big
Black which empties into the Mississippi
at Grand Gulf, is a literal translation of
its Indian name, by which it is also known
Chittousa. The same word 'chitto' is
found in the name of the HabaIochitto riv-
err in Mississippi. which means big fight
Pelahatchie, also river in Mississippi
should be 'Pillahucha,' and means "a way
towards
s'In the word Bucatunna a creek in one
of the eastern counties of Mississippi, we
have the meaning in Choctaw of the creek
where the weaving is done;' it should be
Bok-a-tunna, according to the original
In speaking of the meaning of the word
Catahoula, the name OF parish in Louis
lana, Mr.. Watkins says that it Is derived
from Okhatta-nulo' meaning beloved
The terminal "goula," as it is bund in
the names of Pascagoula and Bayagoula
(misnamed in our day Bayou Goula)
Pascagoula was Puskaokla-Puska
meaning "bread," and okla, afterward
changed by the French into "goula," sig
nifying people" So also, in the Indian
territory, in the name of the well-settled
district Oklahoma we find the work Okla,
"Deople." and homa, meaning ''red." This
word "homa" also appears as Mouma
which was the name of former tribe of
Louisiana, and is now the name of a
.sThe town of Tangipahoa, in this
state Mr. Watkins said, lis named from
The Indian word tanchiloah,' which
,aeans roasting ears from 'tanchi' (corn0
and Ioah.' meaning the act of roasting
the ears Of green corn from luak' (hre).
"Ponchatoula is a corruption of Pom
chagoula, which, according to the deelar-
etion of the we'll informed superintendent
n the Choctaw schools in Mississippi,
gentleman who speaks the ChoctaW Ian
Suage fuently, means pond lily
s'In Mississippi is creek named Tonga
loo which is a corruption of the original
name of q small settlement, or community,