The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1898-01-14
Ghrnrmurrat-S Star
INDIAN NAMED COUNTIES.
Miss. Bureau commerclal-Appeal.


schools in this State, submits report
which is full OF curious and rnconditc
genealogical data. For Il long time it
has been source of speculation to
many Mississippians who did not
have the advantage Of Il training in
Choctaw classes in their early youth
as to what the Indian names of the
different counties in the State mean.
At the special request of the super
intcndent OF EDUCATION Mr.. llalbcrt
made the following compilation,
which Will be embodied in Mr.. Kin
lannon's report to the Legislature:
"Attala-This county received its
name from the indian heroine of
Chateaubrland's romance, Attala. 1t
is not a genuine Indian name, was
simply coined by Chatcaubriand, and
has no significance whatever.
"Chicka saw-Thc aboriginal form is
Chickasha, which means rebellion. :"
The Rev. Allen Wright says that ac-
cording to tradition the Chickasaws
were once part OF the Choctaws and
Creeks, but by rebellion they became
separate and distinct tribe.
"Choctaw-Thc aboriginal form is
Is Chahta. The original meaning of
this word is lost, but it is supposed to
mean separation, that is separation
IN prehistoric times from the other
members Of the ChOctaw- NJ MuscOgce
stock, who were all once one people.
"Coahoma-This word means red
panther and it was not an unusual
mans name among the old Choctaws
In Choctaw it is spelled Koi lIomma
koi, panther and homma, red
"Copiah-Ths word is considerably
corrupted from the Ch0ctaw koi paya'
which means 'howling panther, OF
crying panther"
''lssaquena-This word means deer
river Issi, deer, and okhina river.
The old word was Issokhlna. The
word okhna is strikingly poetical
savage metaphor river, meaning water
road
"Itawamba-This is mans name
and seems to have no significance
Several Choctaw scholars have tried
their hands on it and have given it up
"Neshoba-Ths word means wolf,
and should be spelled 'Nashoba.'
"Noxubec--Th Choctaws call NoX
ubce river Okla Nakshobi which
means 'stinking water Right here
! wish to state that the etymolngl
given in ClaibOrne's Mississippi i:
totally erroneous and the legend il
spurious.
"Okt ibbcha This word is com
pounded of oEti, ice and abcha
therein The legend is that after al
unusually severe winter such grea
quantity OF ice was seen floating dowI
the Stream that bears the name thai
the Indians gave it this name. Til,
county, Of course, derives its name
directly from the stream.
"Panola-Ths is the original wore
signifying cotton with sligh
change. The Choctaw word il
'ponola.'
''Pontotoc This means 'wcc(
prairie Oktah means 'prairie.
There is or was large prairie il
North Mississippi, in which thcr
grew a kind of long, slender wcct
called in the Chickasaw dialect 'ponti.
TO yet the name of the prairie unitcC
to the two words. Ponti-oktal, cor
ruptcd by the whites into 'Pontotoc.
"Tallahatchie-This means 'rocl
river In Choctaw it Is 'Tall-hachcha.
"Tippah This is the Choctav
'tapa, meaning cut or
'Tishomingo-This means 'warrio
chief Tishu is dialcctic Chickasay
word corresponding to the Choctav
'tashka, which is translated warrior
"Tunica-This county derives it
name from the Tunica Indians VIII,
emigratcd IN 1917 from Mississippi
into Louisiana, where the remnant
OF the tribe remain to this day. Tn
Tunicas speak language entircl.
distinct from the ChoctawS. Tunica
in their language, means the people,
as it was not uncommon for the tribe
70 "d""ti as their tribal name wore
a man or people
'busha-1'his means 'tadpolc
more literally, 'tadpoles ar,
The word is compound o
ltadpole,' and asha, lis there
= = ere
.hEThis word comes from til,
lbc, who lived near the moull
pzoo river, and who were in
ed into the ChickaSaw Natior
There is some uncertainty
pc Proper @intcrpretation o
! Vherc isno evidence what
Dtlthe word signincd river o
Z IN the Indian tongue, as is
saF~. ally thought. The best suppos
,Iioais that the word must be sought
IN the Uchee tongue, in which yashl
signifies leaf but what real or fancie(
analogy gave this name TO the YazOt
tribe is a question that has not YET
been solved.
- Sps -
u An nYclnnnn suNS. A SIX Sumn mnt