Native American Place Names in Mississippi

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Author: Keith A. Baca

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Native American Place Names in Mississippi

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Keith A. Baca

University Press of Mississippi / Jackson

www.upress.state.ms.us Designed by Todd Lape The University Press of Mississippi is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Photographs courtesy of Keith A. Baca Copyright ©  by University Press of Mississippi All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America First edition  ∞ Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Baca, Keith A. Native American place names in Mississippi / Keith A. Baca. — 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN-13: 978-1-57806-954-5 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-57806-954-8 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-1-57806-955-2 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-57806-955-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Names, Indian—Mississippi. 2. Names, Geographical—Mississippi. 3. Mississippi—Name. I. Title. E78.M73B33 2007 976.2004’97003—dc22 2006033948 British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments vii

Introduction xi

Native American Place Names in Mississippi 3

References 137

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Preface and Acknowledgments

The state of Mississippi is often described as possessing an unrivaled “sense of place,” and it is undeniable that Mississippi’s reputation for cultural distinctiveness is abundantly justified. A very significant contributor to Mississippi’s strong atmosphere of local color is the state’s large stock of Native American place names. Although all fifty states feature indigenous place names, Mississippi’s inventory is among the largest. The state’s geography is thoroughly permeated by these toponyms, indelibly attached as they are to hundreds of locations, from large cities and rivers to tiny rural communities and creeks. More than a dozen Mississippi counties bear Indian names, and the appellation Mississippi itself is of Indian origin. American Indian names provide much of the richness of the cultural landscape, as any discerning traveler through Mississippi is aware. However, the origins and meanings of those names are lost on most, Mississippians and visitors alike. The predominant lack of public awareness of the subject is reflected by Mississippi writer Willie Morris’s apt characterization of the state’s Indian place names, in his book My Mississippi, as “the mysterious, lost euphonious litany” (Morris , p. ). This air of mystery is understandable: over the years, few books have been published that include the subject of Mississippi’s Indian geographic names to any extent; moreover, most of them are of decidedly uneven reliability, and none treats the matter in depth. These books have by default been influential in shaping popular perceptions, because most of the past scholarly research on the topic has been unavailable to a wide readership, being largely confined to small-circulation journals and unpublished manuscripts. As a result, of the translavii

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tions that have managed to diffuse into the public’s imagination, many are wholly erroneous, the consequence of the uncritical repetition of incorrect notions introduced long ago. In an effort to counteract the too-prevalent misunderstanding of the subject, I have assembled this book, which is the first published work dealing exclusively with Mississippi’s Native American place names. It is intended to meet the longstanding need for a comprehensive reference resource on the topic, which has long been of broad but mostly unsatisfied public interest. Except for my own attempts to decipher some names (mostly of smaller creeks) for which no other recorded interpretations apparently exist, the majority of the translations presented herein (about  percent) are not new; this book is largely a compilation of previous work. The comparative analysis, however, is original; it has enabled me to correct some obvious or probable errors made by earlier researchers, and to select the most credible alternatives for those names with more than one interpretation. To this end, I have attempted to collect and evaluate all available previous translations of each name, which entails extensive citation of sources, to a degree that might seem obsessive to the casual reader. However, specific source presentation is essential for the thorough tracing of the origins of place name translations in the literature, a procedure intended to make this book of interest not only to general readers, but also to specialists in such fields as anthropology, history, and geography. In addition to the main entries of place names and their translations, a bonus feature of this book consists of side boxes headed “The Native American Connection,” which present Indian history, legends, and myths associated with various towns, communities, streams, and other sites in Mississippi that bear indigenous names. I am indebted to a number of individuals and institutions for providing me with the inspiration and assistance that enabled me to conceive and complete this book. My interest in the subject of Native American place names was initially kindled when I was a graduate student in anthropology and geography at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, where I also worked as the graduate assistant of Professor Robert W. Neuman, then the curator of anthropology in LSU’s Museum of Geoscience (now


the Museum of Natural Science). One of the tasks Professor Neuman assigned me was to indicate, on one of the museum’s reference sets of U.S. Geological Survey maps of Louisiana, all the Indian geographical names printed thereon, using as my guide his well-worn copy of William A. Read’s  monograph, Louisiana Place-Names of Indian Origin. Later, as an archaeologist with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in Jackson, I worked nearly every day with one of the department’s own reference sets of over eight hundred USGS maps covering Mississippi. As a result, I was struck by the fact that Mississippi’s landscape is much more abundantly adorned with Native American names than Louisiana’s. Finally it dawned on me that the lack of a Native American place name guide for Mississippi should be remedied. From the start of my work on this book, Mr. Jack D. Elliott, Jr., of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History was an invaluable adviser, bringing to my attention obscure but essential articles and unpublished documents. Dr. Evan Peacock and Dr. Janet Rafferty of the Cobb Institute of Archaeology, Mississippi State University, contributed additional reference material, as did Mr. James Woodrick of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Information on the local pronunciations of certain names was provided by Mr. James R. Atkinson, National Park Service (retired); Ms. Mary Bell Lunsford, Homochitto National Forest; Prof. Richard A. Marshall, Mississippi State University (retired); and Mr. Samuel O. McGahey, Mississippi Department of Archives and History (retired). Ms. Patsy Ricks of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, Ridgeland, Mississippi, and Dr. Robert E. Wolverton of Mississippi State University helped me with an English-to-Latin translation. Ms. Marian Wright of East Oktibbeha County (Mississippi) High School translated a French phrase. Mr. Jeffrey Alvey of the Cobb Institute of Archaeology prepared the map. Because I do not speak Choctaw or Chickasaw, the two principal indigenous languages of Mississippi, this book has benefited greatly from prepublication reviews by Dr. John P. Dyson of Indiana University, Bloomington, and Dr. Patricia B. Kwachka of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Their expert knowledge of the languages enabled them to catch

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a number of translation mistakes and to suggest alternate interpretations. I am grateful for their generous help. I am, however, solely responsible for the inevitable undetected errors, both of commission and omission. My most heartfelt gratitude is reserved for my wife, Julie, for her steadfast encouragement and support, and for my children, Ethan and Kristina, who always help me maintain proper perspective.

Introduction

This book collects and translates the almost six hundred Native American place names currently used in the state of Mississippi. With a few exceptions, obsolete Indian toponyms, consisting largely of stream designations and Indian village names appearing only on old maps and other historical documents, are not listed. Also, place names whose Indian components consist of words that have been well assimilated into American English— e.g., bayou (via Louisiana French), coon, possum, hickory, pecan, persimmon, etc.—are, in most cases, omitted. And, the many Mississippi creeks, springs, towns, and rural communities bearing “Indian” in their names are excluded, as that appellation is rather famously a non–Native American misnomer. On the other hand, a few pseudo-Indian names are included, in order to show that they are inauthentic. The names are listed in alphabetical order, with any initial non-Indian elements placed following the Indian portions; e.g., Little Alamuchee Creek and Lake Bogue Homa are listed herein as Alamuchee Creek, Little and Bogue Homa, Lake. Standard Latin reference abbreviations routinely used in the entries, which may be unfamiliar to many general readers, are as follows: cf. = compare; ibid. = see immediately preceding citation; q.v. = see immediately preceding name in its own entry elsewhere in text. Local pronunciation, if recorded, accompanies each name heading. For the convenience of general readers, I have not used the International Phonetic Alphabet with which most of the local pronunciations of place names are written in the source literature, as its technical orthographic symbols are unfamiliar to nonspecialists. Instead, I have opted for simplified phonetic renderings of the names using ordinary English letters. xi

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The name entries include location information for places within their respective counties. For rivers and creeks that cross county boundaries, the counties through which they run are listed in order of the direction of flow; that is, the first county contains the stream’s source, while the last county is where its terminus or mouth is located. In consideration of the fact that the automobile is the chief means by which most individuals view landscapes on an extensive scale, locations where highways cross rivers and creeks with Indian names are indicated to bring the often inconspicuous and unmarked streams to the attention of travelers. Two convenient and widely available resources for locating most of the places listed herein are DeLorme’s Mississippi Atlas & Gazetteer™ and the Web site TopoZone.com. The majority of Mississippi Indian place names are of Choctaw origin, followed in frequency by Chickasaw names, reflecting the fact that these two tribes were by far the most populous Native American groups to inhabit what is now the state of Mississippi. Historically, the central and southern parts of what is now Mississippi were Choctaw territory, while the northern portion was claimed by the Chickasaws (see map, p. ). Discussion of the history and culture of these tribes is beyond the scope of this book and is superfluous given the multitude of available works dealing with these subjects. Thorough scholarly treatments include those of Galloway (), Galloway and Kidwell (), and Swanton () for the Choctaws, and Atkinson (b), Brightman and Wallace (), and Swanton () for the Chickasaws. Two popular summaries of the Choctaws and Chickasaws are by McKee () and Hale and Gibson (), respectively. Smaller tribes once living in Mississippi have left only a handful of their names on the landscape. In fact, after Choctaw and Chickasaw names, the most sizable group of place names consists of those of non-Mississippi origin. Some of these transferred names are of places in the Carolinas, an effect of the heavy immigration into Mississippi of white settlers from those states in the early s. Most borrowed Indian place names in Mississippi, however, are of relatively recent application, and tend to be those of eastern or Great Plains tribes and individuals renowned in popular culture. It will soon become apparent to anyone using this volume that the translations of a large number of Mississippi’s indigenous place names are uncertain. Many names have two or more interpretations, often entirely

Introduction

different in meaning. This is partly the consequence of the fact that the lexicography of Mississippi’s Indian languages was completely nonstandardized during the s to early s, the era when most of the names were first put on paper. As a result, the phonetic transliterations were idiosyncratic, varying with each recorder. Furthermore, the white recorders that heard and wrote down the place names uttered to them by their Native American informants, whether those recorders were explorers, soldiers, land surveyors, settlers, etc., usually failed to elicit from their Indian informants the translations of the alien place designations, either due to lack of curiosity on the part of the recorders or the inability of recorder and Indian to understand one another’s language. These common circumstances left most names suspended for generations in linguistic limbo, requiring the reconstruction of their meaning much later. By then, the Indians living in the vicinity of most of the named places had long since departed, and the corruption of the pronunciation and spelling of names over time by non-Indian speakers and writers compounded the difficulty faced by the latter-day student of Indian toponomy. Adding to the confusion in tracing the origins of Chickasaw and Choctaw names is the common tendency for speakers of both languages to swap the position of syllables within words (a linguistic phenomenon called metathesis), and to contract words by dropping syllables (Patricia B. Kwachka, personal communication). Consequently, some of the translations offered by even the most authoritative researchers are quite conjectural, as shown by the frequent unavoidable use herein of such qualifying terms as “possibly” and “perhaps.” Fortunately, despite the prevalence of distortion over the years, many names as they have come down to us are quite recognizable, and therefore confidence in the accuracy of their translations can be regarded as probable to certain.

T h e P r i n c i p a l S o u rc e s Approximately one hundred of the place name translations presented in this volume are my own. Some are suggested corrections of probable errors contained in earlier works, but most are my interpretations of names for

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which, to my knowledge, no previous recorded translations exist. These all-original translations are identifiable by the lack of reference citations in the name entries. Previous translations and etymologies provided for the place names herein have been compiled from a number of sources as cited in the individual entries. Most of these earlier translations originate with three principal authors: Henry S. Halbert, Horatio B. Cushman, and Lea L. Seale. Henry S. Halbert’s  article “Choctaw Indian Names in Alabama and Mississippi,” published in Transactions of the Alabama Historical Society, Volume III, is the earliest work expressly devoted to the subject of Mississippi’s Native American place names. It lists and translates some sixty-five Mississippi toponyms (fifty-five are exclusively in Mississippi and the rest designate streams running through both Mississippi and Alabama). In his day, Halbert was one of the nation’s foremost authorities on the language, history, and culture of the Choctaws, knowledge that he acquired as a teacher in Choctaw schools in Mississippi from  through  (Owsley , pp. xiii–xiv; Peterson , pp. , –). Halbert was motivated to learn the Choctaw language because “great numbers of [Choctaw] children knew no English at all. Halbert found it necessary to use both Choctaw and English in his instruction, and was requested by Choctaw parents to spend a short time each day teaching the children to read and write in Choctaw” (Peterson , p. ). Contrary to the title of his article, some of the northern Mississippi place names he interprets are of Chickasaw origin, not Choctaw, but the overall similarity between the two tongues (see “Indian Vocabulary, Spelling, and Pronunciation” section, below) makes it likely that most of his translations of those names are correct. Originally published in  (the most recent edition was issued in ), Horatio B. Cushman’s History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Natchez Indians contains an appendix that lists and translates numerous Native American place names scattered over several states, including about ninety in Mississippi that are still in use today (Cushman , pp. –). Unlike Halbert’s article which appeared the same year, Cushman’s list often fails to provide specific etymological analyses of name origins, and in other

Introduction

instances, the purported original Indian words bear very little resemblance to the names. Another problem is that a number of names are duplicated under different spellings throughout the appendix and, in a few cases, in the main text; many of these alternate listings of the same names have completely different translations. These discrepancies are puzzling given Cushman’s familiarity with both the Choctaw and Chickasaw tongues. The son of Presbyterian missionaries, Cushman was born in  at Mayhew, a mission located in what is now northeastern Oktibbeha County, Mississippi. Cushman spent his childhood among the Choctaw Indians of the area, and as a result became a fluent speaker of their language at an early age. He later moved to an area of Texas located close to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), where he apparently also became proficient in Chickasaw as a result of his association with members of that tribe who, along with the Choctaws, had been forced to resettle there from Mississippi. The evident inaccuracies in Cushman’s translations might be blamed on the fact that Cushman was a generally erratic and rather careless writer: his book has been justly criticized as being laden with “sentimentality” and, in its original edition, with “repetition, religious moralizing, and literary and Biblical allusions, often entirely irrelevant” (Debo , pp. –). To these flaws can be added the errors in his place name translations. However, the erroneous interpretations are identifiable in most instances, and Cushman’s book remains a significant source of otherwise unavailable information about a number of Indian place names in Mississippi. Ironically, the most comprehensive of the three main previous works pertaining to Mississippi’s Native American place names is unpublished: Lea L. Seale’s  typescript “Indian Place-Names in Mississippi” is a doctoral thesis, submitted to the English department of Louisiana State University. (Most of Seale’s names and translations have recently appeared in Native American Placenames of the United States, by William Bright [], but because that book contains entries for place names in all fifty states, the information is presented in a much-abbreviated format, with no comparative analysis of alternate translations.) Seale’s selection of his thesis topic was due to the influence of his major professor William A. Read,

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a leading scholar of Indian toponymy in the southeastern U.S. who had published monographs on the subject pertaining to the states of Louisiana (Read ), Florida (Read ; originally ), and Alabama (Read ; originally ). Seale’s study compiles the data available in the above-discussed sources by Halbert and Cushman, but the translations for some  place names are Seale’s originals. Unlike Halbert and Cushman, Seale apparently could speak little if any Choctaw; his reading knowledge of the tongue was drawn chiefly from works by Byington (, ). Seale’s original translations are largely based on comparison of the place names with phonologically similar Choctaw words as recorded by Byington (). In a few instances, Seale includes translations told to him by anonymous Mississippi Choctaws, and also some suggested by Simpson Tubby, a Mississippi Choctaw who was an important informant to the ethnologist John R. Swanton (Peterson , p. ; Swanton , p. ). Apart from the three major sources discussed above, translations of numerous Mississippi Indian place names appear in miscellaneous additional places. Two of them are books aimed at a broad readership; unfortunately, many of the translations contained in them are erroneous. One of these publications is the widely read Mississippi: A Guide to the Magnolia State, produced by multiple anonymous authors of the Federal Writers’ Project, a program administered by the Depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA). Originally published in , the volume was reissued in  with the modified title Mississippi: The WPA Guide to the Magnolia State. The other widely available book containing Indian place names and translations is Hometown, Mississippi (Brieger ), a compilation of data taken from unpublished collections of county historical materials and local lore, which, like the Mississippi Guide, were put together under the auspices of the WPA. Because much of the source material on Indian place names drawn upon by both of the above-cited books was collected by WPA workers lacking any academic training in historical or anthropological research methods, many errors were introduced into the popular literature, and have been perpetuated ever since with each new printing.

Introduction

I n d i a n Vo c a b u l a r y, S p e l l i n g , a n d P r o n u n c i a t i o n Most of the etymologies of Choctaw-based place names given herein employ the vocabulary as recorded in A Dictionary of the Choctaw Language, by Cyrus Byington (); the orthography (spelling system) I have used follows the format of Haag and Willis (), which is slightly modified from Byington’s version. Byington (–) was a Presbyterian missionary from Massachusetts who worked with the Choctaws in Mississippi during the s and early s (Sturtevant , p. ), and afterwards in what is now Oklahoma, where most Choctaws were forced to emigrate. For the purposes of proselytizing and teaching, Byington, a scholarly man who knew Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, rapidly became a proficient speaker of Choctaw and introduced a writing system for the language (ibid., pp. –; Kidwell , pp. –). His dictionary is a valuable product of his extensive knowledge of that tongue. The orthography used in Byington’s dictionary is not without flaws (e.g., long and short vowels are inconsistently differentiated, and there is no representation of the glottal stop), and a new orthography and dictionary are now used by the Mississippi Choctaws (Broadwell ); however, Byington’s dictionary is the standard followed here because that work is still the largest (ca. sixteen thousand words) and most widely available source lexicon of the Choctaw language. Etymologies for Mississippi’s place names of Chickasaw origin are presented herein using the vocabulary and orthography of Chickasaw: An Analytical Dictionary, by Pamela Munro and Catherine Willmond (). That work, the first standard dictionary of Chickasaw, was produced only recently. As such, Seale (), in translating Indian place names in the northernmost quarter of Mississippi, which is historically Chickasaw territory, by default used the similar Choctaw vocabulary as recorded in Byington’s dictionary. Halbert () also resorted to Choctaw vocabulary when translating northern Mississippi names, as he evidently did not speak Chickasaw, and there were no longer any Chickasaws left in Mississippi for him to consult. Using Choctaw as a substitute for Chickasaw was a reasonable expedient for both authors because of the high degree of affin-

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ity between the Choctaw and Chickasaw languages, both of which are classified as closely related members of the Muskogean linguistic family (Martin , p. ; Munro and Willmond , p. vii). In fact, Choctaw and Chickasaw are considered by some scholars to be dialects or “subvarieties of the same language” (Campbell , p. ), although differences are numerous enough for others to argue that they are distinct tongues (e.g., Munro , pp. , ). In any case, many words recorded in Byington’s Choctaw dictionary (which was compiled in the early-to-mid-s) have no apparent equivalents in the recent Chickasaw dictionary. This may be the result of historic divergence between the tongues, or it may be symptomatic of the decline of Chickasaw, considering that there are fewer than a thousand Chickasaw speakers today, as opposed to about ten times as many Choctaw speakers (Martin , p. ). Because some Indian place names in Mississippi’s historically Chickasaw territory look like Choctaw words, but no similar Chickasaw words have been recorded, I suggest it is likely that some of these names are based on now-disused Chickasaw words that closely resembled Choctaw counterparts (cf. Dyson , pp. –). Choctaw Alphabet and Pronunciation Guide Letters

Sounds

a a b ch e f h i i k l lh

as in “father” nasal a as in “boy” as in “child” as in “they,” and as in “met” as in “fun” as in “hay” as in “marine,” and as in “pin” nasal i as in “key” as in “look” fricative (voiceless) l

Introduction

m n o o p s sh t u u υ w y

as in “man” as in “net” as in “go” nasal o as in “pen” as in “sir” as in “shall” as in “tar” as in “full” nasal u like “u” in “tub” as in “way” as in “you”

Chickasaw Alphabet and Pronunciation Guide Letters

Sounds

’ a a aa b ch f h i i ii k l lh m n ng

glottal stop (throat catch), as in “’uh-’oh” as in “what” or “sofa” nasal a like “a” in “father” as in “boy” as in “child” as in “fun” as in “hay” as in “pin” nasal i like “i” in “marine” as in “key” as in “look” fricative (voiceless) l as in “man” as in “net” as in “sing”

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Letters

Sounds

o o oo p s sh t w y

as in “ox” nasal o like “o” in “go” as in “pen” as in “sir” as in “shall” as in “tar” as in “way” as in “you”


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Map of Mississippi showing counties (Native American names in bold) and historical territories of the Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes.

A Abiaca Creek (uh-BY-uh-kuh) SW Carroll/SE Leflore/NW Holmes counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy. E one mi. N of Cruger. From Choctaw abaiyυka, “the side of a swamp or creek” (Seale , p. ).

Abotcaputa Creek W Carroll County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. From Choctaw apokta, “doubled” and pυtha, “wide” (Seale , pp. –), i.e., a wide creek with two branches.

Acona Community (founded c. ) in N Holmes County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. This name somewhat resembles the Choctaw words okhina, “water course; ford; stream” and aiikhυna, “place for learning; school.” Another possibility is that Acona is derived from Choctaw yakni, “land” (cf. Yocona River and Yokena, q.v.). The belief that Acona is “from the Indian word meaning whoa” (Brieger , p. ) is unfounded: while the English term “whoa” is not found in the Byington () or Watkins () Choctaw-English dictionaries, none of the various Choctaw equivalents of the synonyms “to stop” and “to halt” bear any resemblance to Acona. As for the similar Chickasaw language, hika, “to stop” is also used as an equivalent to “whoa” (Munro and Willmond , p. ); this word shows no similarity to the place name.

Alampa Creek SW Winston County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Apparently from Choctaw alumpoa, “hiding places.”

Alamucha (al-uh-MUCH-ee) Community (founded c. ) in E Lauderdale County. Named for nearby Alamuchee Creek (see for translation).

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Alamuchee Creek (al-uh-MUCH-ee) SE Lauderdale County, Miss./Sumter County, Ala. Apparently from Choctaw aluma, “hiding place” (cf. alumpoa for Alampa Creek, above) and asha, “to be there” (cf. Seale , p. ). However, Read (, p. ) suggests that the second element of the name may be from the Choctaw diminutive suffix ushi. If so, the name means “little hiding place” (Read , ; Seale –).

Alamuchee Creek, Little SE Lauderdale County. See Alamuchee Creek for translation and local pronunciation.

Amite County (uh-MIT, am-EET) Established ; named for the Amite River. See Amite River, East Fork for translation.

Amite River, East Fork Amite/SW Lincoln counties. See Amite County for local pronunciation. Crossed by Miss. Hwy. / six mi. E of Liberty. Amite is possibly a corruption of Choctaw himmita, “young” (Seale , p. ). However, the name is popularly believed to be derived from the French word amitié, “friendship,” ostensibly a reference to friendly Indians encountered by early eighteenth-century French settlers along the lower Amite River in Louisiana. No historical documentation has been found to confirm this supposition, however (Seale , pp. –). Stewart (, p. ) incorrectly suggests that the name is Choctaw for “ant” (shukυni is the actual Choctaw word for the insect).

Amite River, West Fork Amite County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. SW of Liberty. See Amite River, East Fork for translation and Amite County for local pronunciation.

Apookta Creek (uh-POOK-tuh) W Attala County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  two mi. NW of


Kosciusko. From Choctaw apokta, “doubled,” i.e., a creek with two branches (Seale , p. ). Little Apookta Creek (q.v.) is the other branch. Cushman (, p. ) incorrectly states that the name is derived from “A-yuk-pa . . . place of happiness” (cf. Choctaw aiyukpa, “happiness”).

Apookta Creek, Little W Attala County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. NW of Kosciusko. See Apookta Creek for translation and local pronunciation.

Archusa Creek (ar-CHOO-suh) Clarke County. Apparently from Choctaw hυcha, “river,” and osi, “little” (Halbert , p. ; Seale , pp. –). Local tradition has it that the name means “sweet water” (Federal Writers’ Project , p. ); however, the derivation of Archusa from the phonetically dissimilar Choctaw oka, “water” and any of several synonyms for “sweet” (akomachi, balama, champuli, kυshaha, sinimpa) is highly unlikely.

Arcola Town (est. c. ) in Washington County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Brieger (, p. ) states that Arcola is “French-Indian,” but no etymology or translation is provided. Coincidentally or not, the name somewhat resembles Choctaw akolυs, “jar.”

Arkabutla Town (est. c. ) in NW Tate County. Named for nearby Arkabutla Creek (see for translation and local pronunciation).

Arkabutla Creek (ar-kuh-BUT-luh) W Tate/NW Panola (q.v.) counties. The name may be derived from Choctaw akka, “bottom of water or a stream” and botoli, “to pulverize,” indicating a creek with a pulverized (i.e., a fine sandy) bottom (Seale , p. ). Alternative suggested origins of the name are the Choctaw locative a plus kobυli, “to break,” i.e., “where they broke it” (Bright , p. ) and Choctaw akkabolhi, “to lay down; to throw down” ( John P. Dyson, personal communication).

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Arkabutla Lake DeSoto/Tate counties. Named for Arkabutla Creek (see for translation and local pronunciation).

Atchafalaya Bayou (1) (atch-uh-fuh-LYE-uh, uh-chaf-uh-LYE-uh) SW Humphreys County. Atchafalaya is derived from Choctaw hυcha, “river” and falaia, “long” (cf. Read , p. ).

Atchafalaya Bayou (2) E Humphreys County. See Atchafalaya Bayou () for translation and pronunciation.

Atchafalaya Bayou, Little (1) Humphreys County. Crossed by U.S. Hwy. W four mi. SW of Belzoni. See Atchafalaya Bayou () for translation and pronunciation.

Atchafalaya Bayou, Little (2) SW Humphreys County. See Atchafalaya Bayou () for translation and pronunciation.

Attala County (uh-TAL-uh) Established . Attala is a pseudo-Indian name, slightly altered in spelling from French author Chateaubriand’s fictional Native American heroine Atala (Phelps and Ross , p. ).

B Bagasha Creek (BOG-uh-shuh) S Montgomery/N Attala (q.v.) counties. From Choctaw bok, “creek” and the diminutive suffix ushi, “small” (cf. Seale , p. ). Bahala Creek (buh-HAY-luh, buh-HAL-uh) SE Copiah (q.v.)/NE Lincoln/N Lawrence counties. Crossed by Miss.


Hwy.  ten mi. N of Monticello. The variant spellings “Behala” and “Bihala” on early maps suggest Choctaw bihi, “mulberry” (trees) and hieli, “standing.” This translation is validated by another map of , which designates the stream as Mulberry Creek (Seale , pp. –).

Bahala Creek, Little NE Lincoln/NW Lawrence counties. See Bahala Creek for translation and pronunciation.

Bala Chitto Creek (BALL-uh CHIT-oh) S Pike County. From Choctaw aboli, “thicket” or bυla, “beans” and chito, “big” (Seale , p. ).

Balucta Creek (buh-LUCK-tuh) S Leake/NW Scott counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  one mi. NW of Lena. From Choctaw bolukta, “round” (Seale , p. ). Batupan Bogue Creek in S Grenada County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on E side of Grenada. Local pronunciation unrecorded. This name is corrupted from Choctaw ibetυp, “fountain head; source” and ibok, “its creek” (cf. Byington , pp. , , ; Halbert , p. ; Seale , pp. –, Stewart , p. ). Cushman’s (, p. ) translation of the name (spelled by him Betapinbogue) as “One Bear Creek” is erroneous.

Beasha Creek (bee-ASH-uh) W Neshoba County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  two mi. SE of Edinburg. From Choctaw bihi, “mulberries,” and asha, “are there” (cf. Halbert , p. ; Seale , pp. –; Swanton , p. ).

Besa Chitto Creek (BEE-suh CHIT-uh) Choctaw County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on N side of Weir. From Choctaw bissa, “blackberries” and chito, “big” (Seale , pp. –).

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Bibalucta Creek SW Winston/NW Neshoba (q.v.)/NE Leake counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  seventeen mi. NE of Carthage. Local pronunciation unrecorded. The first element of Bibalucta is possibly shortened from Choctaw bihi, “mulberries” while the remainder is from Choctaw bolukta, “round.”

Biba Wila Creek (BIB-uh WYE-luh, BYE-buh WYE-luh) NW Oktibbeha County (q.v.). Perhaps a corruption of Choctaw bihi, “mulberries” and baiilli or baiυlli, “to stand in rows,” i.e., “mulberry (trees) standing in rows” (Seale , p. ).

Bigbee (BIG-bee) Community (est.  as Johnson’s Mill) in N Monroe County. The name is shortened from Tombigbee, the river near which the settlement is located (Seale , p. ). See Tombigbee River for translation.

Bigbee Valley (BIG-bee) Community (est. ) in NE Noxubee County (q.v.). Like Bigbee in Monroe County, shortened from Tombigbee, the name of the nearby river. See Tombigbee River for translation.

Biloxi (buh-LUCK-see) City (est. ) in Harrison County. Named for the Biloxi tribe, which resided near the Mississippi coast during the late s and early s. The original spellings of the name are “Bylocchy” and “Bilocchy,” both recorded in  by Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville as the Bayogoula tribe’s designation for the group (Iberville , pp. , –). The etymological origin of the name is unknown. It has been suggested that Biloxi is a drastic corruption of “Taneks aya” (“First People”), the actual name by which the tribe referred to itself (Swanton , p. ). However, the interpretation that Biloxi is one tribe’s garbled approximation of another tribe’s name is weakened by the scant phonetic resemblance between Biloxi and Taneks aya. In contrast, Cushman (, p. ) equates Biloxi with Choctaw baluhchi, “hickory bark,” but although some resemblance between the original spellings Bylocchy/Bilocchy and baluhchi is evident,


this is likely only a coincidence. Two additional erroneous interpretations are that Biloxi might signify “trifling or worthless” or “turtle” (Gannett , p. ). No etymology is provided in this source, but no Choctaw or Biloxi equivalents of “trifling” or “worthless” resemble the place name, while the supposed translation “turtle” is incorrectly based on the coincidental partial phonetic similarity of Biloxi to Choctaw luksi, “turtle.”

Biloxi, Back Bay of Harrison/Jackson counties. See Biloxi for translation and pronunciation.

Biloxi Bay Harrison/Jackson counties. See Biloxi for translation and pronunciation.

Biloxi River Harrison/SW Stone counties. See Biloxi for translation and pronunciation.

Biloxi River, Little Harrison/SW Stone counties. See Biloxi for translation and pronunciation.

Bodka Creek (BOD-kuh) E Kemper County, Miss./Sumter County, Ala. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  four mi. S of Scooba (q.v.). Apparently shortened from Choctaw hopυtka, “wide.” Because this adjective is a plural form, Read (, pp. –) suggests that the name refers “to the numerous branches of Bodka Creek. . . . A literal translation, then, would be ‘wide creeks,’ from Choctaw bok hopυtka.”

Bogue, Big (BO-guh) Creek in NW Montgomery County. From Choctaw bok, “creek.” Bogue Cheely (BO-guh CHEE-lee) Creek in NE Jones County. Bogue is from Choctaw bok, “creek.” Seale (, p. ) speculates that Cheely is a corruption of chito, “big.” This

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is incorrect, as Byington (, p. ) gives bok chulhi as a compound term meaning “branch of a creek,” while Watkins (, p. ) defines bok chuhhli as “the branches of a creek.”

Bogue Chitto (1) (BO-guh CHIT-uh) Town (est. s) in Lincoln County. Named for nearby Bogue Chitto (); q.v. for translation.

Bogue Chitto (2) (BO-guh CHIT-uh) Creek in Lincoln/Pike/Walthall counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy  eleven mi. SE of McComb. From Choctaw bok, “creek” and chito, “big” (Seale , p. ).

Bogue Chitto (3) (boke CHEE-toh, boke CHIT-oh, BO-guh CHIT-uh) Choctaw Indian reservation community in NE Neshoba County. Named for nearby Bogue Chitto (); q.v.

Bogue Chitto (4) (boke CHEE-toh, boke CHIT-oh, BO-guh CHIT-uh) Creek in NW Kemper/NE Neshoba Counties. See Bogue Chitto () for translation.

Bogue Chitto Creek (1) (BO-guh CHIT-uh) NE Noxubee County (q.v.), Miss./SW Pickens Co., Ala. From Choctaw bok, “creek” and chito, “big” (Read , p. ).

Bogue Chitto Creek (2) (BO-guh CHIT-uh) N Hinds/SW Madison counties. From Choctaw bok, “creek” and chito, “big.”

Bogue Chitto, East Creek in Lincoln County. A branch of Bogue Chitto (); q.v. for translation and pronunciation.

Bogue Chitto, West Creek in Lincoln County. A branch of Bogue Chitto (); q.v. for translation and pronunciation.


Bogue Culley (BO-guh CULL-ee) Creek in SE Chickasaw (q.v.)/N Clay counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  twelve mi. SE of Houston, on E side of the Trebloc community. This stream was formerly designated Culley Bogue, which Seale (, p. ) derives from Choctaw kυli, “spring” and bok, “creek.” However, this creek is located in historically Chickasaw territory, and while Chickasaw kali, “spring” (and “well”) is phonetically close to Choctaw kυli, the recorded Chickasaw word for “creek” is abookoshi. If the creek’s name is of Chickasaw origin, not Choctaw, perhaps a shorter Chickasaw term for “creek” similar to Choctaw bok once existed (possibly abook minus the diminutive suffix oshi), but has since fallen into disuse.

Bogue Ealiah Creek S Jasper County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy. , thirteen mi. E of Bay Springs. Local pronunciation unrecorded. The first element is from Choctaw bok, “creek.” The “E” in Ealiah is apparently the result of an early transcription mistake or typographical error which replaced an intended “F”; hence, the second element of the name is from Choctaw falaia, “long.”

Boguefala Creek E Lee/SW Itawamba (q.v.)/N Monroe counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  at Mooreville. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Bogue is identified with Choctaw bok, “creek,” but this stream is in historically Chickasaw territory, and the recorded Chickasaw word for “creek,” abookoshi, does not resemble the initial portion of Boguefala. However, as noted for Bogue Culley (q.v.), perhaps an unrecorded older Chickasaw term similar to Choctaw bok once existed. The second element of the name is from Chickasaw falaa, “long.”

Bogue Falema Creek (BO-guh fuh-LEE-muh) S Newton County. Designated Bogue Felema on earlier maps. The first element is from Choctaw bok, “creek.” According to Seale (, p. ), Falema is from Choctaw filema, “turned round; turned back,” in the sense of a creek diverted from its original course. The name also resembles, however, Choctaw felυmi, “branch or prong of a stream.”

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Bogue Falia Creek (BO-guh fuh-LYE-uh) N Hinds/SW Madison counties. From Choctaw bok, “creek” and falaia, “long.”

Bogue Faliah (BO-guh fuh-LYE-uh) Creek in NE Scott/NW Newton counties. From Choctaw bok, “creek” and falaia, “long.”

Bogue Fallah Creek in E Choctaw County (q.v.). Local pronunciation unrecorded. From Choctaw bok, “creek” and falaia, “long.”

Bogue Flower Creek in SW Clarke/NW Wayne counties. Local pronunciation unrecorded. The first element is from Choctaw bok, “creek.” Flower is a corruption of Choctaw falaia, “long.”

Bogue Flower Creek W Lauderdale County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. See Bogue Flower (above) for translation.

Boguegaba Creek E Lee/SW Itawamba (q.v.)/N Monroe counties. (A variant designation is Bogue Eucuba.) Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on W side of Mooreville, and by Miss. Hwy.  twelve mi. S of Mooreville. Local pronunciation unrecorded. The first element is from Chickasaw (?) abook, “creek.” (See entry under Bogue Culley for the question of whether a term resembling Choctaw bok once existed in Chickasaw.) The meaning of the second element is uncertain; according to Seale (, pp. –), it resembles Choctaw kabak, “a knocking or hammering noise.” Cf. Chickasaw kabak . . . aachi, kababachi, “to make a knocking or hammering sound” (Munro and Willmond , p. ). Alternately, some similarity is noted between Boguegaba and Choctaw bok, “creek” and


yokopa, “placid” ( John P. Dyson, personal communication; this interpretation presupposes unrecorded Chickasaw versions of both bok and yokopa).

Bogue Gully Corrupted form of Bogue Culley (see for translation and location).

Bogue Hasty Creek in S Bolivar County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. The first element is from Choctaw bok, “creek.” According to Seale (, pp. – ), Hasty is a corruption of Choctaw hυshtυp, “fallen leaves” or hυshtip, “dead leaves.”

Bogue Hasty, East Creek in S Bolivar County. See Bogue Hasty for translation.

Bogue Hasty, West Creek in S Bolivar County. See Bogue Hasty for translation.

Bogue Homa (1) (BO-guh HO-muh) Creek in SE Jasper/E Jones/N Perry counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on S side of Lake Bogue Homa (q.v.), seven mi. E of Laurel. From Choctaw bok, “creek” and homma, “red.” The alternate spelling Bogue Homo appears on some maps.

Bogue Homa (2) (BO-guh HO-muh) Creek in SW Hancock County. From Choctaw bok, “creek” and homma, “red.”

Bogue Homa, Lake NE Jones County. Artificial lake on Bogue Homa (); see for translation and local pronunciation. The alternate spelling Lake Bogue Homo appears on some maps.

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Bogue Homa, Little Creek in SE Jasper/NE Jones counties. Tributary of Bogue Homa (); q.v. for translation and local pronunciation. The alternate spelling Little Bogue Homo appears on some maps.

Bogue Homo (1) Variant spelling of Bogue Homa (); see for location, translation, and local pronunciation.

Bogue Homo (2) (BO-guh HO-muh) Creek in SW Clarke County. From Choctaw bok, “creek” and homma, “red.” Bogue Homo, Lake Variant spelling of Bogue Homa, Lake; see for location, translation, and local pronunciation.

Bogue Homo, Little Variant spelling of Bogue Homa, Little; see for location, translation, and local pronunciation.

Bogue, Little Creek in SW Grenada/N Montgomery counties. Local pronunciation unrecorded. From Choctaw bok, “creek.”

Bogue Phalia (BO-guh fuh-LYE-uh) Creek in Bolivar/Washington counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  four mi. NE of Leland, and by U.S. Hwy.  four mi. E of Leland. From Choctaw bok, “creek” and falaia, “long.” Bogue Phalia Cutoff NE Washington/SW Sunflower counties. Old channel segment of Bogue Phalia (see for translation and pronunciation).

Bogue Statinea Creek in W Lauderdale County. Local pronunciation unrecorded.


Bogue is from Choctaw bok, “creek.” Statinea is perhaps a corruption of Choctaw iskitini, “little” ( John P. Dyson, personal communication).

Bogue, Upper Creek in N Bolivar County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. From Choctaw bok, “creek.”

Bokshenya Creek S Attala County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  five mi. S of Kosciusko. Local pronunciation unrecorded. The first element is Choctaw bok, “creek.” The second element is probably from Choctaw shanaiya, “crooked” or “twisted.”

Bolatusha Community in NW Leake County. Named for nearby Bolatusha Creek (q.v. for translation and pronunciation).

Bolatusha Creek (ba-luh-TUSH-uh, bo-luh-TOO-shuh) SW Attala (q.v.)/NW Leake counties. Possibly a Choctaw personal name, “one who strikes and cuts to pieces,” from boli, “to strike” and tusha, “to cut to pieces.” Another possibility, though less likely, is that the name is a derivation of Choctaw abolhi, “thicket,” a connective particle t, and ushi, “little” (Seale , pp. –).

Bolingchessa Creek (ball-in-CHESS-uh) SE Clarke County. From Choctaw baluhchi, “hickory bark” and asha, the plural form of “there,” i.e., “place where there are strips of hickory bark” (Seale , p. ).

Bollybusha Creek (ball-ee-BUSH-uh) NW Newton County. The name is altered from Bolapusha, which appears on early maps; from Choctaw balup, “slippery elms” (trees) and asha, “are there” (Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ). Bophumpa Creek N Holmes County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  six mi. N of Lexington.

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Local pronunciation unrecorded. This name is spelled Boghumpha on earlier maps; as such, the first element is from Choctaw bok, “creek,” while the second element may be from Choctaw umpa, “rain” or umbi, “pawpaw” (Seale , pp. , –).

Bose Nukse Creek E Leake County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. The second element resembles Choctaw naksi, “side” or “to turn on the side.” Bose has been corrupted beyond recognition from its probable Choctaw source; its meaning is unknown.

Boughenia Creek SW Oktibbeha County (q.v.). Local pronunciation unrecorded. This name, which appears on the U.S. Geological Survey’s Sturgis . minute quadrangle map, is a recent corruption; the creek appears variously as Bogue Healy and Bougheala Creek on earlier maps. As such, the name is derived from Choctaw bok, “creek” and ahilha (hilha, “to dance” with the locative prefix a), i.e., “creek at which there is dancing” (Seale , p. ).

Bucatunna Creek Alternate spelling of Buckatunna Creek (q.v.).

Buckatunna (buck-uh-TUNN-uh) Town in Wayne County. Named for nearby Buckatunna Creek (see for translation).

Buckatunna Creek (buck-uh-TUNN-uh) E Lauderdale/E Clarke/E Wayne counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  six mi. NE of Waynesboro, and by U.S. Hwy.  twelve mi. SE of Waynesboro. From Choctaw bok, “creek,” the locative prefix a, and probably tυna, “to weave,” i.e., “creek at which there is weaving.” This apparently refers to traditional Choctaw baskets and mats woven of cane which grows along streams (Halbert , p. ; Lincecum , p. ; Read , p. ; Seale , pp. –). This translation is favored over several less likely ones, including -atunna as being from Choctaw


tυnnυp, “the other side” (Read , p. ) or Choctaw itυnaha, “collected together” (Cushman , p. ).

Buckatunna Lake SE Greene County,  mi. SE of Leakesville. See Buckatunna Creek for translation and pronunciation.

Busfaloba Creek SE Union/W Lee counties. Local pronunciation unrecorded. This name is doubtless of Chickasaw origin, but has been corrupted to such a degree that it is undecipherable.

Butputter Creek E Grenada County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  one mi. E of Gore Springs. This peculiar name, if of Indian origin, is greatly corrupted from the original form. The first element is perhaps from Choctaw bυti, “sumac” (cf. Buttahatchie River), while -putter may be from Choctaw pυta, “spread out” or Choctaw pυtha, “ample; extensive.”

Buttahatchee River Alternate spelling of Buttahatchie River (q.v.).

Buttahatchie River (but-uh-HATCH-ee) Marion/Lamar counties, Ala./SE Monroe/N Lowndes counties, Miss. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  fourteen mi. N of Columbus. From Choctaw bυti, “sumac” and hυcha, “river” (Atkinson a, p. ; Cushman , p. ; Halbert , p. ; Read , p. ; Seale , p. ). A partly erroneous translation is “river which comes from the hills” (Brieger , p. ).

Byhalia (bye-HAY-lee-uh) Town (est. s) in Marshall County. Named for nearby Byhalia Creek (q.v. for translation). The belief that the town’s name means “bear trail” (Brieger , p. ) is erroneous: although the

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town is located in historically Chickasaw territory, the Chickasaw words for “bear” and “trail” (nita’ and hin-oshi’, respectively) show no similarity to Byhalia.

Byhalia Creek (bye-HAY-lee-uh) NW Marshall/E DeSoto counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on S side of the town of Byhalia (q.v.). Halbert (, p. ), using Choctaw vocabulary, states that Byhalia is a derivation of baiyi, “white oaks” and hieli, plural “standing.” This creek is in historically Chickasaw territory; while there is no recorded Chickasaw translation for “white oak,” it is probably similar to Choctaw, and Chickasaw hí’li, “to stand” resembles Choctaw hieli. Cushman’s (, p. ) translation of Byhalia, “lone white oak,” is probably less reliable than Halbert’s, although it should be noted that one Chickasaw synonym for “to be alone,” illa, somewhat resembles the latter portion of the creek’s name.

By-Wy Creek (BYE-wye) NW Oktibbeha County (q.v.) From Choctaw baii, “white oak” and waiya, “leaning” or “bent” (Cushman , p. ; Seale , p. ).

Bywy (BYE-wye) Community in N Choctaw County (q.v.). Named for nearby Bywy Creek (q.v. for translation).

Bywy Creek (BYE-wye) N Choctaw County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  eight mi. S of Eupora. Also known as Big Bywy Creek, and, more recently since its dredging and straightening, as Big Bywy Ditch. Like the similarly named By-Wy Creek (q.v.), derived from Choctaw baii, “white oak” and waiya, “leaning” or “bent” (cf. Cushman , p. ; Seale , p. ).

Bywy Creek, Little N Choctaw County (q.v.). See Bywy Creek for translation and pronunciation.


Bywy Creek, Middle N Choctaw County (q.v.). See Bywy Creek for translation and pronunciation.

C Calabrella Creek (kal-uh-BREL-uh) SW Webster County. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  eight mi. SW of Eupora. The first two syllables in Calabrella may be from Choctaw kυli, “spring,” but the origin of the remainder is unknown. Seale (, p. ) mistakenly regards this name as an alteration of Tallabinnela due to his confusion of this stream with Tallabinnela Creek (q.v.) in Pontotoc/ Chickasaw/Monroe counties. Canna Creek (KAN-uh) SE Attala County (q.v.). Possibly a corruption of Choctaw okhina, “water course; stream; ford.” Castaffa Creek (kas-TAF-uh, kus-TAF-ee) SE Jasper/W Clarke counties. Appears as Castaffey Creek on some older maps. Crossed by I- six mi. SW of Pachuta (q.v.). According to Seale (, p. ), from Choctaw kυshti, “flea(s)” and toffa, “summer” or ofi, “dog.” Another interpretation is that the name might derive from Choctaw kashofa, “to be clean” or kashoffi, “to clean” (Bright , p. ).

Catahoula Creek (kat-uh-HOO-luh) Pearl River/Hancock counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. E of Picayune. Seale (, p. ), following Read (, p. ), suggests that Catahoula may mean “beloved lake” (cf. Choctaw okhυta, “lake” and ihollo, “loved”). However, Read (, p. ) also states the possibility that -houla may be a derivative of ougoula, a French approximation of

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Choctaw okla, “people.” If so, Catahoula means “lake people.” Cushman’s (, p. ) claim that the name is from Choctaw “Ka-wah-chu-la, barking fox” (cf. Choctaw kawa, “to bark” and chula, “fox”) is incorrect: Catahoula bears little resemblance to Cushman’s purported original Choctaw words, and in Choctaw the verb follows the subject noun.

Catalpa Creek (kuh-TAL-puh) E Oktibbeha (q.v.)/W Lowndes counties. Alternately spelled Catarpa in some sources. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  ten mi. E of Starkville, and by U.S. Hwy.  Alt. on NW side of Artesia. It would seem that this stream is named for the catalpa tree, which takes its name from a Creek (Muscogee) term meaning “head-wing” (Bright , p. ). However, Halbert (, p. ) states that the creek’s name is actually from Choctaw katapa, for which he gives the translation “dammed up or obstructed.” Cushman (, pp. , ) gives a similar interpretation for the name. However, katapa is translated by the authoritative Byington (, p. ) as “divided; cut off ; . . . withheld,” while oktυpa is given as “dammed; obstructed” (ibid., p. ). In considering the confusion, the spelling of the creek’s name probably does derive from katapa, but for this word’s translation Byington is the most reliable source. Cayuga (kay-OO-guh, kye-OO-guh) Community (est. ) in SW Hinds County. Named for Cayuga Lake, New York (which in turn is named for the Cayuga tribe which lived along its shores) by a white settler from that region (Brieger , p. ; Phelps and Ross , p. ). The meaning is unknown (Bright , p. ).

Chatawa (CHAT-uh-wah) Community (settled ) in SW Pike County. Chatawa is perhaps from Choctaw shataioa, “to be swollen” (a reference to the numerous springs in the vicinity?), or a contraction of Chahta, “Choctaw” and aiowυta, “hunting ground” (Seale , p. ). The translation “sparkling waters” (Brieger , p. ) is incorrect; neither Choctaw oka, “water” nor any of the numerous Choctaw synonyms for “sparkling” or “to sparkle” show any resemblance to the name.


Chautauqua Lake (chuh-TAH-kwuh) NE Copiah County (q.v.). Named for Chautauqua Lake, New York. This is possibly an alteration of Mohawk Jadáqua, “place where one was lost,” Seneca T’ kantchata’kwan, “one who has taken out fish there” (cf. Read , pp. –), or Seneca ja’dáhgweh, “raised body” (Bright , p. ).

Chautauqua, Lake W Tippah County (q.v.). See Chautauqua Lake for translation and pronunciation.

Chenokaby Creek (chin-UCK-uh-bee) SE Newton/NE Jasper counties. From Choctaw chinakbi, “crooked” (Seale , p. ). Cheraw Community in Marion County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. This is a borrowed South Carolina place name, applied to the settlement in  by a railroad company (Brieger , p. ). The name is apparently derived from a Catawba Indian word meaning “peninsula” (Bright , p. ).

Chewalla Creek (choo-WALL-uh) E Marshall County. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  seven mi. SE of Holly Springs. From Chickasaw chowaala, “cedar” (Munro and Willmond , p. ); cf. Choctaw chualha/chuahla, “cedar” (cf. Byington , p. ; Cushman , p. ; Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ).

Chewalla Lake E Marshall County. Artificial lake on Chewalla Creek (see for translation and pronunciation). Nestor (, p. ) asserts that the lake’s name “is derived from the Choctaw expression, chihow-la, translated as ‘supreme being.’” This claim is erroneous, because the actual spelling of the Choctaw word translated as “supreme being,” Chihowa (derived from “Jehovah,” i.e., “God”), does not include the consonant l. (Likewise, no l is present in the equivalent Chickasaw name Chihoowa.)

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T H E N AT I V E A M E R I C A N 22 CONNECTION The Chewalla Lake Indian Mound

Overlooking the west shore of Chewalla Lake in Holly Springs National Forest is an eight-foot-high earthen burial mound (Baca 1999, pp. 7–8). It was built by Indians of an unknown tribe sometime

Chewawah Creek (choo-WA-wuh, chuh-WA-wa) SW Chickasaw County (q.v.). Crossed by Natchez Trace Parkway five mi. S of Houston, and by Miss. Hwy.  six mi. S of Houston. Chewawah is probably a corruption of Chickasaw chowaala, “cedar” (cf. Chewalla Creek); however, Bright (, p. ) speculates that it may be a misspelled borrowing of the Mexican state name Chihuahua (possibly meaning “dry place” in an unidentified Mexican Indian language).

between seven hundred and eleven hundred years ago, centuries before the

Chicago Branch (shih-KA-go)

arrival of the Chickasaws in the area.

Stream in central Claiborne County. Apparently named for Chicago, the city in Illinois, which takes its appellation from either a Fox (Algonquian) term meaning “wild onion place” or the Ojibwa designation “skunk place” (Bright , p. ).

The dome-shaped mound is typical of those constructed long ago in many areas of what is now the southeastern U.S. to bury important members of local tribal groups. Several decades ago, this mound was severely damaged by illegal digging; it has since been rebuilt by the U.S. Forest Service, and

Chickasaw Bayou

is accessible for viewing by the public.

W Warren County. Named for the Chickasaw Indians. See Chickasaw County for name origin and pronunciation.

But although its original appearance is restored, the mound’s contents, essential for determining its history in detail, were stolen or destroyed by the vandals. This mound therefore is a reminder that

Chickasaw County (CHICK-uh-

Indian mounds, like all archaeological

saw) Established ; named for the Chickasaw Indians, from whom the territory including what is now this county and numerous others in north-

sites, should be excavated only by professional archaeologists, who have the extensive training necessary to properly excavate, record, and preserve the evidence of the past for the benefit of everyone.


ern Mississippi was acquired by the United States in . The meaning of the tribe’s name, pronounced by them Chikashsha (Munro and Willmond , p. ), is unknown (Atkinson a, p. ; Swanton , p. ). The speculation that the name might signify “rebellion,” in reference to a legend in which the Chickasaws separated from the Choctaws (Cushman , p. ; Read , p. ), is unfounded.

Chickasaw Hill Hill in SE Panola County (q.v.). See Chickasaw County for name origin and pronunciation.

Chickasawhay Creek SW Kemper/NW Lauderdale counties. See Chickasawhay River for translation and pronunciation.

Chickasawhay River (CHICK-uh-suh-hay, chick-uh-SAW-hay, chickuh-suh-HAY) Clarke/Wayne/Greene/George counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on SE side of Shubuta (q.v.), by U.S. Hwy.  two mi. W of Waynesboro, and by U.S. Hwy.  nine mi. NW of Lucedale. The first element is from the tribal name Chikashsha, which has no translation (see Chickasaw County) and the second element is from ahe (Choctaw) or ahi (Chickasaw), “potato” (cf. Read , p. ). Chicopa Creek (chih-KO-puh) S Carroll/N Holmes counties. From Choctaw shikopa, “feather” (Seale , p. ).

Chicwillasaw Creek (chick-WILL-uh-saw) NE Jasper/NW Clarke counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. NW of Pachuta (q.v.). From Choctaw chukillissa, “deserted house” (Seale , p. ).

Chilli Creek (CHILL-ee) S Benton County. A partial resemblance to Choctaw bok chuli, “creek

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branch” is apparent (Byington , p. ; cf. Bogue Cheely, q.v.); however, the stream lies within historically Chickasaw territory, and no similar Chickasaw term is recorded. An alternative possibility is that Chilli is derived from the second word in the Chickasaw term abookoshi shila, “dry river [or creek] bed” (Munro and Willmond , p. ), from abookoshi, “river” or “creek” and shila, “dry.”

Chinchahoma Creek (chin-chuh-HO-muh, ching-kuh-HO-muh; cf. Seale , p. ) S Oktibbeha County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on W side of Longview, and by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. S of Starkville. This creek’s name is spelled Chinca Homa by Seale (, p. ); both this and the pronunciation as given by Seale are phonetically inconsistent with Chinchahoma, as the name is spelled on modern maps, and the accepted etymology, which is Choctaw chisha, “post oak” and homma, “red” (Seale , p. ). According to Cushman (, p. ), this was a personal name, which was applied to the creek. Chisca Lake, Chief (CHIS-kuh) W DeSoto County. This name is not indigenous to Mississippi; chisca, a Creek (Muskogee) word for “base of a tree,” is also the name of several places in Alabama (Read , pp. –).

Chiwapa Community in SE Pontotoc County (q.v.). Named for nearby Chiwapa Creek (see for translation and pronunciation).

Chiwapa Creek (chuh-WAH-puh) E Pontotoc (q.v.)/SW Lee/NW Monroe counties. Crossed by Natchez Trace Parkway six mi. SW of Tupelo, and by U.S. Hwy.  Alternate on S side of Shannon. Seale (, p. ), using Choctaw vocabulary, suggests that this name might be a derivation of shaui, “raccoon(s),” ai, “there,” and υpa, “to eat” or υbi, “to kill”—i.e., “place where raccoons feed” or “place where raccoons are killed.” (The stream is located in historically Chickasaw territory; cf. Chickasaw shawi, “raccoon[s],” the locative aa-, apa, “to eat,” and abi, “to kill.”) Winston’s (, p. ) assertion that


Chiwapa means “[g]reat expanse of waving (rippling) grass or grain” is rejected by Seale (, p. ), who notes, “I have been unable to find any Choctaw form which suggests both the name and this solution.” But both Seale’s and Winston’s solutions are shown to be incorrect by an early translation (dating to ) of “Chihappa” as “the roaring water” (Atkinson a, p. ). In current translation, the Chickasaw words for “to roar” are kiliha and winiiyachi (Munro and Willmond , pp. , ), and Dyson (, p. ) reckons the creek’s name to be the result of “mishearings or misspellings of [Chickasaw] chamapa’, ‘noisy.’” However, Choctaw chopa, “to roar, as falling water at a cascade” (Byington , p. ) is phonetically rather similar to Chiwapa/Chihappa, and the definition of chopa essentially agrees with the  translation of the Chickasaw place name. As such, it can be surmised that a Chickasaw word for “roaring” (pertaining to water) similar to Choctaw chopa once existed, but has fallen into disuse.

Chockahoma Creek (chock-uh-HO-muh) Tallahatchie County (q.v.). According to Seale (, pp. –), “The name appears to be a corruption of the tribal name Chakchiuma, from Choctaw shakchi, ‘crawfish’ and homma, ‘red,’ probably referring . . . to a clan totem. . . . It is also possible, however, that the source of the name may be Choctaw chuka, ‘house,’ plus homma, ‘red.’ ”

Choctaw (1) (CHOCK-taw) Choctaw Indian reservation town in W Neshoba County (q.v.). The meaning of the tribal name Choctaw, pronounced by them Chahta (Byington , p. ), is unknown (Swanton , p. ). Read (, p. ) notes that “the view that . . . [Choctaw] is perhaps a corruption of Spanish chato, ‘flat,’ [has] no support in the early accounts of the Choctaw tribe. Nevertheless it is true that the Choctaws formerly flattened the heads of their infants.” Speculation that the name signifies “separation,” in reference to a legend in which the Choctaws separated from the Chickasaws (Read , p. ) is unfounded. Choctaw (2) Community in S Bolivar County. See Choctaw () for name origin.

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Choctaw County Established in ; see Choctaw () for name origin.

Choctaw Creek (1) E Claiborne County. See Choctaw () for name origin.

Choctaw Creek (2) NW Copiah (q.v.)/E Claiborne counties. See Choctaw () for name origin.

Choctaw Creek (3) NE Harrison County. See Choctaw () for name origin.

Choctaw Creek (4) S Jefferson Davis County. See Choctaw () for name origin.

Choctaw Lake Choctaw County. See Choctaw () for name origin.

Chubby Creek (1) (CHUB-ee) NE Itawamba County (q.v.). Seale (, pp. –) states that this creek’s name is derived from the Choctaw personal name combining cha, “and” plus υbi, “to kill,” signifying “killer.” This is a variant of the common Choctaw personal name Tubby, formed from the conjunctive particle t, “and” plus υbi, “to kill”—the whole also meaning “killer.” Seale (, pp. –) notes that “the connective cha [also t] is used only to connect two verbs which have the same substantive, but its frequent occurrence in combinations of which υbi was the second verb has given rise to the form chυbi, in which the connective is superfluous.” This creek is in historically Chickasaw territory, and in current translation Chickasaw Chabi is defined only as “[a] man’s nickname, anglicized as Chubby” (Munro and Willmond , p. ). However, the original meaning of the Chickasaw personal name Chubby was probably the same as the phonetically similar Choctaw version. As a possible alternative to the foregoing suggestions, it should be noted that this creek’s designation is phonetically suggestive of Choctaw chopa, “to roar, as falling water at a cascade” (Byington , p. ), although no similar term is recorded


in Chickasaw (cf. discussion for Chiwapa Creek, q.v.). Two other possibilities are that the name is a shortened derivation of Chickasaw chobochi, “to splash,” or from Chickasaw alchaba, “bridge” (cf. Choctaw achυba/ahchυp, “log foot-bridge”). Stewart (, p. ) incorrectly gives the translation “half-way” as a result of his confusion of this stream with Hatchee Chubbee Creek in Alabama, the name of which is from the Creek Indian words hvchi, “creek” and chυbυ, “halfway” (Read , p. ).

Chubby Creek (2) NW Benton County. See Chubby Creek () for pronunciation and possible translations.

Chucky Chubby Creek (CHUCK-ee CHUB-ee) NE Newton County. Choctaw Indian Simpson Tubby suggested to Seale (, p. ) that Chucky Chubby might be corrupted from Choctaw chuckchu, “maple” and achυba, “log foot-bridge.”

Chulahoma (choo-luh-HO-muh) Community (est. early s) in SW Marshall County. From Chickasaw chola, “fox” and homma, “red” (cf. Halbert , p. ).

Chunky (CHUNG-kee) Town in SE Newton County, said to be located on the site of a Choctaw village of the same name (Brieger , p. ). See entry under Chunky Creek for translation.

Chunky Creek (CHUNG-kee) E Newton County. Crossed by I- three mi. W of the town of Chunky (q.v.). This creek appears on a  map as “Chunka Bogue” (Brown , p. ; Halbert a, p. ). According to some Choctaw Indians interviewed by Seale (, p. ), the name is from Choctaw choki, “martin (the bird).” Cushman (, p. ) gives the same translation. (In this word, the nasalized vowel o includes a sound resembling the consonant n, which explains the letter “n” in the name.) An erroneous belief is that the name is from the game “chunky,” once played by many southern tribes, in which

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T H E N AT I V E A M E R I C A N CONNECTION T h e C h u n k y C r e e k Tr a i n Wreck Rescue, 1863 A Confederate Army unit composed of Choctaw Indians was lauded for heroism after its soldiers came to the rescue of the victims of a Confederate troop train wreck at Chunky Creek, southeastern Newton County, Mississippi, halfway between the towns of Chunky and Hickory. On February 19, 1863, a train carrying reinforcements for the defense of Vicksburg ran off the rails of a flooddamaged bridge over Chunky Creek. The engine and passenger-filled boxcars plunged into the swollen stream (Boggan n.d.). Word of the disaster quickly reached the First Battalion of Choctaw Indians, then based at a training camp not far from the scene of the wreck. According to the white commanding officer of the unit, Major S. G. Spann, “[Choctaw soldiers] Jack Amos . . . and Elder Williams . . . proved equal to the emergency. . . . Led by these dauntless braves, every Indian present stripped and plunged into that raging river to the rescue of the drowning soldiers. Ninetysix bodies were brought out. . . . Twentytwo were resuscitated and returned to their commands. . . . [This is a] testimonial of the . . . devotion exhibited by the Choctaw Indian braves, [their] prowess and fidelity to the Confederate cause” (Spann 1905, pp. 560–61).

lances were thrown at a rolling stone disc (Seale , p. ; Swanton , pp. – ). However, the Choctaw name for the game was not chunky (which is a nonChoctaw word) but achυbi (Seale , p.; cf. Swanton , p. ); Cushman’s (, p. ) version of the game’s name is “ulth chuppih.”

Chunky River E Newton/SW Lauderdale/NW Clarke counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on E side of Chunky (q.v.), and by I- ten mi. SW of Meridian. The Chunky River is the downstream continuation of Chunky Creek (see for translation and pronunciation).

Chuquatonchee Creek (suh-kuhTOHN-chee, chuck-uh-TOHN-chee) S Pontotoc (q.v.)/Chickasaw (q.v.)/Clay counties. Crossed by the Natchez Trace Parkway  mi. NE of Houston, by Miss. Hwy.  ten mi. W of Aberdeen, and by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. W of West Point. Seale (, p. ) notes the following former spellings on early maps: Chookatonkchie (), Chook a tonk che (), and Sakatonchee (). From Choctaw shukha, “hog” and tanchi, “corn” (Halbert , p. ), or the equivalent Chickasaw shokha’, “hog” and tanchi’, “corn.” According to Halbert (ibid.), the term shukha tanchi refers to beech mast (beech nuts), once used


by the Choctaws to fatten hogs. Cushman’s (, p. ) interpretation, Choctaw shukha, “hog” and niachi, “fatten,” i.e., “place where hogs fatten,” is mistakenly placed under this creek’s name in his book; he actually refers to Sucarnoochee Creek/River (q.v.).

Coahoma Town (est. s) located in, and named for, Coahoma County (see for translation and pronunciation).

Coahoma County (ko-uh-HO-muh, kuh-HO-muh) Established . Coahoma was the Indian name of the mixed-blood Chickasaw district chief William McGillivray (Atkinson b, pp. –, ). Cushman (, p. ) translates this name as “red panther.” Seale (, p. ), using Choctaw vocabulary, gives the etymology koi, “panther” and homma, “red.” A variant interpretation is Warren’s (a, p. ) “Red Cat or Red Tiger,” which is identical to the fluent Chickasaw speaker Malcolm McGee’s early () translation of “Cohoma” as “Red Cat or Tiger” (Atkinson a, p. ); cf. Chickasaw kowi’, “cat” and homma, “red.”

Coffadeliah Creek (koff-uh-duh-LYE-uh) NE Neshoba County (q.v.). From Choctaw kυfi, “sassafras” and talaia, “grove” (Halbert , p. ).

Coffee Bogue (KOFF-ee-bo-guh) Creek in NW Scott County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  one mi. NW of Ludlow. The spelling of the first element of Coffee Bogue is a result of the phonetic similarity of the English word “coffee” to the Choctaw name, which is either kofi, “quail” or kυfi, “sassafras.” Bogue is from Choctaw bok, “creek” (Seale , p. ).

Cohay (KO-hay) Community in SW Smith County. Shortened from Oakohay, the name of the creek near which the settlement is located (see Oakohay Creek for translation).

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Coila (ko-EYE-luh) Community in Carroll County. Named for nearby Coila Creek (q.v. for translation).

Coila Creek (ko-EYE-luh) SW Carroll County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  at the Coila community. According to Cushman (, p. ), from Choctaw koi, “panther” and illi, “dead.” An alternative derivation is Choctaw koi, “panther,” the locative particle ai, “there,” and υla, “to come,” i.e., “panther comes there” (Halbert , pp. –; Seale , p. ).

Comite Creek SW Amite County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. The resemblance of this name to Amite (see Amite River, East Fork) is apparent; however, whether Comite is of Native American origin is unknown. The speculative translation “red ant” given by Stewart (, p. ) is clearly incorrect, for the Choctaw words for such an insect are shukυni, “ant” and homma, “red.”

Concobona Creek (kong-kuh-BO-nuh, ko-kuh-BO-nuh) Central Newton County. Spelled Cocobona on earlier maps. Possibly from Choctaw akakυbi, “chicken hawk(s),” ai, “there,” plus ona, “to go,” i.e., “chicken hawks go there,” or Choctaw kakahobυk, a variant form of hakhobυk, “mallard duck” (Seale , p. ). Conehatta (ko-nuh-HAT-uh, ko-nee-HUT-ah) Community in NW Newton County. This settlement was founded by Choctaw Indians in the early s (Federal Writers’ Project , p. ). Named for nearby Conehatta Creek (see for translation).

Conehatta Creek (ko-nuh-HAT-uh, ko-nee-HUT-ah) NW Newton County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. SW of Union. Probably from Choctaw koni, “skunk; polecat” and hυta, “white” (Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ).


Conehoma Creek (ko-nuh-HO-muh) S Attala County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  two mi. S of Kosciusko. Apparently from Choctaw koni, “skunk; polecat” and homma, “red.” Considering that Choctaw and Chickasaw warrior names frequently combined animal designations with the adjective homma (cf. Coahoma, Ofahoma, q.v.), this creek may be named for a person that once lived nearby.

Conehoma Creek, Little S Attala County (q.v.). Tributary of Conehoma Creek (see for translation and pronunciation).

Coonewah Bottom NE Pontotoc County (q.v.). Valley of Coonewah Creek (see for translation and pronunciation).

Coonewah Creek (KOO-nuh-wah, KOO-nee-wah) NE Pontotoc (q.v.)/SW Lee counties. Cushman (, p. ) asserts that Coonewah is a Choctaw personal name meaning “the walker” (cf. Choctaw akkanowa, “to walk” or “a pedestrian,” i.e., a walker). The creek is located in historically Chickasaw territory; cf. Chickasaw akkaanowa, “to be walking.” In contrast, Seale (, p. ), speculates that Coonewah may be from Choctaw kuni, “young cane,” a, “there” and waya, “to grow (in abundance)” (cf. Chickasaw kani’ aawaa’, “where the young cane ripens [Dyson , p. ]), while Winston (, p. ), also using Choctaw vocabulary, claims that it means “young cane for cattle,” from kuni, “young cane” and wak, “cattle.” A more reliable translation is that of Malcolm McGee, a white resident among the Chickasaws of the area for many decades and a fluent speaker of their language; in an  interview he stated that the stream’s name (spelled “Coneweah” by the interviewer) means “ripe polecat” (Atkinson a, p. ), i.e., smelly skunk. Cf. Chickasaw koni, “skunk” and waa/waha, in current translation referring to “ripe fruit.” However, as is evident in the  translation, waa/waha was formerly also used to refer to a pungent odor, just as the English adjective “ripe” occasionally is.

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Coonewah Creek, Little W Lee County. See Coonewah Creek for translation and pronunciation.

Coonipper Creek S Clarke County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Possibly a corruption of Choctaw kanumpa, defined by Byington (, p. ) as the “name of a weed which grows in low grounds.”

Coonshuck Creek (KOON-shuck) S Neshoba County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  nine mi. SE of Philadelphia. A corruption of Choctaw kushak, translated by Halbert (a, p. ) as “reed brake,” and by Byington (, p. ) as “reed.”

Coosa (KOO-suh) Community in NE Leake County. Probably a corruption of kushak, “reed” or “reed brake” (Halbert a, p. ; Seale , p. ; cf. Coonshuck Creek, above).

Copiah County (ko-PIE-uh, kuh-PIE-uh) Established ; named for Copiah Creek (see for translation).

Copiah Creek E Copiah County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. E of Hazlehurst, and by Miss. Hwy.  two mi. S of Georgetown. See Copiah County for pronunciation. From Choctaw koi, “panther” and paya, “to cry out; to call; to scream,” i.e., “calling panther” or “screaming panther” (cf. Halbert a, pp. –; Seale , p. ); or koi, the locative a, and paya, i.e., “panther there calls [or screams]” (Halbert a, pp. –). Cushman’s (, p. ) assertion that the name is derived from Choctaw hopaii, “war chief,” is incorrect.

Copiah Creek, Little NE Copiah County. See Copiah Creek for translation.


Copiah, Lake Copiah County, one mi. NW of Gallman. See Copiah Creek for translation.

Costapia, Bayou (kuh-STOP-ee-uh) SW Jackson County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on N side of D’Iberville. Costapia may be a derivation of Choctaw kυshti, “fleas” and abeha, “therein” (Seale , p. ).

Cuffawa Creek (kuh-FA-wa) SW Marshall County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on W side of Chulahoma (q.v.). Seale (, pp. –) identifies the name, using Choctaw vocabulary, as kυfi, “sassafras,” the locative prefix a, “there” and waya, “to grow,” “to abound.” This creek is located far within historically Chickasaw territory; cf. Chickasaw kafi, “sassafras” and aawaa’, “place of abundance” ( John P. Dyson, personal communication). Cushtusia Creek (kush-TUSH-uh) Neshoba County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  four mi. SE of Philadelphia. As spelled on recent maps, Cushtusia is slightly corrupted from an earlier form, Cushtusha, hence the pronunciation shown above, which is based on that recorded by Seale (, p. ). As such, the name is derived from Choctaw kυshti, “fleas” and asha, “to be there,” i.e., “fleas are there” or “flea place” (Halbert , p. ; Seale , pp. –).

E Eastabuchie (ee-stuh-BUH-chee) Town (settled in early s) in SW Jones County. Variant spellings include Eastabutchie and Estabutchie. This name is a corruption of the original Choctaw designation for the nearby Leaf River: Seale (,

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p. ) notes that maps of  and  spell the first element of the stream’s name “Hashtup-,” strongly suggesting that the first six letters in the town name are an alteration of Choctaw hυshtυp, “fallen leaves; dead leaves.” The final five letters of the name derive from Choctaw hυcha, “river” (Halbert , p. ; Seale , pp. –). In view of the etymological evidence as revealed by the early maps, it is apparent that two other suggested derivations for the name, “I-ah-ta-ba-shih” (Choctaw ia tabashi), “to go mourning” (Cushman , p. ) and Choctaw isht, “instrument” plus tobashi, “to mourn” (Bright , p. ) are incorrect.

Escatawpa (es-kuh-TAW-puh) Town in SE Jackson County. Named for the nearby Escatawpa River (see for translation). Escatawpa River W Mobile County, Ala./SE George/E Jackson counties, Miss. Crossed by I- four mi. E of Escatawpa, and by U.S. Hwy.  at the George Co., Miss./Mobile Co., Ala. line nine mi. SE of Lucedale. See Escatawpa (above) for pronunciation. From Choctaw uski, “cane,” the locative a, and tυpa, “cut off,” i.e., “cane there cut off,” or “(river) where cane is cut” (Halbert , p. ; Read , p. ; Seale , p. ). Brieger (, p. ) incorrectly states that the name means “dog” (ofi is the Choctaw word for the animal). Another erroneous interpretation is that Escatawpa is Choctaw for “beaver dam” (McKee , p. ); Byington’s (, p. ) Choctaw term for “beaver dam,” kinta oktυbli, shows no resemblance to the place name.

Etehomo Creek (et-uh-HO-muh) SW Jasper/NW Jones counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. S of Bay Springs. Seale (, p. ) places “Ettahoma Creek” in “northern Marion County”; however, no creek bearing this name is portrayed on modern maps of the county. He may have mislocated the stream; Halbert (, p. ) states that “Ettahoma Creek” is “in South Central Mississippi.” Ettahoma is similar in spelling to Etehomo, and Halbert’s


location, though unspecific, corresponds better to Etehomo Creek in Jasper and Jones counties than with Seale’s more southerly location in Marion County. The name’s meaning is uncertain. Etehomo closely resembles iti, “wood; timber; a tree” and homma, “red.” In addition, Byington (, p. ) gives the definition of the compound term iti homma as “a red pole; a pole stained red; such poles as are erected as a sign of mourning for the dead.” However, an alternative translation is offered by Halbert (, p. ), who states that the name is derived from iti, “wood” and homi, “sour,” i.e., the sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum), which he points out has the same name in both English and Choctaw.

Euclautubba Creek (yoo-kla-TUB-uh) N Lee County. Crossed by the Natchez Trace Parkway on the N side of Tupelo, one mi. NE of the parkway headquarters/visitor center. Seale (, pp. –), using Choctaw vocabulary, states that Euclautubba is a derivation of a personal name combining okla, “people,” the connective particle t, and υbi, “to kill,” i.e., “killer of people.” However, this creek is located within historically Chickasaw territory, and the Chickasaw word for “people,” imaaokla’, differs somewhat from Choctaw. “To kill” in Chickasaw (abi), on the other hand, is similar to Choctaw. A rather more convincing interpretation is that the name may be from Chickasaw yokli, “to catch; to capture,” the connective t, and abi, “to kill,” i.e., “the one who captures and kills” (cf. Bright , p. ).

Eucutta (yoo-KUT-uh) Community in NW Wayne County. Named for nearby Eucutta Creek (see for translation).

Eucutta Creek N Wayne/S Clarke counties. See Eucutta (above) for pronunciation. Seale (, p. ) asserts that the name is derived from Choctaw yuka, “slave” and υtta, “to be born,” i.e., “slaveborn.” However, he offers no explanation for why such an odd name would have been applied to the creek. It is more likely that the name is from Choctaw okhυta, “lake” or “large pond.”

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Eucutta Creek, Little NW Wayne County. Tributary of Eucutta Creek (see for translation).

Eutacutachee Creek NE Rankin County. Crossed by I- five mi. E of Brandon, and by U.S. Hwy.  two mi. W of Pelahatchie (q.v.). Local pronunciation unrecorded. Perhaps from Choctaw uti, “chestnut,” okhυta, “lake,” and the diminutive suffix chi—“chestnut little lake,” i.e., “chestnut pond” (Seale , pp. –).

F Fannegusha Creek (1) (fan-ee-GUSH-uh) W Scott/N Rankin counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. NE of the Sandhill community. From Choctaw fυni, “squirrel” and probably kυshaha, “palatable; pleasant to the taste,” i.e., “tasty squirrel” (cf. Bright , p. ). Lacking credibility is Seale’s (, p. ) speculation, using as an analogy the Choctaw official title fυni miko, literally “squirrel chief ” (Swanton , pp. –), that this creek might be named for some functionary who bore a (historically undocumented) title combining Choctaw fυni, “squirrel” and nanukachi, “to counsel; to advise,” i.e., “squirrel adviser.”

Fannegusha Creek (2) S Carroll/N & W Holmes counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. N of Lexington, and by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. E of Tchula (q.v.). See Fannegusha Creek () for translation and pronunciation.

Fannegusha Creek, Little N Holmes County. See Fannegusha Creek () for translation and pronunciation.


Fannegusha Creek, Old W Holmes County. See Fannegusha Creek () for translation and pronunciation.

Funny Creek (FUN-ee) Pontotoc County (q.v.). The spelling of this creek is via folk etymology, from Chickasaw fani’, “squirrel” (cf. Seale , p. ).

Funny Yockana Creek (FUN-ee YOCK-nuh) Neshoba County (q.v.). Alternately, Funny Yockony Creek. From Choctaw fυni, “squirrel” and yakni, “country” (Seale , p. ; Swanton , p. ).

H Hashuqua Creek (HAY-shug-uh, huh-SHUCK-wuh) SE Winston/W Noxubee (q.v.) counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. W of Macon. From Choctaw hυshuk, “grass” and possibly waya, “to grow” (cf. Bright , p. ; Seale , p. ). Hatchapaloo Creek (HATCH-uh-puh-loo) E Simpson/W Smith counties. The first element is from Choctaw hυcha, “creek; river.” The remainder may derive from the locative particle a plus Choctaw pelhi, “to gather fish,” i.e., creek where fish are caught, or from Choctaw pυlha, “divided,” i.e., a creek consisting of two branches (Seale , pp. –). Hatchapaloo Creek, Little E Simpson/W Smith counties. See Hatchapaloo Creek for translation and pronunciation.

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Hatchie River (HATCH-ee) NE Union/SE Tippah (q.v.)/W Alcorn counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  six mi. E of Walnut, and by Miss. Hwy.  eleven mi. E of Ripley. Seale (, p. ) states that this name is from Choctaw hυcha, “river.” It should be noted that this stream is far within historically Chickasaw territory, and the only recorded Chickasaw term for “river” (also “creek”) is abookoshi’ (Munro and Willmond , p. ). However, considering that the Chickasaw lexicon was recorded only recently, it is possible that a Chickasaw word for “river” similar to Choctaw hυcha once existed, but has fallen into disuse.

Hatchie River, Little Tippah (q.v.)/W Alcorn counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  five mi. E of Ripley. See Hatchie River for translation and pronunciation.

Hickahala Creek (HICK-uh-hay-lee, hick-uh-HAY-lee) Tate County. Crossed by I- on N side of Senatobia (q.v.), and by U.S. Hwy.  on N side of Senatobia. Halbert (, p. ), using Choctaw vocabulary, states that this name is from hika, “sweetgum” (trees) and hieli, plural “standing.” It should be noted that this creek lies somewhat within historically Chickasaw territory, and while Chickasaw hí’li, “standing” is similar to Choctaw, the recorded Chickasaw term for the sweetgum tree (taakchili’ api’) bears no resemblance to the Choctaw word. As the Chickasaw term was recorded only recently (Munro and Willmond , p. ), perhaps a now-unused word for the tree similar to Choctaw hika once existed.

Hiwannee (hy-WA-nee, he-WA-nee) Community (founded in  as Red Bluff ) in N Wayne County. The name is from that of a major Choctaw town believed to have been located in the vicinity during the s (Halbert a, p. ; Hamilton ). Apparently the name derives from Choctaw haiyowυni or haiowυni, “cutworm,” although Swanton (, p. ) gives the translation “June bug.” Seale (, p. ) states that his Choctaw Indian informant Simpson Tubby “has clarified the situation somewhat with the informa-


tion that the Choctaw word haiyowυni is commonly extended in meaning to include all types of fruit destroyers.” Cushman (, p. ) incorrectly claims that the name derives from Choctaw hieli, “standing” and υni, “berries.”

Hobolochitto Creek (hub-uh-luh-CHIT-uh) SW Pearl River County. Cushman (, p. ) claims that the name is from “Ha-bo-lih chi-to-lit, greatly diminished” (cf. Choctaw habolhi, “abated; subsided; diminished” and chitolit, “hard”). Seale (, p. ) shows that this translation is incorrect, citing Choctaw Indian Simpson Tubby, who “declares that . . . the Choctaw would not indicate such a condition [a shrunken creek] in this fashion. . . . [He] prefers the solution aboli, ‘thicket,’ and chito, ‘big’. . . .” Seale (ibid.) also cites a local tradition that the creek was “named for an old Choctaw chief, Hopola chito, ‘the big quiet (one),’ who lived [nearby].”

Hobolochitto Creek, East Pearl River County. Crossed by I- and U.S. Hwy.  on the N side of Picayune. See Hobolochitto Creek for translation and pronunciation.

Hobolochitto Creek, West Pearl River County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on the NW side of Picayune. See Hobolochitto Creek for translation and pronunciation.

Hobuck Creek (HO-buck) N Madison County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  eight mi. SE of Pickens. From Choctaw hobυk, “eunuch; gelding,” i.e., a castrated person or animal (Bright , p. ; Seale , p. ).

Hollicar Creek SE Jasper/SW Clarke counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on the Jasper/ Clarke county line, seven mi. S of Pachuta (q.v.). Local pronunciation unrecorded. Probably a corruption of Choctaw haloka, “sacred; beloved; dear” or Choctaw hulloka, “a sacred thing.”

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Homochitto Community in NW Amite County (q.v.). Named for the nearby Homochitto River (see for translation and pronunciation).

Homochitto River (ho-muh-CHIT-uh) Copiah (q.v.)/Lincoln/Franklin/Amite (q.v.)/Wilkinson/Adams counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  sixteen mi. N of Woodville, and by U.S. Hwy.  one mi. SW of Bude. According to Seale (, p. ), Homochitto is from Choctaw homma, “red” and chito, “big.” However, an alternative translation is “shelter creek” (Federal Writers’ Project , p. ), and another Choctaw word phonetically similar to the first two syllables of Homochitto is holmo, translated as “a roof; a covering” (Byington , p. ). These definitions are quite similar in meaning to “shelter.” Hence, Homochitto may actually mean something like “big roof ” or “big shelter” ( John P. Dyson, personal communication), perhaps a reference to a large Indian structure (e.g., a council house or other communal building) once present on the riverbank.

Homochitto River, Middle Fork SE Jefferson/N Franklin counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy. / on W side of Meadville. See Homochitto River for translation and pronunciation.

Homochitto River, Old SW Wilkinson County. See Homochitto River for translation and pronunciation.

Homochitto River, West Fork NW Wilkinson/SW Adams counties. See Homochitto River for translation and pronunciation.

Hontokalo Creek (hon-TOCK-uh-low) NE Scott County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  five mi. SW of Sebastopol. From Choctaw ontuklo or untuklo, “seven.” Seale (, p. ) suggests that the creek was named for the group of Choctaws called Okla (“people”) untuklo, i.e., Seven [Towns] People (cf. Swanton , p. ).


Hopoca Community (est. ) in N Leake County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Bright (, p. ) states that the name is from Choctaw hopaki, “far; distant.” However, the Choctaw word most resembling Hopoca is hopohka, defined by Byington (, p. ) as “to graze; to pick food with the mouth, as horses and cattle or fowls; or as a man picks meat from a bone with his mouth; a picker; one that picks or grazes.” According to one source (Federal Writers’ Project , p. ), Hopoca means “final gathering,” purportedly because some local Choctaws gathered here for their removal from Mississippi in the s. This interpretation is erroneous, for the name bears no resemblance to any form of “to gather” in Choctaw (itahoba, itahobi, itυnaha, etc.) or to “final/last” (isht aiopi).

Hornolucka Creek (hor-nuh-LUCK-uh) N Prentiss County. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on the N side of Booneville. Seale (, p. ) gives a conjectural translation using Choctaw honni, “food; stew” and haloka, “dear” (also “sacred; beloved”). However, this creek lies far within historically Chickasaw territory, and the recorded Chickasaw words for “food,” etc., do not resemble the Choctaw terms.

Hotopha Creek E Panola County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  six mi. E of Batesville. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Possibly from Chickasaw hatafo, “grasshopper” (cf. Choctaw hatυffo, “grasshopper”).

Houlka Creek (HULL-kuh, HOLE-key) S Pontotoc (q.v.)/Chickasaw(q.v.)/N Clay counties. According to Halbert (, p. ), from Choctaw hulhki, “leg” or “calf of the leg.” Although the creek is within historically Chickasaw territory, the recorded Chickasaw terms for “leg” (iyyi’) and “calf of the leg” (iyyichaamo’ and iyyintakalli’) bear no resemblance to Choctaw hulhki. However, it is known that Choctaws were living in this area along with Chickasaws by the early s ( Jennings , p. ), which may explain the apparently Choctaw name. If Halbert’s translation is correct (see next

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T H E N AT I V E A M E R I C A N CONNECTION Houlka

two entries for alternate suggested translations), Houlka might be considered among the most curious of Mississippi’s Indian place names; unfortunately, as noted by Seale (, p. ) “the tradition concerning the application of the name to the stream . . . has been lost.”

Houlka, New (HULL-kuh, “By 1794, a new settlement occupied primarily by whites and mixed-bloods had joined Pontitack as the only other settlement west of the Chickasaw Old Fields [in present Tupelo]. Holkey, as it was called, originated on the Natchez Trace on a watershed divide . . . which separates the Tombigbee and Mississippi River drainages. The earliest known record of the settlement . . . dates to March 16, 1794. . . . The settlement was the adult home of trader and interpreter [to the Chickasaws] Malcolm McGee, and in 1801 the first United States Indian agency among the Chickasaw[s] was established near his farm. . . . After removal of the agency

HOLE-key) Town (est. ) in N Chickasaw County (q.v.). In addition to the interpretation of nearby Houlka Creek (q.v., above), local tradition has held that the name Houlka as applied to this town means “low water” or “low land,” although it has been admitted that “many differ as to the correctness of this meaning” (Reed , p. ). The doubt is justified, for none of the numerous Chickasaw and Choctaw words for “low,” “water,” or “land” shows any resemblance to Houlka. Another claim, that the town’s name means “turkey” (McCafferty ), is apparently based on the slight resemblance of Houlka to Chickasaw chaloklowa’, “turkey.”

to Alabama in 1826, ‘Hulka,’ as it had come to be spelled, had a United States

Houlka, Old

post office for about three years. Today

The original settlement location of Houlka (founded prior to ; see side box) in N Chickasaw County (q.v.),  mi. east of New Houlka (see for pronunciation). In contrast to the

the modern town of [New] Houlka is just west of the original site. Houlka, therefore, is the oldest surviving settlement in north Mississippi” (Atkinson 2004b, p. 142).


translations offered for Houlka Creek and New Houlka (see above), claims have been made that Houlka as applied to this old site means “sacred place” (Federal Writers’ Project , p. ) or “sacred object” (Dyson , p. ); cf. Choctaw haloka, “sacred” and hulloka, “a sacred thing.”

Hushpuckena (hush-PUCK-uh-nuh) Community (est. ) in N Bolivar County. Named for the nearby Hushpuckena River (see for translation).

Hushpuckena Creek W Coahoma County (q.v.). See Hushpuckena River for translation.

Hushpuckena River (hush-PUCK-uh-nuh) W Coahoma (q.v.)/N Bolivar/N Sunflower counties. Evidently from Choctaw hashi, “sunflowers” plus apakna, “abundant” (Seale , p. ). A variant suggested origin is Choctaw hashi, “sunflowers” and pakna, “tops,” i.e., sunflower heads ( John P. Dyson, personal communication). A doubtful interpretation is Choctaw hush υpa, literally “birds eat [it],” a name for the black gum tree, whose berries birds eat, and okhina, “river; water course; stream” (Seale , p. ).

I Ichusa Creek Smith County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy. one mi. W of Sylvarena. Local pronunciation unrecorded. From Choctaw hυcha, “river” and osi, “little” (cf. Archusa Creek, q.v.).

Ichusa Creek, Little NE Smith County. Tributary of Ichusa Creek (see for translation).

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Ishitubba Creek W Tippah County (q.v.). Local pronunciation unrecorded. Evidently from a Chickasaw personal name combining ishi, “to take,” the conjunctive particle t, and abi, “to kill,” i.e., “the one who takes and kills” (cf. Rowland et al. , p. ).

Issaquena (iss-uh-KWEE-nuh) Community in SW Sharkey County. Named for a nearby creek whose original Choctaw appellation combined isi, “deer” and okhina, “river; water course; stream” (cf. Seale , p. ; Cushman , p. ). The stream is now known by its English translation, Deer Creek.

Issaquena County (iss-uh-KWEE-nuh) Established . Issaquena is the original Choctaw name for Deer Creek (see Issaquena, above), which runs through the SE part of the county.

Itawamba County (it-uh-WOM-buh) Established . Itawamba was the title of Levi Colbert, a prominent mixed-blood Chickasaw chief. According to legend, the name was conferred at a tribal council during which Colbert was invited, as a symbolic gesture of his elevation to chiefly status, to sit on a chair or bench rather than on the ground (Warren a, pp. –). This story is alluded to by the translation of Itawamba as “the wooden bench” in a statement made in  by the fluent Chickasaw speaker Malcolm McGee (Atkinson a, p. ). Although Seale (, p. ) derives the name from Choctaw itombi, “box; chest,” in considering McGee’s translation it seems that Itawamba may be shortened from Chickasaw itti’, “wood; wooden” plus aaombiniili’, “chair” or aaombiniili’ falaa’, “chair long,” i.e., “bench” (cf. Cushman , pp. –, ).

Itawamba, Lake Located three mi. N of Fulton, in central Itawamba County (see for translation and pronunciation).


Itta Bena (it-uh-BEE-nuh) Town (originally settled  as Itta Bena plantation) in SW Leflore County. The name is probably from Choctaw iti, “wood; timber; tree” and bina, “a camp,” which may be interpreted as “forest camp” (Seale , pp. –). A similar translation is “home in the woods” (Federal Writers’ Project , p. ). An alternative though less likely interpretation is that the name is perhaps derived from Choctaw itabana, “to put logs together as in making a log house” (Byington , p. ), i.e., “a cabin raising” ( John P. Dyson, personal communication). Cushman’s (, p. ) translation, “walking together,” is wrong: the Choctaw term for “walk together,” itanowa, bears little resemblance to the place name.

Ittobechi Creek (it-uh-BEE-chee) NE Oktibbeha (q.v.)/W Lowndes counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  six mi. E of Starkville, and by U.S. Hwy.  two mi. N of Artesia. Ittobechi Creek is shown on John H. Wellborn’s  map of Oktibbeha County, but the stream is unnamed on modern maps. The designation is very likely from Choctaw itibechi, “one that causes fighting; an instigator of quarrels, fights, etc.” Presumably the creek was named for such a person that lived nearby (Seale , p. ).

Ituma (eye-TOO-muh) Extinct community (est. ) in N Holmes County. Seale (, p. ) notes that this name is identical in spelling to Choctaw ituma, “near; nigh.” However, Ituma may actually be a contraction of Choctaw iti, “wood; timber; tree” and homma or humma, “red.” Cf. the term iti humma, translated by Byington (, p. ) as “a red pole; a pole stained red; such poles as are erected as a sign of mourning for the dead.” Iuka (eye-YOO-kuh) Town (est. ) in N Tishomingo County (q.v.). According to legend, Iuka was the name of a Chickasaw chief (Anonymous , p. ; Federal Writers’ Project , p. ; Stewart , p. ). It has been claimed

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T H E N AT I V E A M E R I C A N CONNECTION Mineral Springs Park, Iuka Located in a town park in Iuka are mineral springs that, according to legend, were used by Indians. One story asserts that the springs’ “medicinal value was first recognized by the Indians, who enclosed them with a fence of hollow logs” (Federal Writers’ Project 1938, p. 442). Another tale claims that “the town of Iuka was named in memory of Iuka, a chief who died . . . while camping at the springs and was there buried. The Iuka Springs were looked upon by the Indians as the pools of new life, and to them they were carried when age overtook them to partake of their waters and to receive a renewal of youth, but to [them] new life could not be given. Thus the locality of Iuka became a burial place for the Indians, and when the town was established the graves were visible all over the site” (Anonymous 1891, p. 259).

that the town’s name may be shortened from the personal name Yukatubi, composed of Chickasaw yoka’, “prisoner; slave,” the connective particle t, and abi, “to kill,” i.e., “prisoner-killer” (Bright , p. ; cf. Seale , p. ). However, a variant interpretation is that “Iuka” is derived not from a personal name, but from the Chickasaw locative prefix aa- plus yoka’, “prisoner; slave,” i.e., “a place where slaves were kept” ( John P. Dyson, personal communication). Cushman (, p. ) mentions another Chickasaw personal name, the first part of which seems similar to Iuka: “Aiyuka ubih,” which he translates as “Each one kill, or to kill each one”; cf. Choctaw aiyuka, “each” (there is no phonetically similar recorded Chickasaw word for “each”) and υbi, “to kill” (cf. Chickasaw abi, “to kill”). On the other hand, Cushman states (ibid., p. ) that the town name Iuka means “place of bathing,” even though the name does not contain anything closely resembling the Chickasaw words for “to bathe” (yopi, yopichi and variants; cf. Choctaw yupi, yupechi, aiyupi). Another claim is that the name means “place by the water” (Nestor , p. ), but no etymology is provided. Although Iuka does share a partial phonetic resemblance to Chickasaw oka’, “water,” this is likely only coincidental.


J Jofuska Creek SW Winston/NW Neshoba (q.v.) counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  ten mi. NW of Philadelphia. Local pronunciation unrecorded. The derivation of the name’s initial element is obscure; however, -uska resembles Choctaw uski, “cane.”

K Kentawka Canal Neshoba County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on W side of Philadelphia. This is the name now applied to the straightened Kentawka Creek (see for translation).

Kentawka Canal, Little Neshoba County (q.v.). Tributary of Kentawka Canal (see Kentawka Creek for translation).

Kentawka Creek Neshoba County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on W side of Philadelphia. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Formerly spelled Kentawha and Kentawiha; as such, Seale (, p. ), on the authority of his Choctaw Indian informant Simpson Tubby, states that the name is from Choctaw kinta, “beaver(s)” and awaya, “to bring forth there” (cf. Byington , pp. , ), i.e., “place where beavers are brought forth in abundance.”

Kentuctah Creek (kin-TUCK-tuh) N Madison County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  eleven mi. SE of Pickens. The first element is from Choctaw kinta, “beaver.” The derivation of the

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remainder is most likely from Choctaw hohtak, “pond; beaver pond.” Seale (, p. ) explains the absence of a “k” at the end of the name by noting that “the final k in Choctaw is weak and often disappears in pronunciation.”

Kenty Creek SE Attala (q.v.)/NE Leake counties. Apparently a corruption of Choctaw kinta, “beaver.”

Kewanee Community (est. ) in E Lauderdale County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. According to tradition, a sawmill built here in  by J. R. Browell “was called K[e]wanee by the Indians because it made such a noise” (Brieger , p. ). The ambiguous wording of this statement makes it unclear whether the name is imitative of a sound made by the mill, or is a reference to noisiness. If the latter is meant, it can be noted that no recorded Choctaw words for “noise,” “noisy,” “loud,” “clamor,” “din,” “racket,” etc., show any resemblance to Kewanee. Coincidentally or not, the spelling of the name is identical to Kewanee, Illinois; that name is said to be from an Ottawa (Algonquian) word meaning “prairie chicken” (Bright , p. ).

Kickapoo Lake (KICK-uh-poo) N Hinds County. Named for the Kickapoo tribe of the Midwest. From kiikaapoa, thought to mean “wanderers” (Bright , p. ). Kinterbish Creek SE Lauderdale County, Miss./Sumter and Choctaw counties, Ala. Local pronunciation unrecorded. From Choctaw kinta, “beaver” and ibish, “a rise; a swell.” This combination of terms is interpreted by Halbert (, p. ) to mean “beaver dam,” and by Read (, p. ) as “beaver lodge.”

Kittahutty Creek (kit-uh-HUT-ee) SW Pontotoc (q.v.)/NE Calhoun counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  nine mi. NE of Bruce. Halbert (, p. ), using Choctaw vocabulary,


derives this name from kitti, “mortar” (a bowl-shaped container for pounding or grinding corn into meal), and hυta, “white.” Halbert offers no explanation for the adjective, but Seale (, pp. –) speculates that it refers to a mortar made of white stone (white or bleached wood, more likely). It should be noted that this creek is located at least partially within historically Chickasaw territory, and while Chickasaw kitti’, “mortar” is very similar to the Choctaw word, the only recorded Chickasaw term for “white” is tohbi’. Also, the first two syllables of the name resemble not only kitti/kitti’ but Chickasaw/Choctaw kinta, “beaver” as well.

Kokomo (KO-kuh-mo) Town (est. ) in W Marion County. Named for Kokomo, Indiana (Brieger , p. ), which in turn is said to be named for a local Miami Indian leader; the meaning is probably “bear-chief ” (Bright , p. ). The translation “the diver” (Nestor , p. ) is doubtful; another, “young grandmother” (ibid.), is definitely incorrect, the result of the confusion of Kokomo with Komoka, a place in Ontario, Canada, which is supposed to mean “young grandmother” (Read , p. ).

Kolola Springs (kuh-LO-luh) Community (est. ) in N Lowndes County. The name Kolola may be derived from Chickasaw kali, “spring” and ola, “ringing; sounding,” which together can be freely interpreted as “singing springs” ( John P. Dyson, personal communication). Alternatively, Seale (, p. ), using Choctaw vocabulary, suggests a derivation from kololhi, “cut off ; severed” or oka, “water” and lhali, “to splash,” i.e., “splashing water.” However, Kolola Springs is located somewhat within historically Chickasaw territory, and the recorded Chickasaw word for “cut off ” most resembling the Choctaw term is katolha, not a close match. On the other hand, Chickasaw oka’, “water” and lha’li, “to spill” are similar to the Choctaw terms (cf. Okeelala Creek, q.v.). A local tradition that the name means “sick deer” (Brieger , p. ) is erroneous; neither the Choctaw words for “deer” (isi) and “sick” (abeka, υbi, chukyiweta, yυnha) nor the Chickasaw equivalents (isi’, abeka and others) bear any resemblance to Kolola.

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L Lafomby Creek SE Tate/NW Lafayette counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  two mi. SW of Harmontown. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Perhaps a corruption of Chickasaw lokfomma’, a contraction of lokfi’, “clay; dirt” and homma’, “red” (cf. Loakfoma Creek, q.v.).

Lappatubby Creek (lap-uh-TUB-ee) NW Pontotoc/SW Union counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  five mi. N of Pontotoc (q.v.). Using Choctaw vocabulary, Seale (, p. ), following Halbert (, p. ) states that this is a personal name, derived from lapitta, “buck” and υbi, “to kill,” i.e., “buck killer.” This creek is located in historically Chickasaw territory, and while Chickasaw abi, “to kill” is close to Choctaw, in the current Chickasaw lexicon the only recorded term for “buck” is issi’ (“deer”) nakni’ (“male”). However, it seems that a Chickasaw word for “buck” similar to Choctaw lapitta once existed, but has fallen into disuse: in an  interview, Malcolm McGee, who had lived among the Chickasaws of the area for decades and was fluent in their language, referred to “Lappatubbee, the buck killer” (Atkinson a, p. ). In Chickasaw orthography, the name can be rendered Lapittabi’ ( John P. Dyson, personal communication). Loakfoma Creek (loke-FO-muh, lo-kuh-FO-muh) NE Winston/NW Noxubee (q.v.) counties. From Choctaw lukfomma, a contraction of lukfi, “clay; dirt” and homma, “red” (Halbert , p. ). Seale (, p. ) notes that Choctaw Indian Simpson Tubby informed him that “the Choctaws were accustomed to camp on its banks at certain seasons of the year for the purpose of making from the very fine clay taken from the bed of the stream such pieces of pottery as were commonly required for household use.”

Loakfoma Lake NW Noxubee County (q.v.). Artificial lake on Loakfoma Creek (see for translation and pronunciation).


Lobutcha Creek (luh-BUTCH-uh) S Choctaw (q.v.)/SW Winston/SE Attala (q.v.)/NE Leake counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. NE of Carthage, and by Miss. Hwy.  on E side of the Renfroe community. According to Halbert (, p. ), this may be a shortened form of Yalobusha (q.v.). However, the name is similar to Choctaw lhobocha, “boiled food.” Cushman (, pp. , ) gives another possibility, that the name is from “lah-buch-ih, to make warm” (i.e., Choctaw alhohbichi, “to warm”).

Lonsilocher Canal (lon-suh-LOCK-uh, luss-uh-LOO-kuh, etc.) S Neshoba County (q.v.). Prior to its dredging and straightening, this was a creek whose name was variously spelled “Lussa Luker” (Seale , p. ) and “Lussalaka” (Halbert a, p. ). According to the latter source, the name is derived from lusa, “swamp” and alaka, “edge; border,” i.e., “edge or border of a swamp.” However, according to Seale’s Choctaw informant Simpson Tubby, the k sound in the name is a corruption of white speakers, a substitution for the proper s as pronounced by local Indians. Hence, according to Tubby, the name is actually from lusa, “swamp” and lusa, “black” (Seale , pp. –).

Looxahoma (look-suh-HO-muh) Community in SE Tate County. The settlement was named after nearby Looxahoma Creek (Seale , p. ), but this stream name does not appear on modern maps. From Chickasaw loksi’, “turtle” and homma, “red” (cf. Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ).

Lucknuck Creek N Calhoun County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  five mi. NE of Bruce, and by Miss. Hwy.  one mi. NE of Sarepta. Perhaps a corruption of Chickasaw/Choctaw lakna, “yellow.”

Lukfapa Creek SW Winston/NW Neshoba (q.v.) counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  fourteen mi. NW of Philadelphia. Local pronunciation unrecorded. This name, as spelled on current USGS maps, appears to be from Choctaw

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lukfυpa, translated by Byington (, p. ) as “a lick or a saline place; a place where cattle and beasts of the forest—deer and buffalo—eat the dirt and lick for salt” (cf. Seale , p. ). However, Lukfapa may actually be corrupted from the original name: although no Lukfapa Creek is listed by Seale (), he does discuss a “Lookfodda Creek” (ibid., p. ) in the same general location of Neshoba County, and the local pronunciation of Lookfodda as recorded by Seale (luck-FOD-uh), plus his etymological analysis (from Choctaw lukfυta, “white clay”), suggests that the “p” in Lukfapa is a recent erroneous substitution for the proper Choctaw consonant t.

Luneluah Creek W Neshoba County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on E side of the Laurel Hill community. Local pronunciation unrecorded. This name is rendered as “Lune-lu-osh-ah, Burnt Frog” by Claiborne (, p. ). While -luah does closely resemble Choctaw lua, “burnt,” the initial portion of the name is not similar to any of the recorded Choctaw words for “frog.”

Luxapallila Creek (luck-suh-puh-LYE-luh) Fayette and Lamar counties, Ala./E Lowndes County, Miss. Crossed by Miss. Hwy. /Main St. in Columbus, and by U.S. Hwy.  on N side of Columbus. Variant spellings include Luxapilalla, Luxapalila, and Luxapalalia. From Choctaw luksi, “turtle,” the locative a, “there” and probably balali, “to crawl” (Halbert , p. ; Read , p. ; Seale , pp. –), i.e., “turtle crawls there.” The popular translation “floating turtle,” from luksi and Choctaw okpalali (“to float”), is rejected by Halbert (, p. ); evidently his skepticism is due to the name’s lack of a second k, which should be present if okpalali were the actual Choctaw verb.


M Magowah Creek S Lowndes County. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  nine mi. N of Brooksville. Local pronunciation unrecorded. The belief that Magowah is an Indian name is apparently mistaken, because this creek is designated on an  map as McGower, presumably the name of a white settler who lived nearby; Love (, p. ) states that the spelling Magowah reflects the Choctaw pronunciation of McGower (due to the lack of the consonant r in that language). Although Love (ibid.) notes that the name “was supposed to be a Choctaw word meaning impassable,” the recorded Choctaw term for “impassable,” lhopullahe keyu, bears no resemblance. Another interpretation is that the name is perhaps derived “from Choctaw imaakohcha, ‘his pass, ford, or ferry,’ from kohcha ‘to come out’ ” (Bright , p. ). However, there is scant similarity between the purported root kohcha and the creek’s name.

Magowah Creek, North Branch SW Lowndes County. See Magowah Creek.

Magowah Creek, South Branch SW Lowndes County. See Magowah Creek.

Mantachie (man-TATCH-ee) Town (settled prior to ) in W Itawamba County (q.v.). According to tradition, this place was named for a Chickasaw chief named “Manat-chee” (Federal Writers’ Project , p. ). Seale (, pp. –), using Choctaw vocabulary, states that this is a personal name derived from maya, “to go,” the conjunctive particle t, “and,” plus achi, “to call; to speak,” i.e., “the one who goes and calls” or “the one who goes and speaks.” Mantachie is located in historically Chickasaw territory, and the recorded Chickasaw equivalents of Seale’s English translations do not closely resemble the Choctaw words. However, because the Chickasaw lexicon

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and achi once may have existed, but have fallen into disuse. Alternatively, it can be noted that Mantachie closely resembles, whether coincidentally or not, Chickasaw imantachi, “to cause to give birth” ( John P. Dyson, personal communication).

Mantachie Creek NE Lee/W Itawamba (q.v.) counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  five mi. W of Fulton. See Mantachie for translation and pronunciation.

Mashulaville (muh-SHOO-luh-vill) Community (originally a Choctaw settlement predating ) in W Noxubee County (q.v.). Named for the historically prominent Choctaw district chief Moshulitubbee, who resided at the site in the early s (see side box). Halbert (, p. ) derives this name from Choctaw amoshuli, “to persevere,” the connective particle t, and υbi, “to kill,” i.e., “the one who perseveres and kills.” Cushman (, p. ) dubiously claims that the original form of the name was “Amosholihubili,” which he interprets as “to destroy as by fire” (cf. Choctaw mosholichi, “to destroy” and libbi, “to blaze; to burn”). Another doubtful translation is offered by Swanton (, p. ) who suggests that the name, which he spells “mυsholitυbi,” means “when it was clear weather, he killed.” This interpretation is based on the probably coincidental resemblance of the first element to Choctaw masheli, “fair sky; fair weather.”

Mattubby Creek (muh-TUB-ee) E Chickasaw (q.v.)/W Monroe counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on NW side of Aberdeen, and by U.S. Hwy.  Alternate three mi. SE of Okolona (q.v.). Mattubby is evidently a personal name, from Chickasaw mot, “all” and abi, “to kill,” i.e., “the one who kills all” (cf. Claiborne , p. ; Seale , p. ); or from Chickasaw minti, “to come” and abi, “to kill,” i.e., “the one who comes and kills” (cf. Seale , p. ).

Michigan City (MISH-uh-gun) N Benton County. This community was founded in the s by several settlers from the state of Michigan, hence the name (Brieger , p. ).


Michigan, of Algonquian origin, is translated as “big lake” (Stewart , p. ).

Minga Branch (MING-uh) Stream in NE Monroe County. Probably a corruption of Chickasaw minko’, “chief ” (cf. Mingo, below). Mingo (MING-oh) Community in SE Tishomingo County (q.v.). Named for nearby Mingo Branch (q.v.). From Chickasaw minko’, “chief ” (cf. Seale , p. ). Mingo Branch Stream in E Tishomingo County (q.v.). Crossed by the Natchez Trace Parkway four mi. E of Tishomingo (q.v.). See Mingo for translation and pronunciation.

Mingo Creek (MING-oh) SW Clarke County. From Choctaw miko, “chief ” (Seale , p. ).

Minnehaha Creek W Pike County. Crossed by I- two mi. NW of Magnolia, and by Miss. Hwy.  on W side of Magnolia. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Named for a waterfall in the state of Minnesota. This is a Dakota term, from mini, “water” and haha, “to fall”—i.e., “waterfall”—but is popularly misinterpreted via folk etymology as “laughing water” (cf. Bright , p. ; Read , p. ; Stewart , p. ).

Mississippi (mis-iss-SIP-ee) A state (admitted to Union in ) in the southeastern U.S.; named for the Mississippi River (see for translation), which forms most of the state’s western boundary. Mississippi City Town (settled ) in S Harrison County. See Mississippi River for translation.

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T H E N AT I V E A M E R I C A N C O N N E C T I O N Mashulaville

Moshulitubbee became chief of the northeastern Choctaw district in 1809. One of his homes was located at the site of present Mashulaville, which was named in his honor. Historian of the Choctaws Henry S. Halbert recorded some interesting traditions concerning the site, which are excerpted as follows. “In the summer of 1811, the celebrated Shawnee chief, Tecumseh, at the head of twenty armed and mounted warriors, visited the Southern Indians. His object was to induce these tribes to join the Indian Confederacy which he was forming to act in concert with the British troops in the war then impending with the United States. . . . [H]e arrived at the residence of Mingo Moshulitubbee, the present Mashulaville, in Noxubee County. “Tecumseh remained at Moshulitubbee’s house for several days, and a number of Choctaw mingoes and warriors came to see him. . . . Tecumseh made known the object of his visit, but it was received with no favor by the Choctaws present” (Halbert and Ball 1895, pp. 40–42). “In 1819, Moshulitubbee, becoming dissatisfied with the little cabin in Mashulaville, in which he had lived so many years, resolved to have a house built that would be more in harmony with his dignity as a great Choctaw mingo. He accordingly employed Josiah Tilly, a white trader living in Pickensville, Ala., to build him a suitable house. Tilly was a fine carpenter. He built for the chief a large house with four rooms, two rooms below, and two making an upper story. The house faced the east with a veranda in front and chimney on the north end. It was made of well dressed poplar planks . . . made by hand with a whip-saw. Altogether, it was in that day a first class house for an Indian country.

was recorded only recently, Chickasaw words similar to Choctaw maya


“The following extract from a letter dated March 28, 1903, received by the writer from Captain J. M. Winston of Ramsey, Ala., gives us a glimpse of the home life of the chief at Mashulaville: One of my old neighbors and friends, now dead a number of years, Captain Elisha Lacey, who emigrated from Kentucky to Marengo County, Alabama, in the early 20’s, has told me that he found no hogs in the cane-brake region of Alabama at that time. Wishing to get a supply, [he] went to Moshulitubbee’s place at the present Mashulaville. He found that Moshulitubbee had a great many ponies, cattle and hogs. He bought from the chief all the hogs he wanted. He spent the night with him. He said that Moshulitubbee had plenty to eat, but that they all ate, Indian fashion, out of the same pot with wooden spoons. The family had plenty of nice quilts, blankets, and bear skins, but they had no bed steads and they all slept on the floor. The night that Captain Lacey slept with him, the chief had a large pallet made on the floor in the best room for himself and his two wives and another very comfortable pallet made in the same room for Captain Lacey. The Captain said that the chief was very courteous and social and would accept no pay for his hospitality. “. . . [On] August 2, 1832, Moshulitubbee sold [his house and land] to Dr. J. J. Dillard for eleven hundred dollars. Soon after this sale, the old chief with his family emigrated west. . . . Dr. Dillard lived in Moshulitubbee’s house about three years and in that interval the place and vicinity gradually assumed the name of Mashulaville in honor of the old Choctaw chief. . . . Mr. W. R. Combs was the last owner. He pulled the house down in 1873. “. . . [A]s a link connecting the present with the past, it will be especially noticed that this little village preserves in its very name the memory of an aboriginal chief, whose authority extended over a domain, that now, under American occupancy and civilization, is considered the finest region of East Mississippi” (Halbert 1903, pp. 392–98).

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Mississippi River This river, the second-longest in North America, flows along most of the state of Mississippi’s western border. The name is indigenous to the upper Midwest where the waterway originates, from Algonquian (Ojibwa/ Chippewa) misi (mshi), “big” and sipi (ziibi), “river” (cf. Bright , p. ; Campbell , pp. , ; Read , p. ; Stewart , p. ; Swanton , p. ). The widespread popular belief that Mississippi means “Father of Waters” is incorrect (cf. Read , p. ). Also erroneous is Cushman’s (, pp. , ) claim that the name is Choctaw for “beyond age.” This interpretation is based on Cushman’s belief that Mississippi is derived from Choctaw misha, “beyond; time beyond” and sipokni, “aged; old” (cf. Choctaw sipi, “old”). But the resemblance is merely coincidental, for the actual Choctaw name for the river was bυlbancha, “place of foreign languages,” a contraction of bυlbaha, “to talk in a foreign language” and asha, “there.” Read (, p. ) explains this etymology: “The name was applied first to the lower Mississippi and then to the city of New Orleans, the [Choctaw] Indians looking upon the river and the city alike as places where foreign languages were spoken.”

Mississippi Sound Body of water separating the coastal counties Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson from the Gulf of Mexico. See Mississippi River for translation.

Mohawk, Lake (MOW-hawk) W Prentiss/SE Tippah (q.v.) counties. Named for the tribe indigenous to what is now upstate New York. Stewart (, p. ) notes that “because the Mohawks [are] a well-known tribe, the name [has] spread to many states,” as in the case of this lake. The name is thought to mean “they eat [live] things” (Read , p. ) or “cannibals” (Bright , p. ).

Monocnoc, Lake Washington County, on E side of Leland. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Perhaps an alteration of Monocanock, the name of an island in Pennsylvania. There, the designation is thought to be an Algonquian term meaning “island place” (Bright , p. ).


Montezuma Bar (mon-tuh-ZOO-muh) N Coahoma County (q.v.). Point of land on E bank of the Mississippi River (q.v.). Montezuma (from Nahuatl moteuczoma, “angry lord”) was an Aztec ruler of Mexico. Like other famed Native Americans (e.g., Pocahontas, q.v.), his name was arbitrarily applied to this place and various others across the United States (Bright , p. ; Stewart , p. ).

Mubby Creek (MUB-ee) E Pontotoc County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  halfway between Pontotoc (q.v.) and Tupelo (q.v.). Mubby is apparently derived from a Chickasaw personal name combining ima, “to give to” and abi, “to kill,” i.e., “the one who gives and kills.” Cf. the Choctaw personal name “Imaυbi,” translated as “Give-and-kill” (Swanton , p. ), from Choctaw ima, “to give” and υbi, “to kill.”

Muskegon Community in E Scott County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. In the late s a sawmill owned by a company based in Muskegon, Michigan, was located here, hence the name (Brieger , p. ). From an Ojibwa (Algonquian) word meaning “marsh” (Bright , p. ).

N Nanabe Creek Lauderdale County. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on NE side of Meridian, one mi. N of I-/I- interchange. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Probably from Choctaw nυnυbi, “fisher; fisherman” or nυnυlbi, “fish trap.” Another possibility, though less likely, is that the name derives from Choctaw nυnih, “hill” and υba, “above” (cf. Halbert a, p. ; Read , p. ).

Nanachehaw Community (also known as Allen) in S Warren County. Local pronun-

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ciation unrecorded. “Nanachehaw” is a derivation of the Choctaw term nυnih chaha, “high hill” (Byington , p. ; Watkins , p. ); the etymology is nυnih, “hill” and chaha, “high” (Seale , pp. –). An apt name, as this place is located atop the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River (q.v.) floodplain to the west. An incorrect translation is “fish hill” (Brieger , p. ), arising from the misidentification of the name’s first two syllables as being from Choctaw nυni, “fish.” Also, the Choctaw word for “hill,” nυnih, shows no resemblance to -chehaw; as shown above, the origin of Nanachehaw’s final two syllables clearly must be chaha, “high.”

Nanawaya Creek SE Winston/NE Neshoba (q.v.) counties. Alternate spelling of Nanih Waiya Creek (see for translation and pronunciation).

Nanih Waiya (nan-uh-WYE-uh) A large Indian mound in S Winston County (see side box). The name is sometimes also used to refer to a nearby cave-containing natural hill in northeast Neshoba County, with which the Indian mound is often confused. Nanih Waiya is commonly believed to mean “leaning hill” or “slanting hill” (Swanton , pp. –, ), from Choctaw nυnih, “hill” and waiya, “leaning; slanting.” An alternate translation is “productive hill” or “fruitful hill” (Wright , p. ), from Choctaw nυnih, “hill” and waya, “to produce; fruitful.” Wright (ibid.) notes that this interpretation seems in accord with one of the Choctaw tribal origin stories, which states that the entire tribe issued forth from the mound (see Nanih Waiya side box). However, the name Nanih Waiya in its original application may have referred not to the mound but to the eponymous nearby stream; if so, the meaning may be quite different (see Nanih Waiya Creek, below).

Nanih Waiya Creek SE Winston/NE Neshoba (q.v.) counties. Crossed by Rt. /Mound Road a short distance south of the Nanih Waiya Indian mound (see above), and by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. E of Louisville. If this creek was

T H E N AT I V E A M E R I C A N CNOa tNi vNeEACmTeIrOi cNa n P l a c e N a m e s i n M i s s i s s i p p i N a n i h Wa i y a The Indian mound called Nanih Waiya, located in southern Winston County, is important in Mississippi history, archaeology, and Choctaw Indian legend. Nanih Waiya is a man-made, flat-topped earthen mound measuring about 25 feet high, 220 feet long, and 140 feet wide. (This artificial mound is not to be confused with a much larger natural hill with internal caverns located 1.5 miles east of the mound.) Although the mound figures prominently in various Choctaw tribal origin stories, it was constructed by prehistoric Indians of unknown tribal affiliation, hundreds or thousands of years prior to the ca. seventeenth century A.D. migration of the Choctaws into the region (Carleton 1999; Galloway 1995). Its rectangular, flat-topped form is typical of mounds built between A.D. 1000 and 1600, but pottery fragments found on the surface of an adjacent village site suggest that the mound may have been built as early as about 100 B.C. (Baca 1999, p. 14; cf. Carleton 1999). The purpose for which the mound was built is uncertain; however, flat-topped mounds in the southeastern U.S. are believed by archaeologists to have served as the scenes of ceremonial activities which took place on the summits, or as the dwelling places of chiefs, whose lodges were built atop mounds to symbolize chiefly authority (Lindauer and Blitz 1997, p. 175). Centuries after the disappearance of the tribe that had built the mound, the site began to be regarded by the Choctaws as the place of their origin. In 1848, George S. Gaines, a white trader who had lived among the Choctaws, recalled a tribal custom that he had witnessed at Nanih Waiya years before (quoted in Carleton 1999, p. 130): “This mound was called by the Choctaws Nanna, wyah . . . & according to their tradition was the mother of the whole tribe, out of whose hole in the top, their ancestors sprang up suddenly one day; this hole was quite large and deep immediately in the top & was about 10 feet in circumference—The Indians had great regard for this mound & when hunting in the vicinity, would always throw down a portion of the killed game into the hole—thus feeding their mother as they believed.” The hole in the mound referred to by Gaines is no longer present, having been filled in by mound-top plowing and erosion. Nanih Waiya was donated to the state in the late 1950s for use as a public park. Unlike most remaining ancient Indian mounds, which are threatened by real estate development, agriculture, and looting, Nanih Waiya’s preservation is assured, as befits one of the most prominent monuments of Mississippi’s Native American history.

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not named after the nearby eponymous Indian mound (see previous entry), Nanih Waiya may be derived from Choctaw nυni, “fish,” the locative a, and waya, “to produce; to bring forth; to yield,” i.e., “place where fish are brought forth in abundance” (cf. Carleton , p. ). This derivation is suggested by analogy to Choctaw Indian Simpson Tubby’s use of the term “kinta awaya” to mean “place where beavers are brought forth in abundance” (Seale , p. ; cf. Kentawka Creek, q.v.).

Napanee (NAP-uh-nee) Community (settled ) in N Washington County. Also spelled Nepanee. Perhaps from Choctaw na, “a thing” and pυnni, “to braid,” i.e., “something to twist or braid” (Bright , p. ).

Natchez (NATCH-ez) Town (est.  as Fort Rosalie) in Adams County. Named for the Natchez Indians, a tribe that historically inhabited the area (see side box). The meaning of the name is unknown (Swanton , p. ). Claims that Natchez means “to break off from” (Cushman , p. ), “hurrying man” or “one running to war” (Gannett , p. ), or “salt” (Nestor , p. ) are baseless.

Natchez Island W Adams County. Located in the Mississippi River (q.v.); named for the town of Natchez (see for name origin and pronunciation), about  mi. E.

Natchez Lake E Adams County, in Natchez State Park. See Natchez for name origin and pronunciation.

Neshoba Community in S Neshoba County. Named for Neshoba County (see for translation and pronunciation).

Neshoba County (nuh-SHO-buh) Established . From Choctaw nashoba, “wolf ” (Cushman , p. ).

t i vNeEACmTeI rOi cNa n P l a c e N a m e s i n M i s s i s s i p p i T H E N AT I V E A M E R I C A N CNOaN The Grand Village of the Natchez Indians The present town of Natchez encompasses sites associated with the Natchez Indians, a people important in the history of the lower Mississippi Valley. Chief among these sites is the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians on the south side of town, now a historical park maintained by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Baca (1999, pp. 19–20) provides the following description of the Grand Village: [T]hree platform mounds, an adjacent ceremonial plaza, and associated habitation areas mark the political and religious capital of the Natchez Indian chiefdom of the late 1600s and early 1700s. . . . The paramount chief of the Natchez, called the Great Sun, lived at the Grand Village. . . . French [colonists’] accounts describe . . . the Great Sun’s house, which stood on Mound B at the center of the site, and a . . . temple, which stood on Mound C [on the south end of the site]. Within the temple, a sacred perpetual fire was kept burning day and night. Foundation remains of both the Great Sun’s house and the temple were discovered during 1962 archaeological excavations of the mounds [Neitzel 1965]. Mound A, at the north end of the site, was apparently no longer in use by the [early 1700s]. The mounds, which stand about 8 feet high, [were built] in several stages as the structures that stood on top of them were demolished and rebuilt in accordance with ceremony. Elaborate funeral ceremonies for the Natchez elite were conducted on the mound plaza. These rituals included the sacrifice of relatives and servants of the deceased. . . . Two of the burials [discovered during archaeological excavation of Mound C] may [be] those of the Great Sun, whose death in 1728 is mentioned in [French colonial] historical sources, and his brother and war chief Tattooed Serpent, whose 1725 funeral was recorded in detail by the French [Neitzel 1965, pp. 83–85]. . . . Increasing French confiscation of Indian lands led to rapid deterioration of NatchezFrench relations following the death of the Great Sun. The Natchez attacked nearby Fort Rosalie [in what is now downtown Natchez] in 1729, killing most of the French garrison there. In response, the French organized a retaliatory expedition in 1730. They and their Choctaw Indian allies occupied the [abandoned] Grand Village, using the location to lay siege to the Natchez, who had withdrawn into stockaded fortifications to the south. During the siege, French troops used the central mound, formerly the site of the Great Sun’s house, as an emplacement for their artillery. This confrontation marked the beginning of the destruction of the Natchez as a nation. Although the siege failed to force their surrender, the Natchez . . . abandoned their traditional territory as a result of it. [A few hundred] of the Natchez eventually were captured by the French and sold into slavery in the West Indies. The [rest] escaped to join other tribes as refugees. Today, people of Natchez descent live among the Creek and Cherokee Indians.

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Neshoba County Lake SE Neshoba County (see for translation and pronunciation).

Nita Lake (NEE-tuh) SE Itawamba County (q.v.). From Chickasaw nita’, “bear” (cf. Bright , p. ). Nitachucky Creek (nit-uh-CHUCK-ee) NE Itawamba County (q.v.). From Chickasaw nita’, “bear” and chokka’, “house,” i.e., “bear’s den”; cf. Choctaw nita, “bear” and chuka, “house; den” (Seale , p. ).

Nitta Yuma (nit-uh-YOO-muh) Community in N Sharkey County. Cushman (, p. ) takes this name to be from Choctaw nita, “bear” and yυmma, “yonder,” while Seale (, p. ) suggests Choctaw nita, “bear” and homma, “red.” But according to Henry W. Vick, an early white settler of the area, the name is Choctaw for “Mixed with Bear” (Phelps and Phelps , p. ); cf. Choctaw nita, “bear” and aiyuma, “mixed.” Vick’s translation is more reliable owing to his presence in the area during the early s; he likely heard the name and its English translation directly from local Choctaw Indians prior to their departure from the region. However, just what is meant by the curious appellation “Mixed with Bear/bear-mixed” is left unexplained by Vick. His translation makes more sense if one considers that “Yuma” might be derived not from aiyuma but from the phonetically similar Choctaw word yυmmi, “salted; saturated; sweetened.” As such, Vick’s “Mixed with Bear” may refer to salt or a sweet ingredient mixed with bear meat to season it (cf. Chickasaw ayammi, “to season with salt, pepper, etc.”), which is in accord with another translation of the name, “sweet bear meat” (Brieger , p. ). An entirely different interpretation, that the name is Choctaw for “high land” (Nestor , p. ), is erroneous; none of the Choctaw synonyms for “high” or “land” resembles Nitta Yuma.

Nonconnah Creek (1) (non-CON-uh) NW Marshall County, Miss./Shelby County, Tenn. Seale (, p. )


states that “[t]he name is thought to be derived from Choctaw nan ikhana, ‘a seer; a prophet.’ Supposedly, the stream took its name from the fact that a nan ikhana lived at one time upon its banks.” This creek lies within historically Chickasaw territory, not Choctaw, and the recorded analogous Chickasaw words for such a person (Chihoowa inaanooli’; hopayi’; holitto’pa’) do not resemble the Choctaw term. However, considering the overall historical similarity between the Chickasaw and Choctaw languages, a now-disused Chickasaw term close in form to Choctaw nan ikhana may have existed.

Nonconnah Creek (2) NW Marshall County. See Nonconnah Creek () for pronunciation and suggested name origin.

Noxapater (nock-suh-PAY-tur) Town in S Winston County. Named for nearby Noxapater Creek (see for translation).

Noxapater Creek SW Winston/N Neshoba (q.v.) counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  one mi. SW of Noxapater (q.v.), and by Miss. Hwy.  six mi. SW of Louisville. Halbert (, p. ) interprets Noxapater as “little bullets”; the name, in his view, is a corruption of Choctaw naki, “lead” (used to make bullets) and chipinta, “small.” (Naki also means “a dart.”) Alternatively, it can be noted that the name also resembles Choctaw anaksi, “side” and pυtha, “wide.” If this interpretation is correct, perhaps the name refers to a broad stream side or bank. Some sources state variously that Noxapater is Latin for “dark father” (Federal Writers’ Project , p. ; Brieger , p. ) or an “Indian” word meaning “trigger” (Brieger , p. ). Both interpretations are incorrect. In the former case, the last two syllables of the name coincidentally match Latin pater, “father,” and the first element resembles Latin nox, but this means “night,” not “dark” in that language. Actual Latin approximations of “dark father” (ater pater,

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ateropater, atropater, obscurus pater, fuscus pater, fuscipater, and others) do not much resemble Noxapater. As for the translation “trigger,” the actual Choctaw words for the gun part (ahalυlli; tanampo ahalυlli) bear no resemblance to the place name.

Noxubee County Established ; named for Noxubee River (see for translation and pronunciation).

Noxubee Creek, Little Alternate name of Noxubee River, Little (q.v.). See Noxubee River for translation and pronunciation.

Noxubee Hills Upland area north of Ackerman, E Choctaw County (q.v.). Named for Noxubee River (see for translation and pronunciation).

Noxubee River (NOCK-suh-bee, NOCK-shuh-bee) SE Choctaw (q.v.)/N Winston/S Oktibbeha (q.v.)/Noxubee (q.v.) counties, Miss./NW Sumter County, Ala. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  two mi. S of Macon, by Miss. Hwy.  on S side of Macon, and by Miss. Hwy.  eleven mi. S of Starkville. This stream’s name is shortened from the original Choctaw oka, “water” and nakshobi, translated variously as “to smell as newly caught fish; to stink, as fish” (Byington , p. ); “strong smelling” (Halbert a, p. ); and “offensive odor” (Cushman , p. ; cf. Seale , pp. –). As such, the usual translation of Noxubee as given in popular sources, “stinking water” (e.g., Federal Writers’ Project , p. ; Brieger , p. ), is somewhat inaccurate, as it actually refers to the full original name Oka Nakshobi. A story that the stream acquired its name following an intertribal battle when the winning side threw the enemy dead into the water (Cushman , pp. , –) is rejected by Halbert (a, p. ): “[This] so-called legend is a bit of ‘buncombe,’ for the throwing of the bodies of slain enemies into a river is something

t i vNeEACmTeI rOi cNa n P l a c e N a m e s i n M i s s i s s i p p i T H E N AT I V E A M E R I C A N CNOaN T h e Ta l e o f t h e C h o c t a w - C r e e k B a l l G a m e and Battle on the Noxubee River A legend of an epic Choctaw-Creek stickball game and subsequent fight on the banks of the Noxubee River in southeastern Noxubee County appears in Claiborne (1880, pp. 485–86), Cushman (1999, pp. 131–35) and Love (1906, pp. 320–21). All three sources present the story as an account of a true event; however, it looks suspiciously like a “tall tale.” Nevertheless, it is given below (Claiborne’s version) because it appears to be an example of local Indian folklore, passed by word of mouth to early white settlers of the area. As late as 1835, there died in the southern part of Noxubee [County], an Indian known as Stonie Hadje, supposed to be over one hundred years old. He was much esteemed by the whites. He was a Creek by birth, a Choctaw by adoption. He said that in ancient times—perhaps about 1790—there was a large pond near Noxubee river much resorted to by beavers. The Creeks claimed it because they had discovered it; the Choctaws because it was within their boundaries. Beaver skins were in demand at Pensacola and Mobile. Neither party would give in, but it was finally agreed to determine it by a ball play. Each tribe selected fifty champion players. . . . Five thousand Indians camped around the ground. . . . [T]he contest commenced. The play was nearly equal. Each competitor seemed to have met his match. Fortune vacillated from one to the other. The excitement was tremendous, and rival parties even stripped themselves of their clothing, blankets and ornaments to stake upon the issue. All the rounds had been played but one, and the parties stood even. One more round would decide. The struggle was terrible and continued two hours. The Creeks were the victors, and a yell of triumph resounded over the field. They indulged in insulting insinuations. . . . A Choctaw warrior immediately seized his tomahawk and a general fight ensued, with knives, clubs, guns and hatchets. This affray commenced before sundown and lasted all night and until eight next morning. The combatants ceased from sheer exhaustion, and the two chiefs were then able for the first time, to intervene. Three hundred warriors . . . lay dead on the field, and as many desperately wounded. Many women had been slain. It required a week to inter the dead, and then the survivors met, smoked the pipe of peace, and separated. . . . After the fight, the Creeks, though they had won the pond, tacitly relinquished it to the Choctaws, who say, however, that the beavers deserted it directly after the fight, denoting the displeasure of the Great Spirit. . . . This [alleged ball- and battleground] is on the east bank of Noxubee river, some five miles west of Cooksville, and some three hundred yards north-east of the junction of Shuqualak creek with the river. The pond was on the west bank of the Noxubee, half a mile north-west of the battle ground, but has been drained and cultivated. (Claiborne 1880, pp. 485–86)

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unheard of in Indian warfare. . . . [The name actually refers to] the strong offensive odor that arises from an overflowed river or creek in the summer time. Persons living near Noxubee are familiar with this odor during a summer freshet.”

Noxubee River, Little S Choctaw (q.v.)/N Winston counties. See Noxubee River for translation and pronunciation.

Nuakfuppa Creek Jasper County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. NE of Bay Springs, and by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. E of Bay Springs. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Seale (, p. ) states that Nuakfuppa (spelled by him Nuckfappa) is a variation of another recorded form of the name, Nucefappa, which, he speculates, may be a corruption of Choctaw nusυpi, a contraction of nusi, “acorn” and vpi, “tree,” i.e., “oak tree.” However, Nuakfuppa and Nuckfappa look very much like Chickasaw nokfapa’, “mudcat fish” (Bright , p. ). Although this creek is located far within historically Choctaw territory and no similar Choctaw name for such a fish is recorded, the striking resemblance between the place name and the Chickasaw word points to the likelihood that an unrecorded Choctaw counterpart of nokfapa’ once existed.

Nusichiya Creek (noo-suh-CHEE-uh) E Webster/W Clay/NE Oktibbeha (q.v.) counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  one mi. NE of Cedarbluff, by Miss. Hwy.  four mi. N of Pheba, and by the Natchez Trace Parkway one mi. S of Dancy. This name is no longer in general use, having been replaced by the designation Line Creek, which reflects the fact that this stream once formed part of the boundary line between the Choctaws and the Chickasaws. Claiborne (, p. ) claims that “Line creek was . . . known by the Choctaws as Nusichea, ‘you asleep,’ because . . . the Choctaws [had] attacked [the Chickasaws somewhere along its banks] when unprepared or ‘asleep.’” But Halbert (, p. ) points out that “‘Nusichea’ cannot be made in Choctaw to mean ‘you asleep.’ For that expression we must say ‘chi [“you”] nusi [“asleep”].’”


Claiborne’s error is partly due to the Choctaw words for “asleep” and “acorn” sounding alike; the correct translation of Nusichiya is “acorns sitting there,” from Choctaw nusi, “acorn,” the locative prefix a-, and chiya, plural “to sit” (cf. Seale , p. ; Halbert , p. ).

O Oaklimeter Creek (oak-luh-MEE-tur) S Benton County. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on S side of Hickory Flat, and by Miss. Hwy.  on E side of Hickory Flat. Seale (, p. ), using Choctaw vocabulary, states that this name is from okla, “people” and himmita, “young.” But this stream is located in historically Chickasaw territory, and while the Chickasaw word for “young” (himitta’) is essentially identical to Choctaw, the recorded Chickasaw equivalent for “people” (imaaokla’) differs significantly. It is possible that Seale’s translation is valid for Chickasaw as well, the first two syllables of imaaokla’ perhaps having “worn off ” through corruption by white speakers. However, okla is the recorded Chickasaw word for “town” and this may be the actual origin of the name’s first element. Oakohay Creek (OAK-uh-hay) Smith/NE Covington counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  two mi. W of Raleigh, and by Miss. Hwy.  on E side of Mize. Translated by Seale (, p. ) as “the mud potato,” although the Choctaw etymology he cites is oka, “water” (not “mud”) and ahe, “potato.” Choctaw Indian Simpson Tubby informed Seale that “oka ahe is . . . a colloquialism now in general use among the Mississippi Choctaws. It has almost completely displaced the forms kushak ahe and luchuck [sic] ahe, both of which signify ‘the bog, or wild, potato’ ” (Seale , p. ).

Oakohay Creek, Little NW Smith County. See Oakohay Creek for translation and pronunciation.

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Oak Slush Creek Lowndes County. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on W side of Columbus, one mi. W of the Tombigbee River (q.v.). Oak Slush is a relatively recent corruption; Love (, pp. –) spells this stream’s name “Okshash,” which he translates as “acorn mush” (cf. Choctaw okshυsh, “acorn pudding; mush made of acorns”). Another interpretation is that the name derives, according to Seale’s Choctaw Indian informant Simpson Tubby, from “Choctaw akshish, ‘root,’ a word which [Tubby] says frequently has the special signification of ‘medicinal root.’ The stream (Simpson says) was so called because such roots were found along its banks” (Seale , p. ).

Ocobla Community in E Neshoba County (q.v.). Local pronunciation unrecorded. Named for nearby Ocobla Creek (q.v. for translation).

Ocobla Creek NE Neshoba County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. NE of Philadelphia. Local pronunciation unrecorded. According to Halbert (a, p. ), from Choctaw oka, “water,” the locative prefix a, “there” and kobli, “to bite,” which he interprets as “water where the biting is,” and that “the name was perhaps given to the creek on account of its being a good fishing stream, where the fish bite well.” However, information provided to Seale by Choctaw Indian Simpson Tubby contradicts Halbert’s solution: “He says that the name is a corruption of the word akobυla, which signifies a bush somewhat like the ‘birds-eye,’ presumably of the species Primula farinosa. The banks of the stream which bears the name to-day (Simpson says) were once lined with these bushes” (Seale , p. ).

Ofahoma (oh-fuh-HO-muh) Community (est. ) in W Leake County. This place is named for a Choctaw warrior who lived in the vicinity; the derivation is from Choctaw ofi, “dog” and homma, “red” (cf. Cushman , p. ; Phelps and Ross , p. ). Seale (, p. ) notes that “[a]ccording to [Choctaw Indian] Simpson Tubby, Choctaw personal names of which


ofi, ‘dog,’ constitutes a part belonged to warriors who were exceptionally good runners.”

Okachickima Creek (oak-uh-CHICK-muh) S Yalobusha County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. SW of Coffeeville. From Choctaw oka, “water” and achukma, “good” (Cushman , p. ; Seale , p. ) or the similar Chickasaw words for “water” and “good,” oka’ and chokma. The interpretation “sweet water” (Brieger , p. ) is less accurate.

Okahatta Creek (oak-uh-HAT-uh) Newton County. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  one mi. N of Decatur, by I- one mi. N of Hickory, and by U.S. Hwy.  one mi. E of Hickory. From Choctaw oka, “water” and hυta, “white” (Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ) or Choctaw okhυta, “lake; large pond” (Seale , p. ). Regarding the former interpretation, Choctaw Indian Simpson Tubby informed Seale that “the combination oka hυta as applied to a creek means ‘a stream which has milky water’” (Seale , p. ).

Okahola (oak-uh-HO-luh) Community in E Lamar County. The settlement was named for nearby Okahola Creek (Seale , p. ), but this stream name does not appear on modern maps. Various derivations have been suggested, including Choctaw oka, “water” and ihollo, “to be loved; dear” or oka, “water” and laua, “scarce” (cf. Seale , p. ). Another attempted solution is oka, “water” and ola, “sounding” (cf. Halbert a, p. ). Cushman’s (, p. ) “filtered water” (from Choctaw oka, “water” and hoiya, “filtered”) is less plausible. Okannatie Creek S Union County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  five mi. S of New Albany. Local pronunciation unrecorded. This name is shortened from Okanitakatchie, as spelled on an  map; Seale (, p. ), using Choctaw vocabulary, gives the etymology oka, “water” plus the compound term nitak echi, “the commencement of day.” However, the creek

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is located in historically Chickasaw territory, and the original name strongly resembles the Chickasaw words oka’, “water,” nittak, “day” and hashi’, “sun.” The latter two words can be combined to form the Chickasaw compound term nittak hashi’, recorded as meaning simply “sun” (Munro and Willmond , p. ).

Okatibbee Creek (oak-uh-TIB-ee) SE Neshoba (q.v.)/SW Kemper/W Lauderdale/NW Clarke counties. Crossed by I-/I- on SW side of Meridian, by Miss. Hwy.  on NW side of Meridian, and by U.S. Hwy.  south of Meridian, three mi. S of the I-/I- intersection. Seale (, p. ) states that the derivation of this name is the same as Oktibbeha (the original name of Tibbee Creek): Choctaw okti, “ice” and abeha, “therein” (see Oktibbeha County). That Okatibbee (and, by extension, Oktibbeha) incorporates the Choctaw word for “ice” is confirmed by the colonial-period account of Joseph Christophe de Lusser: in his journal entry for January , , this stream is referred to as “the bayou of Octibia, in French Eaux Glacées,” equated by Rowland and Sanders (, p. ) with “Cold Waters,” but more accurately translated as “Iced Waters,” “Icy Waters,” or “Frozen Waters.” The identification of Lusser’s “bayou of Octibia” as today’s Okatibbee Creek is proven by his notation that “three leagues from there is the river of the Chickasawhays” (ibid.), which agrees with the actual proximity of Okatibbee Creek to the Chickasawhay River (q.v.) in northwestern Clarke County.

Okatibbee Lake NW Lauderdale County. Artificial lake on Okatibbee Creek (see for pronunciation and translation).

Okatoma Creek (oak-uh-TOE-muh) E Simpson/Covington/N Forrest counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on N side of Collins, by Miss. Hwy.  on E side of Mount Olive, and by Miss. Hwy.  on E side of Magee. The first element, beyond much doubt, is Choctaw oka, “water,” but the derivation of the remainder is problem-


atic. Perhaps the name’s latter two syllables are from Choctaw tomi, a variant of tombi, “radiant; to shine” (Seale , pp. –; cf. Cushman , p. ; Read , p. ). Cushman (, p. ) gives another interpretation, “foggy” (from Choctaw oktohbi, “fog”).

Okatuppa Creek (oak-uh-TUP-uh) NE Clarke County, Miss./Choctaw County, Ala. Apparently from Choctaw oka, “water” and tυpa, “parted; separated” (cf. Halbert a, p. ) or Choctaw oktυpa, “dam; dammed” (cf. Read , p. ). Okatuppa Creek, Little E Clarke County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  one quarter mi. W of the Mississippi-Alabama state line. See Okatuppa Creek for translation and pronunciation.

Okeelala Creek (oak-ee-LA-luh) SW Prentiss/N Lee counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on W side of Baldwyn, and by Miss. Hwy.  on S side of Baldwyn. Seale (, p. ), using Choctaw vocabulary, states that this name likely means “splashing water” (from oka, “water” and lhali, “to splash”). Although this stream is located in historically Chickasaw territory, not Choctaw, the Chickasaw word for “water” (oka’) is practically the same, while Chickasaw lha’li (“to spill”) has a meaning similar to Choctaw lhali, though not identical. In addition, the Chickasaw compound term oka’ lha’li is translated as “to water down something.” All of the above interpretations are roughly analogous to the Choctaw term oka laua, “sloshy,” suggested by Seale (, p. ). Cf. Kolola Springs and Okolona, q.v.

Okhissa Lake (oh-KISS-uh) SE Franklin County. Located in Homochitto (q.v.) National Forest, this lake was formed in recent years by damming a tributary of Porter Creek. Because of this, the U.S. Forest Service chose the name, which is shortened from the Choctaw term for “porter”: okhissa (“door”) apistikeli (“to tend”). (In English, “porter” is a synonym of “doorman,” i.e., a door tender.)

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Oklahoma (oak-luh-HO-muh) Community in SW Carroll County. From Choctaw okla, “people” and homma, “red.” This designation is possibly of relatively recent application; the settlement may have been named after the state of Oklahoma.

Okolona (oak-uh-LO-nuh) Town (est. ) in NE Chickasaw County (q.v.). Supposedly named for a “Chickasaw chief ” (Brieger , p. ), but there is no historical record of a Chickasaw individual with this name. In evaluating the various proposed translations, Seale (, p. ) comments that “none of them has the merit of being based upon good authority.” Cushman (, p. ) claims that the original name is “Ok-la-lok-on-lih, [p]eople gathered together,” ostensibly from Choctaw okla, “people” and lokoli/ lukoli, “collected together; grouped.” However, the town is located in historically Chickasaw territory (cf. Chickasaw imaaokla’, “people” and lokoli’, “grouped together; neighbors”). Gannett (, p. ) states that the name means “much bent,” but provides no etymology; Seale (, p. ) suggests that this derivation is from Choctaw aiaka, “much” and polhoma, “bent.” But this interpretation is rather dubious, and in any case, while one recorded Chickasaw word for “bent” (polhoma) is the same as Choctaw, no recorded synonym for “much” bears any resemblance to Choctaw aiaka. Two other interpretations, “sloshy water” and “beautiful lake” (Brieger , p. ), are also highly doubtful. The former is based on the Choctaw term for “sloshy” (oka laua), but nothing resembling this is recorded in Chickasaw. As for the latter term, the equivalent Chickasaw words, hayip, “lake” and pisa-chokma, “to be beautiful,” do not resemble “Okolona.” It seems probable that Okolona is a pseudo-Indian name ( John P. Dyson, personal communication). Oktibbeha County (ock-TIB-ee-ha) Established ; named for a stream now designated by the shortened appellation Tibbee Creek (q.v.), a portion of which runs near the northeastern corner of Oktibbeha County in adjacent Clay County. Bernard Romans’s  map of what is now eastern Mississippi shows the creek as “Oka Teebehaw,” along with the translation “Noisy Water,” which is declared erroneous by Halbert (a, pp. , ). Indeed, while “Oka”


seemingly corresponds to Choctaw oka and Chickasaw oka’, “water,” no recorded words for “noisy” or for various synonyms in either language resemble “Teebehaw.” The second element of the name has been attributed to Choctaw itibi/itibbi, “to fight/a fight” (cf. Chickasaw ittibi, “to fight”), as in Claiborne’s (, p. ) “Oka-tibbe-ha, or fighting water” and Cushman’s (, p. ) “O-ka-it-tib-ih-ka, the water fight.” These derivations refer to a supposed Choctaw legend that the creek was the scene of a great intertribal battle, during which the warriors occupied opposite sides of the stream, “shooting their arrows across the creek” (Cushman , p. ). Halbert (a, p. ) dismisses this notion, giving his own solution that “Oktibbeha” is from Choctaw okti, “ice” and abeha, “therein.” Halbert (ibid.) notes that “‘[a]beha’ is plural, and as the English word ‘ice’ has no plural, to make a plural expression, we translate ‘Okti abeha,’ Blocks of ice therein.” Halbert’s derivation of the name from okti is validated by the facts that both this stream and the similarly named Okatibbee Creek (q.v.) are spelled “Octibia” in colonial-period French sources (Rowland and Sanders , pp. , –), and one of them (present-day Okatibbee Creek) is translated into French as “Eaux [Waters] Glacées [Iced; Icy; Frozen]” (cf. Rowland and Sanders , p. ; see entry for Okatibee Creek, above). Several other claimed translations of Oktibbeha, “bloody water” (Gannett , p. ), “muddy water” (Brieger , p. ) and “creek with seven prongs” (Brieger , p. ), are incorrect, as none of the equivalent Choctaw/Chickasaw terms (other than for “water”) even slightly resemble this name.

Oktibbeha County Lake NW Oktibbeha County (see for translation and pronunciation).

Oktibee Creek, Big (ock-TIB-ee) SW Greene County. Possibly from Choctaw oka, “water” and itibi, “to fight; a battle” or Choctaw okti, “ice” and abeha, “therein” (cf. Okatibbee Creek and Oktibbeha County, q.v.).

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Oktoc (OCK-tock) Community in SE Oktibbeha County (q.v.). Although this settlement may have been named for Oktoc Creek (q.v.), which has been claimed to be from Choctaw hohtak, “beaver pond” (Halbert , p. ; a, p. ), it is more likely that the name is actually from Choctaw oktak, “prairie; savanna; field.” As such, “Oktoc” may be shortened from a place name recorded by Cushman (, p. ) as “Oktarkthalapulla, [originally] Ok-tark-toh-boko-lih, ‘bluish white prairie’ . . . [a] beautiful prairie . . . six miles southwest of Starkville, known, before brought into cultivation, as ‘The Blue Prairie.’” As usual, Cushman’s etymology is garbled, but his name evidently does contain oktak, “prairie” in the first two syllables, and it is noteworthy that the Oktoc settlement, about nine miles south of Starkville, is in the general area stated by Cushman to be the location of Oktarkthalapulla.

Oktoc Creek (OCK-tock) SE Oktibbeha (q.v.)/NW Noxubee (q.v.) counties. Halbert (, p. ; a, p. ) states that this name (spelled by him Oaktark) means “beaver pond,” from Choctaw hohtak, which is translated as “pond” and “lake” as well as “beaver pond” (cf. Otak Creek). Evidently he decided upon “beaver pond” because “[t]here still exists a great beaver dam on this bayou [sic], a few hundred yards below the Oktibbeha and Noxubee county line. This beaver dam . . . must have been known far and wide among the Choctaws” (Halbert a, p. ). However, Halbert’s assumption that a beaver dam extant at the turn of the twentieth century would necessarily date back to before the Choctaw removal in the s is questionable. In any case, the name Oktoc much more closely resembles Choctaw oktak, “prairie; savanna; field” (see Oktoc, above).

Okwakee Creek E Greene County, Miss./SW Washington County, Ala. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Although located mostly in Alabama, this stream is


not mentioned by Read (). The name may be derived from Choctaw okwakli, “ridge.”

Oscar Bogue (OSS-kuh-bo-guh) Creek in Newton County. Corrupted from Choctaw oski, “cane” and bok, “creek” (Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ).

Oswego Community in NW Holmes County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Named for Oswego, New York. From an Iroquoian term translated variously as “flowing out” (Stewart , p. ) and “splitting waters” (Bright , p. ).

Osyka (oh-SYE-kuh) Town (est. ) in SE Pike County. According to Seale (, p. ), this town is named for a Choctaw chief named Ossika. The name combines Choctaw ossi, “eagle” plus the nominalizing particle ka; hence, the meaning is “The Eagle.” Cushman (, p. ) gives the same translation, but provides no analysis. Otak Creek NW Jasper County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Very probably from Choctaw hohtak, “pond; beaver pond; lake.”

Otoucalofa Creek (oh-TUCK-uh-lo-fuh) NW Calhoun/S Lafayette/NE Yalobusha (q.v.) counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on SW side of Water Valley. According to Halbert (, p. ), this name (spelled by him Otukalofa) is a contraction of Choctaw otυpi, “chestnut tree” (cf. Choctaw oti, “a chestnut”) and kolofa, “cut off ” or “stump.” In contrast, Cushman (, p. ) states that the name (spelled by him Otocklawfa) is from Choctaw oktak, “prairie[s]” and laua, “many.”

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P Pachuta (puh-CHOO-tuh) Town (settled ) in W Clarke County. Named for nearby Pachuta Creek (see for translation).

Pachuta Creek E Jasper/W Clarke counties. Crossed by I- one mi. SW of Pachuta (q.v.), and by U.S. Hwy.  on S side of Pachuta. Probably from Choctaw pυchi, “pigeons,” ai, “there” and υtta, “to live,” i.e., “pigeons roost there” (Seale , p. ). The claim that Pachuta is Choctaw for “possum creek” (Gannett , p. ; Brieger , p. ) is incorrect; the actual Choctaw term would be shukυta (“opossum”) bok (“creek”). Cushman’s (, p. ) assertion that the name is from Choctaw “[p]a-sho-hah [pasholhi], to handle” is improbable.

Palusha Creek Carroll/SE Leflore counties. A variant spelling of Pelucia Creek (see for translation and pronunciation).

Panola County (puh-NO-luh) Established . Apparently from Choctaw ponola, “cotton” (Cushman , p. ; Read , p. ; Seale , p. ).

Pascagoula (pas-kuh-GOO-luh) Town (settled ca. ) in SE Jackson County. Named for the adjacent Pascagoula River (see for translation).

Pascagoula Bay Coastal estuary in S Jackson County. Named for the nearby Pascagoula River (see for translation).

Pascagoula River George/Jackson counties. Crossed by I- on W side of Escatawpa (q.v.), and by U.S. Hwy.  on W side of Pascagoula (q.v.). Pascagoula means


T H E N AT I V E A M E R I C A N C O N N E C T I O N The Pascagoula or Singing River One of the best-known myths involving Mississippi Indians is associated with the Pascagoula River. A mysterious sound supposedly made by the river is linked to a tale claiming that the entire Pascagoula tribe marched into the river and drowned. This alleged mass suicide of the Pascagoulas, as well as nearly every other detail of the story, is pure fiction: the Pascagoulas actually emigrated to Louisiana in the 1760s, gradually merging with other tribes until they eventually became extinct as a people (Halbert 1902a, p. 436; 1902b, pp. 302–3; Swanton 1969, p. 191). However, the legend, a version of which is presented below, is an interesting example of the fanciful tales about Indians conjured by the popular imagination. The Singing River (the Pascagoula), two blocks W. of the courthouse [in Pascagoula] . . . produces a mysterious music. The singing sound, like a swarm of bees in flight, is best heard in the hot summer months in the stillness of the early evening. Barely caught at first, the music seems to grow nearer and louder until it sounds as though it comes from directly underfoot. Of the varied hypothetical scientific explanations offered for the phenomenon none has been proved. The music, so scientists say, may be made by a species of fish, the grating of sand on the hard slate bottom, a current sucked past a hidden cave, or natural gas escaping from the sand beds. Legend says the sound is connected with the mysterious extinction of the Pascagoula tribe of Indians. The Pascagoula were a gentle tribe of handsome men and shapely women. . . . The Biloxi, on the other hand, were a tribe calling themselves the “first people” and extremely jealous of their position. Miona, a princess of the Biloxi tribe, though betrothed to Otanga, a chieftain of her people, loved Olustee, a young chieftain of the Pascagoula, and fled with him to his tribe. The spurned and enraged Otanga led his Biloxi braves to war against Olustee and the neighboring Pascagoula, whereupon Olustee begged his tribe to give him up for atonement. But the Pascagoula swore they would either save their young chieftain and his bride or perish with them. However, when thrown into battle against terrible odds, they soon lost hope of victory. Faced with the choice either of subjection to Otanga or death, they chose suicide. With their women and children leading the way into the river, the braves followed with joined hands, each chanting his song of death until the last voice was hushed by the engulfing dark waters. (Federal Writers’ Project 1938, pp. 287–88)

“bread people,” the appellation being derived from Choctaw pυska,

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“bread” and okla, “people.” The Choctaws applied this name to a small tribe that lived on the banks of this stream in the early s (Halbert a, p. ; Swanton , pp. –).

Pascagoula River, West S Jackson County. Crossed by I- three mi. W of Escatawpa (q.v.), and by U.S. Hwy.  on E side of Gautier. See Pascagoula River for translation.

Pawticfaw Creek (puh-TICK-faw) S Kemper County. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  thirteen mi. S of Scooba (q.v.), and by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. S of De Kalb. From Choctaw poa, “wild beasts,” the locative prefix a, “there; in that place” and tikafa, “to shed the hair,” i.e., “place where wild animals have shed their hair” (Seale , p. ).

Peachahala Creek (PITCH-uh-hal-uh) SE Carroll County. Crossed by I- three mi. SW of Vaiden, and by U.S. Hwy.  four mi. S of Vaiden. Choctaw Indian Simpson Tubby suggested to Seale (, p. ) that this name (spelled Pitchahala by Seale) might be from Choctaw pichalhi, “rat.” Seale, however, also gives his own interpretation, that the name is perhaps from Choctaw pichi, “sorrel (weeds),” a, “there; in that place” and hieli, “to stand,” i.e., “sorrel weeds are standing there” (ibid., p. ). Tubby’s translation seems more probable. Pechahalee Creek S Benton County. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  two mi. W of Hickory Flat. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Although this name is very similar to Peachahala Creek (q.v.) in Carroll County, Pechahalee Creek is located far within historically Chickasaw territory. As such, the possible Choctaw derivations suggested for the Carroll County creek apparently do not apply in this case, since the recorded Chickasaw word for “rat” (shanti’) does not resemble pichalhi, the Choctaw term for the rodent; and no recorded Chickasaw term for weed is anything like Choctaw pichi. A possible solution for Pechahalee is Chickasaw pachiili, “to splash, spray.”


Pee Dee Creek SE Prentiss County. Apparently named for the Pee Dee River in North and South Carolina. The Carolina stream is named for the Pedee tribe, which lived along its banks. The meaning of the tribal name is uncertain; the various suggested translations include “smart; expert; capable” (Swanton , p. ) and “they gather pot clay” (Bright , p. ).

Pelahatchie (pee-luh-HATCH-ee) Town (settled ) in NE Rankin County. Named for nearby Pelahatchie Creek (see for translation).

Pelahatchie Bay N Rankin County. An arm of the Ross Barnett Reservoir. See Pelahatchie Creek for translation.

Pelahatchie Creek W Scott/N Rankin counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. N of Brandon, and by U.S. Hwy.  on W side of Pelahatchie (q.v.). According to Halbert (, p. ), from Choctaw apeli, “hurricane” and hυcha, “river.” Apeli is also translated as “tempest; place where a hurricane passed along and blew down the timber; whirlwind” (Byington , p. ). In contrast to Halbert, the less reliable Cushman (, p. ) states that the name (spelled by him Pillahatchee) means “far off river” (cf. Choctaw pilla, “away off ” and hυcha, “river”). Seale (, p. ) notes that “the general belief among the [local] inhabitants . . . that [Pelahatchie] means ‘crooked creek’ is erroneous.” Indeed, none of the numerous recorded Choctaw synonyms for “crooked” (Byington , p. ) bears any resemblance to the name’s first two syllables.

Pellaphalia Creek (1) NE Madison/W Leake counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  ten mi. W of Carthage. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Perhaps from Choctaw apeli, “place where a hurricane or whirlwind passed along and blew down the timber” and falaia, “long.” If this is the correct etymology, the name may refer to a long swath of blown-down timber once present near the creek.

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Pellaphalia Creek (2) Leake County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on W side of Carthage. See Pellaphalia Creek () for translation.

Pelucia Bayou (puh-LOO-shuh) E Leflore County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on E side of Greenwood. Pelucia is apparently from the Choctaw term for “flying squirrels are there” (see Pelucia Creek, below).

Pelucia Creek (puh-LOO-shuh) Carroll/SE Leflore counties. Also spelled Palusha Creek. Crossed by U.S. Hwy. E three mi. S of Greenwood, and by Miss. Hwy.  four mi. S of Carrollton. Probably from Choctaw pυli, “flying squirrels” and asha, plural “to be there,” i.e., “flying squirrels are there” or “flying squirrel place” (Seale , p. ). Stewart’s (, p. ) interpretation of the name (spelled by him Pelusha) as Choctaw for “hurricane-little” (from apeli, “hurricane” and the diminutive ushi, “little”) is less credible. Penantly Creek NE Jasper County. Crossed by Rt.  twelve mi. S of Hickory. Local pronunciation unrecorded. The spelling Penantly is a relatively recent corruption; earlier forms are Pintlalla and Penantla. This name may be a contraction of Choctaw peni, “boat,” the locative particle ai, “there; in that place” and ontalaia, “to rest on,” i.e., “boat landing place” (Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ). Another possibility is that the derivation is from the Choctaw term peni intalaia, “ferry”—literally, peni, “boat,” in, “its,” and talaia, “trail” (Read , p. ).

Pinishook Creek (PIN-ee-shook) SW Winston/N Neshoba (q.v.) counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  ten mi. SW of Louisville, and by Rt.  seven mi. SW of Noxapater (q.v.). From Choctaw panυshuk, “linden or basswood tree” (Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ).

Piomingo, Lake (pye-uh-MING-go, pee-uh-MING-go) Lee County. Piomingo was the title of a prominent Chickasaw war

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chief, also known as Tushatohoa, and, to whites, as Mountain Leader (Atkinson , pp. , ; b, pp. , ). Although Piomingo is the standard form used today, variant historical spellings of his name include “Oupaiemingo,” “Pyomingo,” “Opiomingo,” and “Opoiamingo” (Atkinson , pp. , , , ). As such, Pio- apparently is shortened from Chickasaw hopayi’, “prophet,” while the remainder of the name is from Chickasaw minko’, “chief.” Names similar in spelling to Piomingo, Oupaiemingo, etc., are also encountered in early writings referring to Choctaw chiefs, and the title, translatable as “prophetic chief,” was applied to both Choctaw and Chickasaw war leaders, perhaps referring to their practice of foretelling the outcome of battles (Rowland et al. , p. ; Swanton , p. ). The popular belief that Mountain Leader is the English translation of Piomingo is mistaken: while Chickasaw minko’, “chief ” might be considered roughly synonymous with Chickasaw ishkoboka’, “leader,” the Chickasaw words for “mountain,” onchaba and alhchoba, do not resemble the name’s initial element Pio-. “Mountain Leader” actually was a nickname used by English speakers of Piomingo’s time to refer to him (Atkinson , pp. –); as shown above, the two names are unrelated in meaning.

T H E N AT I V E A M E R I C A N CONNECTION The Indian Mound at Pocahontas

As in many instances across the U.S., the small town of Pocahontas was named in honor of a famous Native American who had nothing to do with the place. This town does, however, possess an authentic and very prominent Indian heritage in the form of an ancient earthen mound, located in a roadside park on U.S. Highway 49: “This rectangular platform mound, 175 feet across at the base and about 22 feet high, was built and used . . . between a.d. 1000 and 1300. Remains of a mudplastered . . . building have been found atop the mound. This structure was used as a ceremonial temple or as the residence of a chief. An extensive former village area surrounds the mound” (Baca 1999, p. 15).

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Pocahontas (po-kuh-HON-tus) Town (est. ca. ) in N Hinds County. Named for the legendary daughter of Powhatan, the leader of a confederation of tribes in what is now Virginia. The meaning is “she is playful” (Bright , p. ).

Ponta Creek (PON-tuh) NE Lauderdale County, Miss./W Sumter County, Ala. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  fifteen mi. NE of Meridian, and by Miss. Hwy.  ten mi. N of Meridian. Ponta resembles two Choctaw words: pinti, “mouse” and panti, “cattail (plant)” (Read , p. ; Seale , p. ). It seems that pinti is the origin of the name, as a translation referring to rodents appears on a s map along with a Choctaw town labeled “Pante,” shown at the head of this stream (Swanton , p. ). The translation “lost horse” (Brieger , pp. –) is incorrect; neither Choctaw isuba, “horse” nor any of the several Choctaw synonyms for “lost” show any resemblance to Ponta.

Pontocola Extinct settlement (est. ) in SW Lee County, “six miles west of Shannon, near the Pontotoc County line” (Brieger , p. ). Local pronunciation unrecorded. The proximity of this place to Pontotoc County, through which flows a creek formerly bearing a Chickasaw name that has been translated as “hanging grapes,” points to the strong likelihood that Pontocola (and possibly also Pontotoc) is a corruption of Chickasaw panki’, “grapes” and tákkohli, “hanging” (cf. Pontotoc, below).

Pontotoc (PON-tuh-tock) Town (est. ) in Pontotoc County (q.v.). Pontotoc may be a corruption of a now-disused Chickasaw name for a creek located a few miles southeast of town; old spellings include Punk-atuck-ah-ly (Warren b, p. ), Pakitakohlih (Cushman , p. ), and Pouketocaula (Atkinson a, p. ). Considering these variants, the meaning may be “hanging grapes” (cf. Atkinson a, p. ; Cushman , pp.


, , ; Dyson , pp. –; Seale , pp. –), from Chickasaw panki’, “grapes” and tákkohli, “hanging.” However, it has also been stated that Pontotoc is a derivation of Chickasaw panti’, “cattail (plant)” and oktaak, “prairie” (cf. Cushman , p. ; Seale , p. ). The view that the name refers to the cattail plant is supported by the statement, given in  by Malcolm McGee, a white interpreter for the Chickasaws, that Pontotoc means “cattail plume” (Atkinson a, p. ). A somewhat similar translation, “ponti and tokali, battle where the cat-tails stood” (Federal Writers’ Project , p. ) is at least partially erroneous: as shown above, Pont- seemingly coincides with Chickasaw panti’, “cattail,” but the Chickasaw term for battle, ittibi, does not resemble “tokali.” Another incorrect translation is “weed prairie” (Gannett , p. ): as seen above, while Chickasaw oktaak, “prairie,” somewhat resembles the final four letters in Pontotoc, none of the recorded Chickasaw terms for weed (alba, alboppolo’, hayompolo’, basho’kchi’, chomak holba’, hapo’lo’, hashshan, kaso’) is anything like the initial element of the name.

Pontotoc County Established . See Pontotoc for translation and pronunciation.

Pontotoc Ridge Upland belt extending through Alcorn, Tippah, Union, Pontotoc, Chickasaw, and Clay counties. See Pontotoc for translation and pronunciation.

Potacocowa Creek (put-uh-kuh-CO-uh) N Carroll/N Leflore counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  ten mi. N of Greenwood, and by Miss. Hwy.  twelve mi. N of Carrollton. From Choctaw bυti, “sumac” and kokoa, “broken” (Seale , p. ). Poticaw Bayou Jackson County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Poticaw is perhaps an alteration of Choctaw apokta, “double” (cf. Apookta Creek, Potterchitto Creek, and Pottock Creek).

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Poticaw Landing Community in Jackson County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Named for nearby Poticaw Bayou (see for translation).

Potlockney Creek SE Lafayette County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Potlockney is a relatively recent corruption; this stream was formerly known as Pollocona, the derivation of which is uncertain. W. A. Read, using Choctaw vocabulary, suggested several possible sources of this name to Seale (, p. ), but all are conjectural: apulli, “corn suckers” and lakna, “yellow”; pυli, “flying squirrel” and yakni, “country”; or pυli, “flying squirrel” and okhina, “river; water course; stream.” (It should be noted that this stream is in historically Chickasaw territory; cf. Chickasaw lakna, “yellow”; yaakni’, “country”; and pali’, “flying squirrel”; there are no recorded Chickasaw equivalents for “corn suckers,” or for okhina.)

Potterchitto Creek (pot-uh-CHIT-uh) S Newton County. Crossed by I- on N side of Newton, and by U.S. Hwy.  on W side of Newton. Potterchitto is a corruption of an earlier form, Pottok Chito; Seale (, p. ) suggests a derivation from Choctaw pυtha, “broad” and chito, “big.” Another interpretation is possible, that Pottok Chito is an alteration of Choctaw apokta, “double” plus chito, “big,” as suggested by an entry in Byington (, p. ): “Apokta chito, . . .the name of a particular creek.” But according to Brown (, p. ), “The best informed Choctaws state that ‘Pottok Chitto’ . . . is [altered] from ‘Patafa Chitto,’ which means Big Cleft [i.e., patafa, “a split; a furrow” and chito, “big”], evidently referring to some deep valley-like gorge through which the creek flows.”

Pottock Creek S Leake County. Crossed by Rt.  a half mile E of the Miss. Hwy.  junction, and by Rt.  a mile E of the Hwy.  junction. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Possibly a corruption of Choctaw apokta, “double,” i.e., a stream with two branches (cf. Apookta Creek, Poticaw Bayou, and Potterchitto Creek).


Puchshinnubie Creek N Carroll County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Puchshinnubie evidently is a variation of a Choctaw personal name: Cushman (, pp. –), referring to the Choctaw district chief “A-puck-she-nubee” (also spelled Puckshunubbee [DeRosier , pp. –]), states (rather unconvincingly) that the name is a corruption of “A-pak-foh-chih-ub-ih . . . to encircle and kill” (cf. Choctaw apakfokυchi, “to encircle” and υbi, “to kill”).

Pushacoona Creek NE Kemper County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  two mi. E of Scooba (q.v.). Local pronunciation unrecorded. Possibly from Choctaw pυchi, “pigeon” and okhina, “river; watercourse; stream.”

Pushepatapa Creek, East Fork (PUSH-puh-tap-uh) SE Walthall County, Miss./N Washington Parish, La. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  nine mi. SE of Tylertown. Possibly from Choctaw pushi, “powdered fine” and patapo, “pallet; bed,” suggesting “sandy bottom” (cf. Bright , p. ; Read , p. ).

Pushepatapa Creek, West Fork SE Walthall County, Miss./N Washington Parish, La. See Pushepatapa Creek, East Fork for translation and pronunciation.

Pushmataha, Lake (push-muh-TA-ha, push-MAT-uh-ha) NW Neshoba County (q.v.). Named for the historically prominent Choctaw district chief. There are several widely varying published translations. The most reliable is that of Halbert (, p. ), who renders the name “Apushimalhtaha [meaning] the sapling is ready, or finished for him.” Following Halbert, Read (, pp. –) suggests an etymology: “possibly . . . Choctaw apushi, ‘sapling,’ im, ‘for him,’ and υlhtaha, ‘ready,’ a term bestowed on the chief in his early youth. Or the name may be derived from apushi, ‘sapling,’ and imυlhtaha, ‘prepared,’ ‘qualified,’ the latter word indicating the rank to which the Indian belonged. In war titles Imυltaha often appears as Imataha.” In contrast, Cushman (, p. ), reckoning Pushmataha to be shortened from “A-push-a-ma-ta-hah-ub-i,” gives the

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meaning as “a messenger of death, literally, one whose rifle, tomahawk, or bow [is] alike fatal in war or hunting.” In addition, Cushman (, p. ) gives a variant interpretation for Pushmataha, “[o]riginal, Anum-pa-ish-ta-ya-u-bi, a messenger who kills.” Cushman provides no etymology, but the inconsistent forms of his purported original name, plus the total lack of resemblance of “A-num-pa-ish-ta-ya-u-bi” to “Pushmataha,” belie his translations. Another problematic translation is the curious “no more in the bag” (Lincecum , p. ); cf. Choctaw pushahollo, “a priest’s sacred bag.”

Pushmataha Landing SW Coahoma County (q.v.). See Pushmataha, Lake for translation and pronunciation.

Puskus Creek (PUS-kus) NE Lafayette County. This name is identical in spelling to Choctaw puskus, “baby” (cf. Seale , p. ); cf. the Choctaw variant form pushkush (Watkins , p. ). Although the stream is located in historically Chickasaw territory, the recorded Chickasaw word for “baby” (poskosh) is very similar to Choctaw. Puskus Lake NE Lafayette County. Artificial recreational lake on Puskus Creek (see for translation and pronunciation).

Q Quarterliah Creek (kwa-tuh-LYE-uh) SW Newton/NW Jasper counties. Halbert (, p. ) states that this name (spelled by him Kwatalaia) is a corruption of Choctaw “‘Oka talaia,’ Spreading water.” Swanton (, p. ) gives the original form as “Okhata Talaia,” which he translates as “spreading pond.” However, while Choctaw


oka and okhυta signify “water” and “pond/lake,” respectively, talaia means “stagnant,” not “spreading” (cf. Choctaw fimibli and lhapa, “spreading”).

Quilby Creek (KWILL-bee) E Kemper County, Miss./W Sumter County, Ala. According to Read (, p. ), “Quilby was corrupted by the Americans from Choctaw koi, ‘panther,’ ai, ‘there,’ and υlbi, ‘killed’—creek where the panther was killed.” (Choctaw υlbi is apparently a rare variant of υbi, “to kill” [Byington , p. ].) Quofaloma Community in W Holmes County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Perhaps from Choctaw koi, “panther” and felυmi, “branch of a stream,” i.e., “panther branch,” or from Choctaw kofi, “quail” and aluma, “hiding place; place of concealment,” i.e., “quail cover.”

S Sabougla (suh-BO-glee) Community in SW Calhoun County. Originally called Davis Town, the settlement was renamed ca.  for nearby Sabougla Creek (Brieger , pp. –; see Sabougla Creek for translation).

Sabougla Creek (suh-BO-glee) NW Webster/SW Calhoun counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  two mi. N of Bellefontaine, and by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. E of Gore Springs. Cushman (, p. ) claims that this name is a shortened form of “Siboglahatcha . . . [o]riginal, Is-su-ba-ok-la-hu-cha, Horse River People, i.e., [p]eople living on horse river.” (Cf. Choctaw isuba, “horse,” okla, “people” and hυcha, “river.”) However, Halbert (, p. ) states that the name is from “‘Shohboli,’ Smoke” (cf. Choctaw shobolhi, “smoke; smoky; smok-

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ing”). Seale (, p. ) notes that “the present spelling [i.e., Sabougla] is a comparatively recent development from Sobola, by which the stream is still known.” As such, Sobola bears a closer resemblance to shobolhi than to Cushman’s purported compound appellation (cf. Shubuta, q.v.).

Sanoosee Creek Kemper County. This name has been corrupted on modern maps to Snoody Creek (see for translation).

Santee Branch (SAN-tee) Creek in Jefferson Davis County. Possibly from Choctaw sinti, “snake.” However, the stream may have been named for the Santee River in South Carolina, whose appellation is thought to be derived from a Catawba Indian word meaning “swift, of a current” (Bright , p. ). Sapa (SAY-puh) Community in S Webster County. This name’s identification as Native American is rather doubtful. Seale (, p. ) asserts that the name is derived from Choctaw osapa, “cornfield.” However, unlike the Choctaw word with its exclusively short a and the supposed local pronunciation offered by Seale (SAP-uh), residents of Sapa actually pronounce the initial a long, and local tradition gives the following origin for the name: When the settlement was established in the s as a railroad stop, “a little boy following his father repeatedly asked, ‘Say, Pa! What are they going to name this place?’ The railroad authorities heard him ask the question so many times that they decided to name it Sapa” (Brieger , p. ). The reliability of such a tale is certainly questionable, but Seale’s claim that the name is of Indian origin is further weakened by the fact that no creek in the area bears the name Sapa or anything remotely similar. (As seen throughout this book, most communities and towns with demonstrably Indian designations are named for nearby streams.)

Saratoga (sair-uh-TOE-guh) Community in SE Simpson County. Named for a site in upstate New York. Saratoga is probably of Iroquoian origin; the meaning is unknown (Stewart , p. ).


Satartia (suh-TAR-shuh) Community (est. early s) in SW Yazoo County (q.v.). Apparently from Choctaw isito, “pumpkins” and asha, “are there” (cf. Halbert , p. ).

Scooba (SKOO-buh) Town (settled ) in NE Kemper County. From Choctaw oskoba, “reed brake” (cf. Halbert a, p. ).

Scooba Creek, Big NE Kemper County. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on SE side of Scooba, and by Miss. Hwy.  two mi. SW of Scooba (see for translation).

Scooba Creek, Flat NE Kemper County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on W side of Scooba (see for translation).

Scooba Creek, Little NE Kemper County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on E side of Scooba, and by U.S. Hwy.  one mi. SE of Scooba (see for translation).

Scoobachita Creek (skoo-buh-CHIT-uh) NW Attala County (q.v.). From Choctaw oskoba, “reed brake” and chito, “big.”

Scutchalo Creek SW Hinds/NW Copiah (q.v.) counties. Local pronunciation unrecorded. The origin of this name is unknown; if of Native American derivation, it has been corrupted beyond recognition.

Scutchalo Falls NW Copiah County (q.v.). Waterfall on an unnamed tributary of Scutchalo Creek (q.v.).

Senatobia (sen-uh-TOE-bee-uh) Town (est. ) in Tate County. Named for nearby Senatobia Creek (see for translation).

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Senatobia Canal, Old S Tate County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on E side of Senatobia. A straightened branch of Senatobia Creek (see for translation).

Senatobia Creek N Panola (q.v.)/S Tate counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on E side of Senatobia. See Senatobia for local pronunciation. According to Cushman (, p. ), from “Sin-ih-toh-bih-a, . . . white sycamore.” Cf. Choctaw sini, “sycamore” and tohbi, “white” (Seale , pp. – ). It should be noted that this stream is in historically Chickasaw territory, and the recorded term for sycamore in that language is itti’ (“tree”) tohbi’ (“white”). It could be surmised, however, that an older Chickasaw term for the tree similar to Choctaw sini once existed, but has fallen into disuse. Another translation for Senatobia, “winding serpent” (Brieger , p. ) is erroneous: although the terms for “snake/serpent” in both Choctaw (sinti) and Chickasaw (sinti’) somewhat resemble the first two syllables in Senatobia, no recorded form of “to wind,” or the synonym “to twist,” in either language bears any resemblance to the remainder of the name. The popular notion that the name means “rest to the weary” (e.g., Morris , p. ), while pleasantly appealing, is baseless: no resemblance to Senatobia is apparent in any form of the Chickasaw or Choctaw equivalents of “to rest” or “weary/tired.”

Senatobia Lakes Community in Tate County. See Senatobia Creek for translation.

Seneasha Creek (sin-ee-ASH-uh) SW Attala County (q.v.). The first element of Seneasha is from Choctaw sini, “sycamore(s).” The remainder is from either Choctaw asha, “are there” or hυcha, “river” (Seale , p. ; cf. Cushman , p. ).

Sequoyah, Lake (suh-KWOY-uh) Lee County. Named for the Cherokee Indian famed for his development of the Cherokee alphabet. The name has no translation (cf. Bright , p. ; Read , p. ; Stewart , p. ).


Sewayiah Creek SW Chickasaw (q.v.)/NE Webster/W Clay counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  one mi. N of Mantee, by Miss. Hwy.  on E side of Mantee, and by the Natchez Trace Parkway . mi. SE of Mantee. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Possibly from Choctaw isi, “deer” and waiya, “to bend; bent; to lean” (cf. Chickasaw issi’, “deer” and waya, “to stoop down”), connoting “deer bending down” or “deer stooping down.” Cf. Sea Warrior Creek, Choctaw County, Alabama, corrupted from the original name Isawaya, which is translated by Read (, p. ) as “Crouching Deer.”

Shackaloa Creek (SHACK-uh-low) N Amite County (q.v.). From Choctaw shakolo, “cypress tree” (Seale , p. ).

Shaui Koli Creek NW Leake County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  six mi. NW of Carthage. Local pronunciation unrecorded. This is clearly Choctaw shaui, “raccoon” and kυli, “spring.”

Shiola Creek NW Leake County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Possibly from Choctaw shila, “dry.”

Shoccoe (SHOCK-o) Community (est. ) in S Madison County. According to Brieger (, p. ), named for “Schoccoe [sic] Springs, North Carolina.” Cf. Shocco Creek, North Carolina, which may take its designation from a Catawba term meaning “our house” (Bright , p. ). Shockaloe/Shockaloo Creek (SHOCK-uh-low, SHOCK-uh-loo) N Scott/S Leake counties. From Choctaw shakolo, “cypress tree” (Seale , p. ). Shongelo Community (est. ) in N Smith County. Named for nearby Shongelo Creek (see for translation and pronunciation).

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Shongelo Creek (SHONG-uh-low) N Smith County. From Choctaw shakolo, “cypress tree.”

Shongelo Creek, Big N Smith County. Variant designation of Shongelo Creek (see for translation and pronunciation).

Shongelo Creek, Little N Smith County. Tributary of Shongelo Creek (see for translation and pronunciation).

Shongelo Lake N Smith County. See Shongelo Creek for translation and pronunciation.

Shubuta (shuh-BOO-tuh) Town (est. ca. ) in S Clarke County. Named for nearby Shubuta Creek (see for translation).

Shubuta Creek E Jasper/SW Clarke counties. Crossed by I- four mi. SW of Pachuta (q.v.), by U.S. Hwy.  four mi. S of Pachuta, and by U.S. Hwy.  on N side of Shubuta. From Choctaw shubota, “smoke; smoky; smoking” (cf. Cushman , p. ; Haag and Willis , p. ; Halbert , p. ). Note that shubota is a synonym of shobolhi (see entry under Sabougla Creek). McKee’s (, p. ) statement that Shubuta is Choctaw for “snake” is incorrect; sinti is the actual Choctaw word for the reptile.

Shuqualak (SHUG-uh-lock, SHOOG-ur-lock) Town (founded ) in S Noxubee County (q.v.). The most credible solution is that the name is from Choctaw shikυlla, “beads.” Halbert (, pp. –) states that [a] tradition exists that once in ancient times, during a war between the Choctaws and Creeks, some of the former went over to the Creeks


and bore arms against their own people. Afterwards, when peace prevailed between the two tribes and these Choctaws were returning to their old homes, their people put them all to death near the present Shukualak. The victims wore on their persons a profusion of beads, of which they were not despoiled by their executioners. Long afterwards the number of beads found scattered on the place of execution attracted attention, and the locality, with the neighboring creek, from this circumstance, is said to have received the name, “Shikυlla,” since corrupted into Shuqualak. A less dramatic tradition is related by Swanton (, p. ): The Choctaw claim that they first obtained beads from the whites at Sugarlock [sic], which received its name shikυlla, “beads,” from the circumstance. This, of course, refers to trade beads, the introduction of which enabled the Indians to make a more lavish use of beads in belts, moccasins, and other articles of use or adornment than had before been possible. In contrast to the above accounts are the unfounded interpretations that the name is from “Shohpakalih [sic], Sparkling” (Cushman , p. ; cf. Choctaw chυlchaki, “sparkling”) or “Shau-wa-lah, widely branching” (ibid., p. ; cf. Choctaw shauola, “wide apart”). Also incorrect is McKee’s (, p. ) identification of the name as Choctaw for “crawfish hole” (cf. Choctaw shakchi inchuka, “hole or house of a crawfish”). Yet another translation is “hog wallow” (Brieger , p. ; Federal Writers’ Project , p. ). But while the first part of Shuqualak does resemble the Choctaw word for “hog” (shukha), neither the recorded Choctaw synonyms for “to wallow” (okashalayi; shalali; tononoli; yupi) nor ayupi (“wallowing place”) are similar to the latter part of the name.

Shuqualak Creek S Noxubee County (q.v.). Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on SE side of Shuqualak (see for translation and pronunciation).

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Shutispear Creek (SHOOT-uh-speer) N Webster/S Calhoun counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  five mi. S of Calhoun City, and by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. SW of Calhoun City. From Choctaw shuti, “earthen pot” and probably isht piha, “a scoop,” i.e., “pot scoop” or “ladle” (Seale , p. ). There is an erroneous local tradition regarding this stream resulting from folk etymology: I have been told that long ago, the creek was the scene of warfare between two tribes. According to the tale, the warriors occupied opposite sides of the stream, “shooting spears across the creek at each other,” hence the name Shutispear (“Shoot-a-Spear”) Creek. (See entry under Oktibbeha County for a similar tradition.)

Sipsey Creek (1) (SIP-see) NW Lamar County, Ala./NE Monroe County, Miss. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  twelve mi. SE of Amory. From Chickasaw-Choctaw sipsi, “poplar tree” (Halbert , p. ; Read , p. ).

Sipsey Creek (2) SW Neshoba (q.v.)/NW Newton/NE Scott counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. SW of Sebastopol, and by Miss. Hwy.  two mi. SE of Sebastopol. See Sipsey Creek () for translation and pronunciation.

Sipsey Fork Community in NE Monroe County. Named for its location on a tributary fork of Sipsey Creek () (see for translation and pronunciation).

Skillikalia Bayou (SKILL-uh-kal-ee, skill-uh-KAY-lee-uh) N Warren County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  eight mi. N of Vicksburg at the Redwood community. Derivation uncertain; possibly from Choctaw shilaklak, “goose/geese,” plus the locative particle ai, “there” and υla, “to come,” i.e., “geese come there.” Alternative possibilities are Choctaw shikυlilli, “small white beads,” or Choctaw shikkiliklik, “sparrow-hawk” (Bright , p. ; Seale , p. ).


Skuna Community in W Calhoun County. Named for the nearby Skuna River (see for translation and pronunciation).

Skuna River (SKOO-nuh) S Pontotoc (q.v.)/NW Chickasaw (q.v.)/Calhoun/Yalobusha (q.v.)/ Grenada counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on S side of Bruce. Skuna is apparently from Choctaw iskuna, “entrails; guts” (cf. Halbert , pp. –).

Snoody Creek Kemper County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on S side of De Kalb. “Snoody,” the name found on modern maps, is a relatively recent corruption; the stream was formerly designated Sanoosee Creek. As such, the derivation is from Choctaw isi, “deer,” the locative particle a, and nusi, “to sleep,” i.e., “deer sleep there” (Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ).

Socki Creek (SOCK-ee) S Attala (q.v.)/NW Leake counties. Possibly an alteration of Choctaw sakti, “bank; bluff.” Soctahoma Creek (sock-tuh-HO-muh) N Chickasaw County (q.v.). From Chickasaw sakti, “bank; hillside” and homma’, “red,” i.e., “red streambank” or “red hillside” (cf. Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ). The name refers to the red clay of the area.

Souenlovie/Souinlovey Creek (soo-in-LUV-ee) NE Jasper/NW Clarke counties. Crossed by I- four mi. N of Pachuta (q.v.), and by U.S. Hwy.  on N side of Pachuta. Halbert (, p. ) was told by Six Towns Choctaw Indians that this creek’s name is a corruption of Yasunlabi, which combines yasunla, a Six Towns Choctaw dialect variant of yalus or halus, “leech” and υbi, “to kill,” i.e., “leech killer.” Seale (, p. ) erroneously derives the name from “halunlawi” (i.e.,

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Choctaw halonlυbi), “bullfrog.” Another incorrect translation is Stewart’s (, p. ) “opossums-there-killed,” which in Choctaw would actually be shukυta (“opossums”) ai (“there”) υbi/υlbi (“killed”). (Cf. Halbert , p. ; Read , p. .)

Sowashee Creek (suh-WASH-ee) Lauderdale County. Crossed by I-/ on S side of Meridian, by U.S. Hwy. / on E side of Meridian, and by U.S. Hwy.  one mi. N of Marion. From Choctaw shaui, “raccoons” and asha, “are there” (cf. Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ).

Sucarnoochee Community (est. ) in E Kemper County. Named for nearby Sucarnoochee Creek (see for translation and pronunciation).

Sucarnoochee Creek/River (soo-kuh-NOTCH-ee) Kemper County, Miss./Sumter County, Ala. (This stream is designated “Creek” above its confluence with Blackwater Creek in SE Kemper Co., below which it becomes “River.”) Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  one mi. NW of Porterville, and by Miss. Hwy.  on N side of De Kalb. Spelled “Shukanatchie” on H. P. Tanner’s  map (Seale , p. ); as such, according to Halbert (, p. ), the name is from Choctaw shukha, “hog,” i, “its” and hυcha, “river,” i.e., “hog’s river” (cf. Read , p. ; Seale , pp. –). However, another translation is Cushman’s (, p. ) “Shuk-ha ne-a-chih, . . . the place where hogs fatten” (cf. Choctaw shukha, “hogs” and niachi, “to fatten”). A less plausible interpretation is “where the muscadines grow” (Parmer , p. ); cf. Choctaw suko, “muscadines” and asha, “are there.”

Sucatolba Creek (sook-uh-TOL-buh) E Lauderdale County. Seale (, p. ) notes that this name is altered and shortened from the original designation, which according to Halbert


(, p. ) was shukυta (“opossums”) υlbi (“killed”) bok (“creek”), i.e., “creek where opossums are killed.”

Sugar Bogue (SHOOG-uh bo-guh) Creek in NW Scott County. “Sugar” is a corruption of Choctaw shukha, “hog,” while Bogue is from Choctaw bok, “creek” (Seale , p. ).

Suqualena (soo-kuh-LEE-nuh) Community (est. ca. ) in W Lauderdale County. Named for nearby Suqualena Creek (see for translation).

Suqualena Creek NW Lauderdale County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  four mi. NW of Meridian. Halbert (, p. ) claims that Suqualena is “much corrupted” from Choctaw sakti, “bank” and abina, “camp(s),” i.e., “creek on whose banks are camps.” However, Seale (, p. ) expresses doubt about Halbert’s translation: “The similarity of the first element of [Suqualena] to that of Sucarnoochee [q.v.] makes the name look suspiciously like a combination of Choctaw shukha [“hog”] plus [an unidentified] noun or an adjective. . . .” Brieger (, p. ) translates Suqualena as “poor hog,” but, as noted above, while the first part of the name does somewhat resemble Choctaw shukha, “hog,” none of the several Choctaw synonyms for “poor” resembles the latter part.

T Talla, Bayou (1) (TAL-uh) Hancock County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on S side of Kiln. From Choctaw tala, “palmetto.” Although Talla also resembles Choctaw tυli, “rock,” the absence of native stone on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, together

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with the abundance of palmettos in the region, indicates that the plant is the source of the name.

Talla, Bayou (2) SW Jackson County. See Talla, Bayou () for translation and pronunciation.

Tallabinnela Creek (tal-uh-bin-EL-uh) SE Pontotoc (q.v.)/NE Chickasaw (q.v.)/NW Monroe counties. Crossed by Natchez Trace Parkway ten mi. SW of Tupelo (q.v.), by Miss. Hwy.  on N side of Okolona (q.v.), and by U.S. Hwy.  Alternate three mi. NE of Okolona. Seale (, p. ), using Choctaw vocabulary, gives the etymology tυli, “rock” and binnili, “to sit; to be there.” This creek is located in historically Chickasaw territory; cf. Chickasaw tali’, “rock,” the locative prefix aa-, and biniili, “to sit down,” interpreted by Dyson (, p. ) as “place where stone rests.” However, there is a somewhat different early translation by Malcolm McGee, a white man who lived for many decades among the Chickasaws and was fluent in their language: McGee stated in an  interview that the place name “Tullabonela” means “the rock to get over” (Atkinson a, p. ); cf. Chickasaw tali’, “rock,” abaanali, “lay across; crossing” and abaanabli, “to go over, across.” As such, the name may refer to a stone outcrop in the creek, which could be used to “get over” or cross the stream, or which blocked the passage of watercraft, necessitating portaging to “get over” the obstruction (cf. Dyson , p. ).

Tallabogue Creek (1) (TAL-uh-bo-guh) SE Clarke County. The initial element of Tallabogue resembles both Choctaw tala, “palmetto” and tυli, “rock” (cf. Tallabinnela Creek, q.v.). In this case, and in the cases of two other creeks bearing this name (see next two entries), Seale (, p. ) notes that “upon the basis of [Choctaw Indian] Simpson Tubby’s statement, supported by local information, that palmettoes [sic] were earlier abundant in both counties, the solution tala bok, ‘palmetto creek,’ is . . . suggested.”


Tallabogue Creek (2) N Scott County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  two mi. N of Forest. See Tallabogue Creek () for translation and pronunciation.

Tallabogue Creek (3) S Scott/N Smith counties. See Tallabogue Creek () for translation and pronunciation.

Tallachula Creek SW Kemper County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Talla- is from Choctaw tala, “palmetto” or tυli, “rock.” The second element is likely from Choctaw chulha, “split; marked.”

Tallaha, Lake E Tallahatchie County (q.v.). Local pronunciation unrecorded. Shortened from Tallahatchie (see Tallahatchie River for translation).

Tallahaga Creek (tal-uh-HAY-guh) Winston/NE Neshoba (q.v.) counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. W of Louisville, by Miss. Hwy.  three mi SW of Louisville, and by Miss. Hwy.  . mi. N of Noxapater (q.v.). From Choctaw tυli, “rock” and hikia, singular “standing.” Seale (, pp. –) notes that “[t]his solution is supported by both La Tourette’s designation of the stream, on his map of , as Talla Haga or Standing Stone Cr. and Halbert’s [, p. ] statement that ‘once a large upright rock stood upon [the creek’s] right bank, a few hundred yards above the Lake road, from which the creek derived its name.’”

Tallahala Community in NW Perry County. Named for nearby Tallahala Creek (see for translation and pronunciation).

Tallahala Creek (tal-uh-HAL-uh) Jasper/Jones/Forrest/Perry counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  ten mi. NW of Bay Springs, by I- on E side of Laurel, by U.S. Hwy.  on

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E side of Laurel, by Miss. Hwy.  on SE side of Laurel, and by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. E of Petal. From Choctaw tυli, “rock(s)” and probably hieli, plural “to stand,” i.e., “standing rocks” (Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ), although it has been suggested that -hala is shortened from Choctaw halalua, “smooth” (Federal Writers’ Project , p. ; Stewart , p. ).

Tallahala Creek, Little SE Scott/NE Smith/NW Jasper counties. See Tallahala Creek for translation and pronunciation.

Tallahala Creek, West SE Scott/SW Newton/NW Jasper/E Smith counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. W of Bay Springs. See Tallahala Creek for translation and pronunciation.

Tallahalla Creek S Hinds County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  two mi. SE of Utica. See Tallahala Creek for translation and pronunciation.

Tallahalla Creek, Little S Hinds County. See Tallahala Creek for translation and pronunciation.

Tallahatchie County Established ; named for the Tallahatchie River (see for translation and pronunciation).

Tallahatchie River (tal-uh-HATCH-ee) S Quitman/Tallahatchie (q.v.)/Leflore counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy. E/ on W side of Greenwood, and by Miss. Hwy.  at Webb. From Choctaw tυli, “rock” and hυcha, “river” (cf. Atkinson a, p. ; Seale , p. ).


Tallahatchie River, Little S Tippah (q.v.)/Union/S Marshall/N Lafayette/Panola (q.v.) counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on W side of New Albany, by I- two mi. NE of Batesville, and by U.S. Hwy.  on N side of Batesville. See Tallahatchie River for translation and pronunciation.

Tallahatchie River, Old Little SW Panola (q.v.)/SE Quitman counties. See Tallahatchie River for translation and pronunciation.

Tallahatta Creek (tal-uh-HAT-uh) SE Neshoba (q.v.)/NE Newton/SW Lauderdale counties. Crossed by I- three mi. NE of Chunky (q.v.), and by U.S. Hwy.  three mi. E of Chunky. From Choctaw tυli, “rock” and hυta, “white” (Halbert , p. ). Seale (, p. ) notes that “the stream takes its name from the white rocks which were found by the Indians in its bed and along its banks” (see side box). A mistaken translation is Cushman’s (, p. ) “standing palmetto.” The actual Choctaw term would be tala (“palmetto”) hikia (“standing”).

Tallahattah Creek S Jasper County. See Tallahatta Creek for translation and pronunciation.

Tallahoma Creek (tal-uh-HO-muh) Jasper/Jones counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on NW side of Laurel, by U.S. Hwy  on W side of Laurel, and by U.S. Hwy  and I- on N side of Ellisville. From Choctaw tυli, “rock” and homma, “red” (Seale , p. ).

Tallaloosa Creek (tal-uh-LOO-suh) S Marshall County. This name, which does not appear on modern maps, is from Chickasaw tali’, “rock” and losa’, “black” (cf. Seale , p. ).

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N a tEi v eN AAT m IeVr iEc aAn M P lEaR c eI CNAa N m eCs Oi nN M TH N Ei sCs iTsIsOi pNp i

P r e h i s t o r i c S t o n e S p e a r P o i n t s f r o m Ta l l a h a t t a C r e e k Tallahatta Creek has as its name a Choctaw term meaning “white rock,” which refers to a distinctive light-colored quartzite found in and around this stream, as well as at other locations in the region. Appropriately, this material is called Tallahatta quartzite by archaeologists and geologists. For thousands of years, Native Americans made spear points and other tools from this stone. Many such artifacts have been found in the bed of Tallahatta Creek at archaeological site 22-LD-645, southwestern Lauderdale County, Mississippi: Tallahatta quartzite was worked into implements [at] site 22-LD-645. . . . The differing types of points found [here] suggest that it was an active work site between 9000 and 3000 years ago. . . . Tallahatta quartzite contains quartz sand and some glauconite cemented together by silica. . . . [It has] a characteristic gray to white sugary texture. . . . Indians prospected for outcrops or stream beds with the high quality stone. Sites for this stone were discovered and rediscovered over a period of several thousand years by various Indian groups. . . . [Site 22-LD-645] is confined to a rock and sand bar in Tallahatta Creek. . . . The earliest material recorded consists of two side-notched projectile points. . . . These [are about] 9000 years old. . . . [The site] is a mixed deposit with material from many different prehistoric periods. . . . [T]here was a considerable quartzite reduction industry nearby, and possibly in the stream bed itself. [The] stone tools were essential in killing and processing game . . . and in cutting and processing plants into food, containers, and utensils. (McGahey et al. 1992, pp. 37–38, 40)

Tallasher Creek NE Newton County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. From Choctaw tala, “palmettos” and asha, “are there.” The upper segment of this stream is designated by a different form of the name, Tallashua Creek (q.v.).

Tallashua Creek SE Neshoba (q.v.)/NE Newton counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. NW of the Neshoba/Newton county line. Local pronunciation unrecorded. From Choctaw tala, “palmettos” and asha, “are there” (Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ). Halbert (ibid.) states that this creek (spelled by him Talasha) “was so called from the great abundance


of palmettos that once grew in its bottoms in the upper part of Newton County.”

Tallatuluck Creek W Kemper County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. The name does not appear on modern maps. From Choctaw tυli, “rock” and chiluk, “hollow.” Seale (, pp. –) notes that “the stream takes its name from an Indian village which was situated on its banks near the point of its confluence with Sucarnoochee [Creek] [q.v.]. . . . According to [Choctaw Indian] Simpson Tubby, the village was so called because there was a large hollow rock which stood within the village limits. The modern spelling is simply a result of consonantal assimilation.”

Tallula (tuh-LOO-luh) Community (est. ) in Issaquena County (q.v.). Apparently from Choctaw tυlula, “bell” (Cushman , p. ; Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ), although Cushman (, p. ) gives another interpretation, from “Til-oh-lih, to break off ” (cf. Choctaw tilolhi, “to break off short”).

Talowah Community in SE Lamar County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Possibly a derivation of Choctaw tυli, “rocks” and laua, “many; plentiful” (Seale , p. ); in addition, the compound term tυli laua denotes “stony” (Byington , p. ). In spelling, however, the name is similar to Choctaw talowa, “to sing; singer; music” (cf. Cushman , p. ); Seale (, p. ) states that “[Choctaw Indian] Simpson Tubby offers some support to Cushman’s interpretation with the information that talowa was commonly used among the Choctaws as a personal name.” An incorrect translation is “catfish” (Nestor , p. ); the Choctaw words for this fish (nakishtalali; nakishwana) do not resemble the place name.

Tamola (tuh-MO-luh) Community (est. before ) in SE Kemper County. Seemingly from Choctaw tamoli, “to scatter,” although Seale (, p. ) notes that

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“the exact signification of the term as a geographic name is not clear.” According to Cushman (, p. ), the name is altered from “Ta moah [Choctaw tυmoa], lost,” but this is judged incorrect by Seale (, p. ), who notes that “this interpretation does not account for the l of the present-day form.”

Tampa Creek NW Wayne County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. This stream’s name is identical in spelling to that of a city in Florida; there, the name is known to be of Calusa Indian origin, but the meaning is unknown (Bright , pp. –). However, it is more than likely that this creek’s name is of local derivation: strongly resembling Tampa is Choctaw atampa (“leavings; offal; refuse”; also “yearling”).

Tangipahoa, Lake W Pike County. Artificial recreational lake on the Tangipahoa River (see for translation and pronunciation).

Tangipahoa River (tan-juh-puh-HO) NE Amite (q.v.)/Pike counties, Miss./Tangipahoa Parish, La. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  four mi. NW of Summit, and by I- and U.S. Hwy.  on S side of Magnolia. The name Tangipahoa originally designated a small tribe that resided along the eponymous river in Louisiana. Tangipahoa resembles Choctaw tanchυpi, “cornstalk; corncob” and aioa, “to pick up.” As a tribal name, this combination of words has been interpreted as “cornstalk gatherers” or “corncob gatherers” (Read , p. ). A differing etymology is Choctaw tanchi, “corn” and a word recorded by Bushnell (, p. ), pahoha, “cob.” Read (, p. ) comments that “whether [Bushnell’s] translation is preferable . . . is difficult to decide, especially because the Choctaw Dictionary [Byington ] fails to record the word pahoha.” In the Watkins (, p. ) English-Choctaw dictionary, pahoha is likewise absent under “corn stalk or corn cob”; only tanchυpi is listed. Tangipahoa River, Little W Pike County. Crossed by I- and U.S. Hwy.  on W side of McComb,


by U.S. Hwy.  on N side of Fernwood, and by Miss. Hwy.  on E side of Magnolia. See Tangipahoa River for translation and pronunciation.

Tarlechia Creek (ta-LEE-chee) Prentiss County. Using Choctaw vocabulary, Seale (, p. ) states that this name is derived from tala, “palmettos,” the locative a, “there” and chiya, “to sit,” literally, “palmettos sit there” but more freely interpreted by Seale as “place where palmettos are.” It should be noted that this creek is located far within historically Chickasaw territory, not Choctaw; while Chickasaw chihíya, “to sit around” resembles Choctaw chiya, the Chickasaw word for “palmetto” is not recorded. However, the initial element of the name could be derived from Chickasaw tali’, “rock.” Tarlow Creek (TALL-o) S Newton County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on SE side of Newton. Apparently corrupted from Choctaw tala, “palmetto” (Brown , p. ; Halbert , p. ).

Tascohoma (tas-kuh-HO-muh, tus-kuh-HO-muh) Extinct town (est. ca. ) in W Grenada County. This is a variant spelling of Tuscahoma (Brieger , p. ; Seale , p. ). Unlike the names of most extinct settlements in Mississippi, this one survives on a modern map (the U.S. Geological Survey’s Holcomb . minute quadrangle) as Tascohoma Cemetery. From Choctaw tυshka, “warrior” and homma, “red” (Seale , p. ).

Taska (TAS-kuh) Community in N Marshall County. Seale (, p. ) speculates that Taska is derived from Choctaw tυshka, “warrior” (cf. Chickasaw tashka, “warrior”), but his identification of the name as of Native American origin is mistaken. The settlement actually was named by local resident G. D. Davis for his sister (Brieger , p. ). Tawanta Community in Jones County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Origin

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unknown; if of Native American derivation, the name is perhaps a corruption of Choctaw iti, “tree” and auata or awata, “wide; broad.”

Tchoutacabouffa River (choo-tuh-kuh-BUFF-uh) E Harrison/W Jackson counties. Crossed by I- on N side of Biloxi (q.v.). From Choctaw shuti, “earthen pots” and kobafa, “broken”—i.e., “broken pottery” (Seale , p. ).

Tchula (CHOO-luh) Town (settled ca. ) in W Holmes County. Named for nearby Tchula Lake (see for translation).

Tchula Lake W Holmes/E Humphreys counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. SW of the town of Tchula. See Tchula for pronunciation. Probably from Choctaw chula, “fox” (Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ), although the name is also similar to Choctaw chulha, “split; marked.” Regarding the latter interpretation, Stewart (, p. ) speculates that the name might connote “some kind of marker to serve as a boundary.”

Tennessee Bar SW Issaquena County (q.v.). Point of land on the Mississippi River (q.v.). See Tennessee River for name origin.

Tennessee Creek NE George County. See Tennessee River for name origin.

Tennessee Lake SW Issaquena County (q.v.). See Tennessee River for name origin.

Tennessee River (ten-uh-SEE, TEN-uh-see) Running through several states, a section of this river touches Mississippi at the northeast corner of Tishomingo County (q.v.) as the reservoir Pickwick Lake. Named for a Cherokee Indian town variously spelled Tanasi, Tinnase, etc., located near the headwaters of the river in the state


of Tennessee. The meaning of the name is unknown (Bright , p. ; Read , p. ; Stewart , pp. –).

Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Tishomingo (q.v.)/Prentiss/Itawamba (q.v.)/Monroe/Clay/Lowndes counties, Miss., plus several counties in Ala. This name is applied to a barge route consisting of the Tombigbee River and a canal connecting the headwaters of the Tombigbee to the Tennessee River. See Tennessee River and Tombigbee River for name origins/translations.

Teoc Community (est. ) in NW Carroll County. Named for nearby Teoc Creek (see for translation and pronunciation).

Teoc Creek (TEE-ock) NW Carroll/NE Leflore counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  six mi. N of Greenwood. From Choctaw tiak, “pine” (Seale , p. ).

Teoc Creek, Little NW Carroll County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. NW of North Carrollton. Tributary of Teoc Creek (see for translation and pronunciation).

Teock Creek (TEE-ock) N Smith County. From Choctaw tiak, “pine.” Teoctalia Creek (tee-ock-tuh-LYE-uh) Carroll County. This name, which does not appear on modern maps, is from Choctaw tiak, “pine” and talaia, “a stand; grove”—i.e., “pine grove” (Seale , p. ). Tesheva Creek (tuh-SHEE-vuh) N Yazoo (q.v.)/SW Holmes counties. Crossed by Rt.  one mi. N of Midway community. Also spelled Techeva. Seale (, pp. –) states that “[Choctaw Indian] Simpson Tubby suggests a possible solution in

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the personal name Ia t achefa; ia is ‘one who goes’; t is the conjunctive particle ‘and’; and achefa signifies ‘to wash’—‘one who goes and washes.’ A second [possible] source is Choctaw isht ahchifa, ‘soap’” (literally, “what is used to wash with”).

Texas (TEK-sis) Community in NW Stone County. Named for the state of Texas, which derives its appellation from a Caddo Indian word meaning “friend” or “ally” (Bright , p. ; Stewart , p. ; Swanton , p. ).

Texas Island N Coahoma County (q.v.). Body of land located between Moon Lake and the Mississippi River (q.v.). See Texas for translation.

Texas Lake SW Yalobusha County (q.v.). See Texas for translation.

Tiak-O’Khata, Lake (tee-uh-COT-uh) Winston County. The first element is Choctaw tiak, “pine” and the second is from Choctaw okhυta, “lake.” Tibbee Community in SE Clay County. Named for nearby Tibbee Creek (see for name origin and pronunciation).

Tibbee Creek (TIB-ee) SE Clay County. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  Alternate three mi. S of West Point. This stream’s name is shortened from its original form, Oktibbeha (Gannett , p. ; Read , p. ; see Oktibbeha County for translation).

Tibbee Lake (TIB-ee) SE Clay County. Named for nearby Tibbee Creek (q.v.); see Oktibbeha County for translation. Winston’s (, p. ) claim that the lake’s designation is from “[t]he Indian name . . . Tibafa, which means caved in”


(Choctaw tibafa, “to cave in; caved in”), is erroneous, as tibafa hardly resembles Tibbee.

Tibbehoy Creek S Jones County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Meaning uncertain; although this name shares some phonetic elements with Tibbee Creek/ Tibby Creek/Oktibbeha County (q.v.), this may be only coincidental.

Tibby Creek (1) (TIB-ee) S Choctaw (q.v.)/NE Attala (q.v.) counties. Crossed by Rt.  three mi. SW of Weir. Seale (, p. ) asserts that this name, “like Tibbee . . . [is] simply a form reduced from Oktibbeha [cf. Tibbee Creek, Oktibbeha County, q.v.],” but also notes that “the current belief among the Mississippi Choctaws is that the source of the name is itibi, ‘to fight.’”

Tibby Creek (2) E Noxubee County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. E of Macon. See Tibby Creek () for translation and pronunciation.

Tickfaw River (TICK-faw) SE Amite County (q.v.), Miss./St. Helena Parish, La. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  nine mi. SW of Magnolia, and by Miss. Hwy.  nine mi. W of Osyka (q.v.). Read (, p. ) had initially reckoned Tickfaw to be from Choctaw tiak, “pine” and foha, “rest.” He later changed his opinion, as a result of Seale’s analysis of Pawticfaw Creek (q.v.) in Kemper County, Mississippi, to concur that Tickfaw is shortened from Pawticfaw (Seale , pp. , ); see Pawticfaw Creek for translation.

Tifallili Creek NE Kemper County, Miss./Sumter County, Ala. Local pronunciation unrecorded. From Choctaw iti, “tree,” falaia, “tall” and illi, “dead”—“tall dead tree” (Read , p. ).

Tilda Bogue Creek in Madison County. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  one mi. N of Canton.

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Local pronunciation unrecorded. Tilda may be a corruption of Choctaw tala, “palmetto.” Bogue is from Choctaw bok, “creek.”

Tillatoba Community in W Yalobusha County (q.v.). Named for nearby Tillatoba Creek (see for translation and pronunciation).

Tillatoba Creek (till-uh-TOE-buh) W Yalobusha (q.v.)/E Tallahatchie (q.v.) counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on S side of Charleston, by I- two mi. SE of Oakland, and by U.S. Hwy.  one mi. S of Oakland. According to Cushman (, p. ), from “Tul-i-toh-bi, gray rock.” Cf. Choctaw tυli, “rock” and tohbi, “white,” but also “gray” (Watkins , p. ). Seale (, pp. –) judges this translation “pretty certainly erroneous, for La Tourrette’s spelling [on his  map, ‘Ittillitoba’] indicates clearly that the first element must be Choctaw iti, ‘tree.’ On the basis of this spelling, I suggest a solution in . . . Choctaw iti [‘tree’] illi [‘dead’], ‘dead tree,’ plus tohbi, ‘white’—‘white dead tree.’” An incorrect translation is “tall pine” (Brieger , p. ); the actual Choctaw words for “pine” (tiak) and “tall” (chaha; falaia; hofaloha) do not resemble Tillatoba. Tillatoba Creek, North Fork NE Tallahatchie County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on W side of Charleston. See Tillatoba Creek for translation and pronunciation.

Tillatoba Creek, South Fork SE Tallahatchie County (q.v.). See Tillatoba Creek for translation and pronunciation.

Tillatoba Lake W Yalobusha County (q.v.). See Tillatoba Creek for translation and pronunciation.

Tippah County (TIP-uh) Established . Gannett (, p. ) asserts that this county was


“named for the wife of Pontotoc, a Chickasaw Indian chief, the word meaning ‘cut off.’” (Cf. Chickasaw tapa, “to be cut or pulled in two; to be cut off.”) But there is no historical record of a Chickasaw woman with this name (or of a Chickasaw chief named Pontotoc, for that matter). In addition to designating the county, the name is also applied to several streams in the area (see below), and tapa would seem to be a plausible term to describe certain conditions of a watercourse (Seale , p. ). The actual origin of the name, however, is evidently quite different: Malcolm McGee, a white man who had lived for decades among the Chickasaws in what is now northeast Mississippi and was fluent in their language, stated in an  interview that the name “Tippah” means “to eat one another” (Atkinson a, p. ); cf. Chickasaw ittipa, “to eat each other, as cannibals are said to do” (Munro and Willmond , p. ).

Tippah Creek, North W Tippah County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. W of Ripley. See Tippah County for translation and pronunciation.

Tippah Creek, South W Tippah County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. SW of Ripley. See Tippah County for translation and pronunciation.

Tippah Hills Upland area in SE Tippah (q.v.)/W Prentiss/NE Union counties. See Tippah County for translation and pronunciation.

Tippah River SW Tippah (q.v.)/S Benton/SE Marshall counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  and Miss. Hwy.  on N side of Potts Camp. See Tippah County for translation and pronunciation.

Tippo (TIP-o) Community in Tallahatchie County (q.v.). Named for nearby Tippo Bayou (q.v. for translation).

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Tippo Bayou (TIP-o) Tallahatchie (q.v.)/NE Leflore counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  four mi. E of Philipp. Possibly from Choctaw tυpa, “severed; parted; separated” (Seale , p. ), although Swanton (, pp. –) speculates that Tippo may be a derivation of the tribal name Ibitoupa, which is similar to the Choctaw word ibetυp, meaning “the source [of a stream]; the upstream part of a river.”

Tippo Bayou, East W Grenada/S Tallahatchie (q.v.) counties. See Tippo Bayou for translation and pronunciation.

Tippo Bayou, Little NE Leflore County. See Tippo Bayou for translation and pronunciation.

Tishkill Creek N Scott County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Clearly from Choctaw tishkila, “jaybird; bluejay.”

Tishomingo Town in Tishomingo County (see for translation and pronunciation).

Tishomingo County (tish-uh-MING-go) Established ; named for a prominent Chickasaw leader of the early s (Cushman , pp. –; Warren a, pp. –). According to Warren (b, p. ), the name Tishomingo or “Tishu Minco” means “warrior chief.” But while -mingo is in fact from Chickasaw minko’, “chief; king,” Tisho- is not derived from Chickasaw tashka, “warrior.” Swanton (, p. ), using Choctaw vocabulary, identifies the name’s first element as tishu, “waiter”; cf. the  translation of Chickasaw “Tisshu” as “waiter” by James Adair, an early white trader among the Chickasaws (Adair , pp. –). These derivations are consistent with the  translation of “Tishomingo” as “the king’s waiter” by Malcolm McGee, another trader to the Chickasaws (Atkinson a, p. ). Swanton (, p. ) further states that Choctaw tishu can be


interpreted as “assistant” as well as “waiter,” and indeed the former term is contained in the modern translation of Chickasaw tisho, “assistant to an Indian doctor” (Munro and Willmond , p. ). The construction of tisho/tishu as “assistant” is therefore used by Swanton (, p. ) in his characterization of Tishomingo as a Chickasaw official title meaning “assistant chief.” This interpretation is reinforced, though not literally, by Cushman’s (, p. ) translation of the name as “chief officer . . . of the king.”

Tishomingo Creek NE Union/SW Prentiss/NW Lee counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. NW of Baldwin, by Rt.  five mi. W of Baldwin, and by Rt.  four mi. W of Guntown. See Tishomingo County for translation and pronunciation.

Tishtony Creek NW Itawamba County (q.v.). Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  and Miss. Hwy.  at Mantachie (q.v.). Local pronunciation unrecorded. According to tradition, this creek is named for “Tish-to-ni, an Indian warrior killed in a contest with another Chickasaw” (Federal Writers’ Project , p. ). By analogy to the name Tishomingo (see Tishomingo County, above), the first four letters of Tishtony may be derived from Chickasaw tisho, in recent translation “assistant to an Indian doctor” (Munro and Willmond , p. ) but historically meaning simply “assistant” or “waiter.” The second element, -tony, strongly resembles Chickasaw atooni’, “guardian; person in charge” (cf. Choctaw atoni, “a guard; a sentinel”). Hence, the suggested solution to Tishtony is “assistant guardian” or “assistant to a person in charge.”

Toby Tubby Creek (toe-bee-TUB-ee) NW Lafayette County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  four mi. NW of Oxford. This creek is named for a Chickasaw Indian, “Chief Toby Tubby who owned and operated a ferry on the Memphis-Oxford stage coach route” (Federal Writers’ Project , p. ; see side box). The spelling of the name is apparently derived from Chickasaw atobbi, “to pay,” the

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“ To b y Tu b b y ’s L a n d ” Stories of the Chickasaw Indian Toby Tubby form a prominent part of the lore of Lafayette County. Doyle (2001, pp. 49–50) gives the following account of the legendary figure. Local history often centers on Toby Tubby, who was chief or “mingo” to a clan that lived in the area. . . . Toby Tubby stayed on for some time after the American takeover of northern Mississippi [from the Chickasaws in the 1830s]. He claimed three wives, as many different homes, and a number of African slaves. He operated a ferry across the Tallahatchie on the trail that went from Pontotoc through the new white settlements at Oxford and College Hill to Memphis (formerly Chickasaw Bluffs). It was a profitable enterprise, and together with his land and slaves, Toby Tubby enjoyed considerable wealth. He had learned to speak English and enjoyed considerable popularity and influence as a liaison between the encroaching white and lingering Indian populations. . . . [I]t was said he took pleasure in bestowing gifts of Chickasaw ponies on white friends. Toby Tubby met a violent end after a trip to Holly Springs . . . when some unidentified drunken assailant stabbed him. Bleeding badly, he made his way back to the cabin of Sam Rayburn, a white settler. Toby Tubby refused to take Rayburn’s bed, saying “Indian no sleep in white man’s bed,” and he [lay] on the floor on a blanket. Sometime later, he died on the floor of Rayburn’s log cabin. After his son came to retrieve the body, rumors began to fly that Toby Tubby was to be buried with one of his African slaves. According to local legend, white settlers intervened and “spirited the unhappy slave away.” Toby Tubby’s people buried him in secret, somewhere near the ferry and the creek that still bears his name. Soon more rumors told of his grave being laden with gold and other riches. . . . [E]ven today, people in the county continue to talk about the secret of Toby Tubby’s grave.

conjunctive particle t, and abi, “to kill”—“the one who pays and kills” (cf. Halbert , p. ; Seale , pp. –). Dabney’s (, p. ) assertion that “toby [is] Chickasaw for old or bent and tubby or tubbe the word for chief ” is erroneous: the actual Chickasaw words for “old” (kamassa and sipokni), “bent” (bichota and polhoma), “bent over” (chiffola and ittapaakota), and “chief ” (minko’) do not resemble any part of the name. Another incorrect translation is “white (or whitened) killer” (Doyle , p. ), allegedly from Chickasaw tohbi, “white,” the conjunctive particle t, and abi, “to kill” (cf. Choctaw υbi, “to kill; killer”). Actually, in Chickasaw


(as in Choctaw) the adjective tohbi follows the noun (cf. Senatobia Creek, q.v.; Tillatoba Creek, q.v.).

Toccopola (tock-uh-PO-luh) Town (est. ) in W Pontotoc County (q.v.). Toccopola is shortened from Oaktockopullo, the name of a Chickasaw village once located at present Toccopola or nearby (Atkinson b, p. ). The etymology of Oaktockopullo is Chickasaw oktaak, “prairie” and oppolo, “broken; ruined; no good.” Cf. the interpretations “dismal prairie” (Dyson , p.) and “mean prairie” (Claiborne , p. ; Dyson , p. ). Incorrect translations include Cushman’s (, p. ) claim that the name is an alteration of “Tosh-bo-ko-li, mouse colored” and Seale’s (, p. ) suggestions (using Choctaw vocabulary) that Toccopola may derive from itakopuli, “to close together,” itakhapuli, “to be troublesome,” or iti ai olpulo, “trees there destroyed.” Another erroneous claim is that Toccopola means “the crossing of the roads” (Federal Writers’ Project , p. ); no recorded form of “crossroad” in either Chickasaw (hina’ aaittabanna’a’) or Choctaw (hina υbanυbli and similar variants) bears any similarity.

Toccopola Creek W Pontotoc (q.v.)/SE Lafayette counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on E side of Toccopola (see for translation and pronunciation).

Tockshish Settlement in S Pontotoc County (q.v.). Alternate spelling of Toxish (see for translation).

Tocowa Community in SW Panola County (q.v.). Local pronunciation unrecorded. In the s a health resort named Tocowa Springs was located in the vicinity; supposedly, Tocowa is “a combination of two Indian words, the Chickasaw ptoco, meaning healing, and the Choctaw wawa, meaning water” (Federal Writers’ Project , p. ). This translation is spurious, probably having been invented to promote the resort; no Chickasaw or Choctaw words corresponding to any form of “to heal” or

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T H E N AT I V E A M E R I C A N C O N N E C T I O N T h e “ G r a v e ” o f B e t s y A l l e n i n To c c o p o l a In the 1930s a Toccopola women’s club honored Susan (“Betsy”) Allen, a Chickasaw woman who was the subject of an early woman’s-rights case brought before the Mississippi Supreme Court a century before. Although the location of Allen’s grave site is unknown, the women’s group decided to commemorate Allen by symbolically re-interring her in a new resting place in Toccopola. On the campus of the high school a piece of concrete torn from an old side walk marks the grave of Betsy Allen. Betsy, whose real name was Susan, was a young Chickasaw woman who carried her legal fight for property right[s] to the Mississippi Supreme Court in 1837. When very young, Betsy had been given another Indian as a slave by her mother. The gift was completed under Chickasaw law in 1829, a year prior to the extension of Mississippi jurisdiction over the Chickasaw. In 1837 Susan, alias Betsy, refused to relinquish her servant to her husband who had been ruined by debt and, carrying her fight to the court, won her case on the grounds that she, her mother, and her family were members of the Chickasaw tribe, that the gift had been completed under Chickasaw laws before the establishment of Mississippi jurisdiction, and that, therefore, the court did not have the right to deprive her of property gained in 1829. Betsy died in 1837 and, like the court decision, was forgotten. A hundred years later a newspaper columnist resurrected the case and gave it publicity as being the first decision in the United States to grant property rights to women. The newly created legend was widely circulated and prompted a woman’s civic club to remove a plot of dirt, representing Betsy’s remains, to the high school campus and there ceremoniously inter it in a new grave. Betsy, figuratively removed from the old Indian burial ground that had become a pasture, now rests near the white man’s school, perhaps a little bewildered by all the belated honor that eventually blew her way. (Federal Writers’ Project 1938, p. 487)


“health” remotely resembles “ptoco,” and “wawa” is nothing like the actual Choctaw word for “water,” oka (Chickasaw oka’). In contrast to the above fanciful explanation of the name’s origin are Seale’s (, p. ) plausible suggestions that Tocowa may be from Choctaw iti, “trees” and akawa, “broken and bent down” or Choctaw itakowa, “fire wood.”

Tokeba Bayou NW Yazoo County (q.v.). Local pronunciation unrecorded. Seale (, p. ) opines that this name is a probable corruption of Choctaw iti, “tree” and kiba, “frog.” But this may not have been an actual term used by Choctaws to designate such an animal. Although the English term “tree frog” is not found in either the Byington () or Watkins () Choctaw-English dictionaries, both sources translate chukpalantak as “tree toad,” which can probably be read as “tree frog,” as well. This throws doubt on Seale’s interpretation of the stream’s name. Tokeba may actually be from Choctaw takba, “bitter,” tikba, “first” or tikpi, “stream bend” (cf. Tuckabum Creek, q.v.).

Tollabogue Creek SE Clarke County. Variant spelling of Tallabogue Creek (); see for translation.

Tombigbee River (tom-BIG-bee) Itawamba (q.v.)/Monroe/Clay/Lowndes counties, Miss., plus several counties in Ala. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  on S side of Fulton, by U.S. Hwy.  three mi. W of Amory, by U.S. Hwy. /Miss. Hwy.  on E side of Aberdeen, and by U.S. Hwy.  on W side of Columbus. From Choctaw itombi, “box; chest; coffin; trunk” and ikbi, “maker” (cf. Cushman , pp. , ; Halbert , p. ; Read , p. ). Byington (, p. ) comments that “[i]t is said that the river Tombigbee was called so from the fact that a trunk-maker or box-maker lived on one of its branches.” Bernard Romans, in his book originally published in , renders the name of this branch as “Ectombogue bé,” which he mistranslates as “Crooked Creek” (Romans , p. ); although “-bogue” resembles Choctaw bok, “creek,” no Choctaw synonym for “crooked” shows simi-

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larity to other portions of the name. Furthermore, in any Choctaw equivalent of “crooked creek,” the adjective would follow the modified noun, e.g., bok chanakbi. A particularly misguided bit of folk etymology is that the river is named for “a half-breed chief named Tom Bigbee” (Anonymous ).

Tonacana Creek (TOE-nuh-can-ee) SE Newton County. Crossed by I- one mi. NW of Chunky (q.v.), and by U.S. Hwy.  on W side of Chunky. Some Choctaw Indians informed Halbert (, p. ) that this creek’s name (spelled Tony Cany by Halbert) is a corruption of Choctaw tonik, “posts” and hieli, plural “to stand,” i.e., “standing posts.” Toomsuba (toom-SOO-buh) Town (est. ) in E Lauderdale County. Named for nearby Toomsuba Creek (see for translation). Toomsuba Creek E Lauderdale County, Miss./W Sumter County, Ala. Crossed by I-/  on S side of Toomsuba (q.v.), and by U.S. Hwy. / two mi. E of Toomsuba. Originally spelled “Tonsobah,” on La Tourrette’s  map (Seale , p. ); accordingly, Halbert (, p. ) states that the name is derived from Choctaw tusubi (the nasalization of u simultaneously produces a sound resembling the consonant n), translated by him as “blue pigeon hawk,” but by Byington (, p. ) as “fish hawk; blue hawk.” Read (, p. ) prefers “fish hawk.” Cushman (, p. ) erroneously gives the derivation of this name (spelled by him Toonisuba) as “To-no-lishis-su-ba, rolling horse” (cf. Choctaw tonullichi, “to roll over; to roll away” and isuba, “horse”). Seale (, p. ) points out that “this etymology is incorrect; in the Choctaw [language] the adjective always follows the noun.” A variant translation, via folk etymology, wrongly derives Toom- from “tomb,” in the nonsensical “tomb of a dead horse” (Brieger , p. ).


Topashaw Creek (TOP-uh-shaw) NE Webster/SW Chickasaw (q.v.)/S Calhoun counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy. / two mi. S of Calhoun City, and by Miss. Hwy.  six mi. W of Woodland. Possibly a variant of Topisaw (see Topisaw Creek), although Seale (, p. ) speculates that “it is highly probable that there is a connection between Topashaw and Taposa, the latter being the name of a tribe which formerly lived on the Yazoo River.” The meaning of the tribal name Taposa is unknown (Swanton , p. ).

Topashaw Creek, Little NE Webster/SW Chickasaw (q.v.) counties. See Topashaw Creek for translation and pronunciation.

Topeka (tuh-PEE-kuh) Community (est. ) in SW Lawrence County. Named for Topeka, Kansas (Brieger , p. ). Topeka is derived from a Siouan (Kansa) term meaning “‘potato-good-place,’ [i.e.,] a place where Indians could dig some wild tuber” (Stewart , p. ). Topisaw (TOP-uh-saw) Community (settled ) in NE Pike County. Named for nearby Topisaw Creek (q.v.). Cushman (, p. ) claims that the settlement’s designation is from “Tah-pi-sah, to see now”; cf. Choctaw iti, “each other,” the locative a, and pisa, “to see,” i.e., “where (they) saw each other” (Bright , p. ). However, the validity of these interpretations is doubtful; more plausible is the translation given below for Topisaw Creek. Topisaw Creek SE Lincoln/NE Pike counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  five mi. W of Jayess, and by Miss. Hwy.  seven mi. NE of McComb. Topisaw is apparently a shortened form of Otopisa, which, according to Seale (, pp. –), “is a corruption of Choctaw otυpi, ‘chestnut tree,’ plus osi, ‘little’; hence, ‘little chestnut.’”

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Topisaw Creek, East SE Lincoln/NE Pike counties. See Topisaw Creek for translation.

Topisaw Creek, West SE Lincoln/NE Pike counties. See Topisaw Creek for translation.

Tougaloo (TOO-guh-loo) Community in NE Hinds County, annexed within the northern city limits of Jackson. Seale (, pp. –) deems the name a probable corruption of Choctaw atukla, “second” or tuklo, “two,” perhaps originally referring to a creek or creeks; Seale’s translation is by analogy to Bok atukla (“second creek”), designated on an  map of what is now Kemper County, Mississippi, plus the name of an old Choctaw town site in Kemper County, Bouktoukoulou chito (“big two creeks”). The probability that the name is derived from atukla or tuklo is reinforced by a local tradition noted by Seale (, p. ) that “everyone around Tougaloo thinks the name means ‘second creek’ or ‘two creeks.’” However, Halbert (, p. ) interprets the name (probably incorrectly) as “forest people,” from Choctaw iti, “tree” and okla, “people.” Stewart (, pp. , ) notes the similarity of Tougaloo to Tugaloo (from Cherokee tugulu, “the fork of a stream”), the name of a river in Georgia and South Carolina, but the resemblance is only coincidental. Toxish Extinct settlement in S Pontotoc County (q.v.). Local pronunciation unrecorded. Although historical spellings of this place include “E,tock,shish” and “Tockshish” (Phelps , p. ), the name is currently spelled Toxish (e.g., Toxish Baptist Church, shown on the U.S. Geological Survey’s Troy . minute quadrangle map). The name means “tree root,” being shortened from Chickasaw itti’, “tree” and hakshish, “root” (cf. Dyson , p. ; Halbert , p. ; Phelps , p. ). An incorrect translation is “place of greatness” (Brieger , p. ).

Tubbalubba Creek (tub-uh-LUB-uh, tub-uh-LUB-ee) SE Pontotoc (q.v.)/SW Lee/NW Monroe counties. Crossed by U.S.


Hwy.  Alternate two mi. S of Shannon, and by Miss. Hwy.  two mi. S of Shannon. Using Choctaw vocabulary, Seale (, p. ) translates Tubbalubba as “where beans have been rooted up,” from tubi, “beans,” the locative a, “there” and lubbi, “to root up.” However, it should be noted that this creek is in historically Chickasaw territory, and the recorded Chickasaw word for “beans,” bala’, does not resemble tubi; in addition, there is no recorded Chickasaw term for “to root up.” John P. Dyson (personal communication) is of the opinion that Tubbalubba may be badly corrupted from Chickasaw ittokaahilowa’, “ravine tree” or “gully tree” (cf. Dyson , p. ).

Tubby Creek (TUB-ee) N Benton County. Apparently from a Chickasaw personal name; many traditional Chickasaw names end in “-tubby,” which is composed of the conjunctive particle t and abi, “to kill.” Another possibility is that the name is a derivation of Chickasaw tohbi, “white.”

Tuckabum Creek (TICK-uh-bum) SE Lauderdale County, Miss./NW Choctaw County, Ala. Although Tuckabum is the spelling on modern maps, it is inconsistent with the local pronunciation recorded by Read (, p. ; see above), who states, “I can suggest no convincing analysis of this name” (ibid.). However, some Choctaw Indians told Seale (, pp. , ) that Tuckabum might be an alteration of Choctaw tikba, “first.” A less likely possible origin is Choctaw tikpi, “stream bend” (cf. Bright , p. ).

Tula (TYOO-luh) Community (settled ) in SE Lafayette County. Brieger (, p. ) states that this settlement was named for Tula, Russia. (Tula is also the name of a city in Mexico.) However, Seale (, p. ) states that “in the case of its application to the town . . . in Mississippi, it is said to be a corruption of Creek [Muskogee] tola, “the [red] bay tree (Persea borbonia Spreng.).” But this is implausible, because Tula, Mississippi, is located in historically Chickasaw territory; the Creek Indians occupied lands well

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to the east, in Alabama. It is possible that the name is actually derived from Chickasaw tali’, “rock.”

Tumbaloo Creek (TUM-buh-loo) Rankin County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  three mi. SE of Brandon. Choctaw Indian Simpson Tubby informed Seale (, p. ) that “the source of the name is Choctaw hatombυlaha, ‘beech tree.’”

Tunica Town (est. ) located in, and named for, Tunica County (see for translation and pronunciation).

Tunica County (TOO-nuh-kuh, TYOO-nuh-kuh) Established ; named for the Tunica tribe, which inhabited the area in the late s. The name means “the people,” from Tunica ta, “the,” uni, “people,” and the noun suffix ka (Halbert b, p. ; Read , p. ; Swanton , p. ). A variant translation, “little people” (Brieger , p. ), is partially incorrect, as there is no basis for the inclusion of the adjective “little.”

Tunica Hills Upland area in SW Wilkinson County, Miss., and NW West Feliciana Parish, La. See Tunica County for translation and pronunciation.

Tunica Lake W Tunica County (see for translation and pronunciation).

Tunica North Town in Tunica County (see for translation and pronunciation).

Tupelo (TOO-puh-lo, TYOO-puh-lo) City (est. ) in Lee County. According to Phelps and Ross (, p. ) and Seale (, p. ), the name commemorates the former abundance of tupelo gum trees in the area. The tree name “tupelo” originated with the Creek (Muskogee) Indians of Alabama; the meaning is “swamp


tree,” from Creek ito, “tree” and opilwυ, “swamp” (cf. Bright , p. ; Seale , p. ). An erroneous belief is that the name is Chickasaw for “lodging place” (Federal Writers’ Project , p. ); the recorded Chickasaw word most nearly corresponding to “lodging place” is albina, “to be a camping place; to be a place to stay” (cf. Choctaw bina, “lodging place”). This shows no similarity to Tupelo. Another claim is that Tupelo is from an alleged Chickasaw word (unrecorded in Munro and Willmond’s [] Chickasaw dictionary), tupulah or tahpulah, with supposed translations including “to scream,” “to call,” “to shout,” and “to make a noise” (Brieger , p. ; Cushman , pp. , ). While Choctaw tahpυla, “to scream” does look something like Tupelo, the city is located in historically Chickasaw territory, and the only recorded Chickasaw verb with these meanings (tasahli, “to scream; to make a loud noise”) bears no resemblance to tahpυla. At any rate, due to the fact that the town was named for the tupelo gum tree, which takes its name not from Chickasaw but from a Creek term, the phonetic similarity of Tupelo to the Choctaw word tahpυla (or a similar unrecorded Chickasaw word) is coincidental.

Tuscahoma Extinct town in W Grenada County. Also spelled Tascohoma (see for translation and pronunciation).

Tuscola (tus-KO-luh) Community in S Leake County. This name is shortened from Tuscolameta (q.v.), the designation of a nearby creek (Seale , p. ). Cushman’s (, p. ) claim that the name is derived from “Tah-ok-la, Now a people” (cf. Choctaw inta, “now” and okla, “a people”) is clearly incorrect.

Tuscolameta Creek (tus-kuh-luh-MEE-tuh) W Newton/NE Scott/S Leake counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  one mi. S of Walnut Grove, by Miss. Hwy.  four mi. SW of Sebastopol, by Miss. Hwy.  four mi. N of Lake, and by I- four mi. E of Lake. The name is an alteration of Choctaw tυshka, “warrior” and himmita, “young”—“young warrior” (Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ).

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T h e A c k i a B a t t l e g r o u n d i n Tu p e l o The settlements of the Chickasaw Indians during the early to middle 1700s were concentrated in the area now occupied by the city of Tupelo, Mississippi (Atkinson 2004b, pp. 11–12; Johnson 2000). The following assessment of the Chickasaws and their homeland was made in 1726 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, governor of the French colony of Louisiana (quoted in Johnson 2000, p. 96): “[T]he . . . Indian nation . . . of the Chickasaws . . . [consists] of eight hundred men. They occupy six or seven villages. It is a very fine country thirty-five leagues to the north of the Choctaws. These people breathe nothing but war and are unquestionably the bravest of the continent.” Of the former Chickasaw settlements in Tupelo, the village of Ackia (from Chickasaw Aahikki’ya’, “lookout; vantage point” [Dyson 2003, p. 111]) is of outstanding historical significance. Ackia was situated on the hilltop one block south of Tupelo Middle School (formerly Tupelo High School). Here on May 26, 1736, the Chickasaws soundly repulsed an attack by a combined French-Choctaw force led by Bienville: [T]here were only about 100 [Chickasaw] warriors present in the [area] during the . . . battle, for most of them were away turkey hunting. [However,] [t]hat the French were facing disaster in attempting to storm [Ackia] should have been recognized by Bienville. The northern extremity of the north-south ridge system on which [Ackia and nearby villages] . . . were situated was the best defensive position in the whole [Chickasaw] nation. . . . The greatly outnumbered Chickasaw warriors placed their women and children inside the forts, stationed themselves within the loopholed forts and fortified huts, and waited for the Frenchmen to ascend the ridge. . . . As the Frenchmen circled around to the steep north end of the ridge and approached its base with drums beating and flags flying, the Chickasaw commenced firing. The initial attack movement . . . was made by . . . [230] soldiers . . . and forty-five volunteers and militiamen. . . . Ahead of them Bienville had sent black servants (slaves) carrying “mantlets” (thick padded mats), which were to serve as protection for the attack force. However, when one of the servants was killed and another wounded, the prudent carriers threw down the mats and fled. [When] the . . . French attack force . . . [came up] on top of the ridge, the Frenchmen were met with a hail of musket balls. Suffering heavy casualties, the French were able to capture the first two or three structures, which the decimated attack force had to hide behind in order to preserve their lives. By then . . . approximately seventy officers and soldiers [had] been killed and wounded from the murderous crossfire occasioned by the layout of the forts and fortified cabins of Ackia and [nearby] Choukafalya. . . . Bienville considered sending [another] 150 soldiers . . . into the fight. [Their commanding officer,] however,

prudently opposed this under theNcircumstances toahim a t i v e A m e r ifor c a“it n seemed Place N m eas rather i n Mdiffi i s scult i s sthing ippi to go and attack men who could fire directly at us without our being able to see them and without losing more than half of our men.” Bienville agreed and ordered . . . a withdrawal. . . . In trying to bring off the dead and wounded, another officer was wounded and several soldiers were killed. The Choctaws then entered the fracas as they covered the retreat to the camp, themselves losing twenty-two men. . . . With the exception of . . . two peace emissaries murdered [by the Choctaws] prior to the battle, no casualties were reported for the Chickasaw. The army spent the night at [their] camp and the next day began the retreat [to Mobile]. . . . According to recollections told to Malcolm McGee by trader Benjamin Seeley many years later, Seeley saw “the bones of the French scattered for six miles below [the Chickasaw villages],” suggesting that some wounded died on the retreat. . . . Although there is no record of it, the Chickasaw and the English [traders among them] must have been jubilant over the decisive victory. . . . Humiliated by the defeat of the glorious forces of the king, the royal court in Paris reproached Bienville for having failed . . . (Atkinson 2004b, pp. 54–56, 58, 60). In 1940, archaeologists excavated what may have been part of the palisade trench of the Ackia fort (Atkinson 1985, pp. 54, 56–57). Because the Battle of Ackia was one of the most decisive engagements of the colonial Indian wars, the Ackia site would have been eminently worthy of preservation for its historical value. However, in the 1960s a residential subdivision was built there. Although streets, houses, and yards now cover the area, the location of Ackia is indicated by a state historical marker at the junction of President Avenue, Lincoln Drive, and Pierce Street.

Tuscumbia River (tus-KUM-bee-uh) Prentiss/Alcorn counties, Miss./McNairy County, Tenn. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on NE side of Booneville, by Miss. Hwy.  on E side of Rienzi, by U.S. Hwy.  on S side of Corinth, and by U.S. Hwy.  and Miss. Hwy.  on W side of Corinth. Regarding the town of Tuscumbia, Alabama, whose spelling is identical to the Mississippi stream’s name, Read (, p. ), using Choctaw vocabulary, suggests three possible derivations (because the river is in historically Chickasaw territory, the Chickasaw equivalents of Read’s Choctaw words are given here): ) tashka, “warrior” and abi, “to kill,” i.e., “warrior killer”; or ) tashka, “warrior” and ombachi, “to make rain,” i.e., “warrior rainmaker” (cf. Cushman’s [, pp. –] “Tush-ka-um-ba chi, rainmaker warrior”); or ) tashka,

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“warrior,” omba, “rain” and ikbi, “to make,” also interpreted as “warrior rainmaker.”

Tuxachanie Creek (tuck-suh-CHAY-nee) SE Stone/E Harrison counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  six mi. N of D’Iberville. From Choctaw taksho, “fragments of tafula [‘Indian hominy’] boilers,” a, “there” and chiya, “to lie,” i.e., “fragments of hominy-boiling pots are lying there.” Seale (, pp. –) comments that “Tuxachanie is a corruption of Takshochiya, the name of a place in the old [Choctaw] Nation, mentioned by Byington [, p. ]. . . . The n in the presentday form Tuxachanie may be accounted for by the fact that there existed in Choctaw also the nasal form chiya of chiya. . . . It is of some interest to observe both the linguistic and the geographical proximity of the names Tuxachanie and Tchoutacabouffa [q.v.].”

W Wahalak (wa-HA-luck) Community in NE Kemper County. Named for nearby Wahalak Creek (see for translation).

Wahalak Creek N Kemper/SE Noxubee (q.v.) counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy.  five mi. N of Scooba (q.v.). Apparently a corruption of Choctaw wahhaloha, “to branch out; to spread; pronged” (Seale , p. ; Read , pp. – ). Two incorrect translations are “water at the foot of the hill” (Brieger , p. ) and “low hill” (Nestor , p. ); none of the Choctaw equivalents for these terms resembles Wahalak.

Walkiah Bluff Hill overlooking the Pearl River in SW Pearl River County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. According to Thigpen (, p. ), the name


Walkiah is from “the Choctaw word wakia [which] means bluff.” On the face of it, this claim is incorrect, because the generic Choctaw term for “bluff ” is sakti; no such word as wakia is recorded in the Byington () or Watkins () Choctaw-English dictionaries. However, the name does closely resemble Choctaw wakaya, “to rise.” If this verb is the source of the name, perhaps it refers to the appearance of the prominent bluff as figuratively “rising” above the surrounding lowlands. Alternately, there may be a germ of truth in Thigpen’s statement equating the name with “bluff,” because the last four letters of Choctaw kunchowaka, translated by Byington (, p. ) as “a high bluff at the water edge or side,” somewhat resemble his “wakia.” As such, perhaps Walkiah is a much corrupted, shortened form of kunchowaka, which is an accurate descriptive term for this place.

Waukomis Lake E Alcorn County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. This name closely resembles Waukhomis, an Oklahoma place name which is “probably a pseudo-Indian coinage, in local belief originating when a man had to ‘walk home’” (Stewart , p. ).

Waukomis Spring E Alcorn County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Located adjacent to Waukomis Lake (see for probable name origin).

Wautubbee (wa-TUB-ee) Community (est. ) in NW Clarke County. According to Claiborne (, p. ), “Wa-tubbee” means “off-hand killer,” but Claiborne provides no etymology for this curious translation. It is doubtful at any rate, because while Choctaw υbi, “to kill,” preceded by the conjunctive particle t, does resemble “-tubbee” and can be loosely interpreted as “killer,” no Choctaw equivalent of “off ” or “hand” resembles “Wa-.” Much more convincing is the solution provided by Seale (, p. ): “[Choctaw Indian] Simpson Tubby says that Wautubbee is a Choctaw personal name, corrupted from owυtta, ‘to hunt,’ t, ‘and,’ [plus] υbi, ‘to kill’—that is, ‘the one who hunts and kills.’” According to local tradition, the settlement

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“was named for a half Indian [called] Wautubbee, who lived in this section, made cane baskets and sold them to residents and visitors to the community” (Brieger , p. ).

Wenasoga Community (est. ) in N Alcorn County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. This place supposedly “was named for an Indian chieftain” (Brieger , p. ). Wenasoga is located in historically Chickasaw territory, and although the so-called chieftain’s tribe is not specified, the name is decidedly un-Chickasaw. It may be a pseudo-Indian invention.

Wingo Branch Creek in SE Tippah County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Perhaps a misspelling of Mingo, from Chickasaw minko’, “chief ” (cf. Mingo Branch and Mingo Creek, q.v.).

Winona (wye-NO-nuh) Town (est. ) in W Montgomery County. Winona, originally a Sioux (Dakota) personal name meaning “first-born daughter,” was applied in the s to a town in Minnesota, and subsequently to towns in several other states, including Mississippi (Brieger , p. ; Bright , p. ; Gannett , p. ; Stewart , p. ). Cushman’s (, p. ) claim that the town’s name is from “Wa-ton-la [Choctaw watonlak], a crane [bird]” is clearly incorrect.

Y Yalobusha County Established ; named for the Yalobusha River (see for translation and pronunciation).

Yalobusha River (yal-uh-BUSH-uh) Chickasaw (q.v.)/Calhoun/Grenada/NW Carroll/Leflore counties.


Crossed by Miss. Hwy. / on S side of Calhoun City, by I- on NW side of Grenada, and by U.S. Hwy.  on N side of Grenada. Yalobusha is derived from Choctaw yaloba, “tadpoles” and probably asha, “to be there,” i.e., “tadpoles are there” or “tadpole place” (Seale , p. ; Swanton , p. ). Cushman’s (, p. ) translation, “tadpoles abound,” is similar to one recorded in , “plenty of tadpoles” (Atkinson a, p. ), but neither of the Choctaw words for “to abound; plenty” (apakna and laua; cf. Chickasaw lawa, “many”) resemble the ending of Yalobusha. Another translation, “tadpole-little” (Stewart , p. ) is based on the interpretation that the latter element of the name is derived from the Choctaw diminutive suffix ushi. While this is not implausible, it is probably more likely, as stated above, that the name’s second element is asha.

Yamacrow Creek W Wilkinson County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Not an indigenous Mississippi Indian name; apparently a variant spelling of the tribal name Yamacraw, which may be from a Catawba term meaning “great people” (Bright , p. ).

Yanubbee Creek (yuh-NUB-ee) Kemper County. This name does not appear on modern maps. From Choctaw iyanυbi, “ironwood” (Halbert , p. ; Seale , p. ; Swanton , p. ). Yazoo City (YAZZ-oo) Established ; the principal municipality of Yazoo County (q.v.). See Yazoo River for discussion of this name.

Yazoo County Established ; named for the Yazoo River (see for discussion and pronunciation).

Yazoo Creek S Kemper County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  six mi. S of De Kalb. Local pronunciation unrecorded. From the name of the extinct Choctaw town Yashu Iskitini (Little Yazoo), which was located along this creek (Halbert

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a, pp. –). As a Choctaw place name, Yashu has no translation; Seale (, p. ) speculates that the Choctaws of this settlement may have “borrowed the name” from the Yazoo tribe or Yazoo River. Swanton (, p. ) comments, “It is not improbable that there is some connection between the name of [the Yazoo] tribe and that of the Yazoo towns among the Choctaw, but if so it goes back beyond recorded history.” See entry under Yazoo River for further discussion of this name.

Yazoo Junction Community (est. ) in Yazoo County (q.v.). See Yazoo River for discussion of this name.

Yazoo, Little Community in Yazoo County (q.v.). See Yazoo River for discussion of this name.

Yazoo Pass Creek in N Coahoma County (q.v.). Crossed by U.S. Hwy. / thirteen mi. N of Clarksdale. See Yazoo River for discussion of this name.

Yazoo River (YAZZ-oo) Leflore/Holmes/Humphreys/Yazoo (q.v.)/Sharkey/Issaquena (q.v.)/ Warren counties. Crossed by U.S. Hwy. /E in Greenwood, by Miss. Hwy.  in Belzoni, by U.S. Hwy. W on W side of Yazoo City (q.v.), and by U.S. Hwy.  at Redwood. This river is named for the Yazoo tribe, which lived along the lower part of the stream (Swanton , pp. –). The meaning of the name is unknown. Halbert (b, p. ) notes the resemblance of Yazoo to the Uchee (Yuchi) word yashu, “leaf.” Despite Halbert’s suggestion, however, there are no linguistic or other historical connections between the Yazoo and Yuchi tribes; the Yuchi are known to have inhabited, at different times, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, and Oklahoma, but not Mississippi (Swanton , pp. –). Therefore, the phonetic similarity between the name Yazoo and the Yuchi word for “leaf ” is likely only coincidental. A popular belief regarding Yazoo is discredited by Halbert (b, pp. –), who


observes, “There is no evidence that the word signifies ‘River of Death’ in any Indian tongue.” Seale (, p. ) similarly discounts Gannett’s (, p. ) translation “to blow on an instrument,” while Swanton (, p. ) rejects the tale that Yazoo means “home of the people who are gone,” or that it is somehow derived “from [Choctaw] ya or ia [i.e., aia], ‘to go,’ and asha [i.e., aiasha], ‘to sit,’ ‘to remain.’” Similarly dubious is Cushman’s (, p. ) claim that the name is a corruption of Choctaw “Yoshuba” (i.e., yoshoba), “lost.” A final false etymology to be mentioned here is E. T. Winston’s assertion that Yazoo is from “Yashu, ‘to go,’ and owa, ‘to hunt’” (DeCell and Prichard , p. ). While owa does mean “to hunt” in Choctaw, Yashu as a Choctaw name (see Yazoo Creek) has no translation; no Choctaw form of “to go” shows any similarity.

Yockanookany Creek/River (yock-uh-NUCK-uh-nee) S Choctaw (q.v.)/Attala (q.v.)/Leake counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on W side of Ackerman, by Miss. Hwy.  on S side of Kosciusko, and by Miss. Hwy.  six mi. W of Carthage. The first element of Yockanookany is Choctaw yakni, “land,” but the rest is uncertain. Halbert (, p. ) cites “the statement of old Indian countrymen that [the name] is a corruption of ‘Yakni aiokli,’ Beautiful land” (cf. Choctaw yakni, “land” and aiukli, “beautiful”). However, Swanton (, p. ), spelling the name “Yakan-okani,” suggests the translation “Land Creek” (cf. Choctaw yakni, “land” and okhina, “river; watercourse; stream”); this etymology is similar to Cushman’s (, p. ) “Yakniokhina,” which he interprets more freely as “the land of streams.” Cushman also inconsistently asserts that the name is from “Yak-ni-nak-ish-wa-na, Cat fish land” (ibid., p. ; cf. Choctaw yakni, “land” and nakishwana, “catfish”), but this is dubious, as the latter part of Yockanookany hardly resembles nakishwana. A suggestion by Swanton (, p. ) is “Yakni, ‘land,’ and nonka, ‘low’?” (None of the Choctaw words for “low” recorded in the Byington [] or Watkins [] dictionaries resembles “nonka.”) A patently false translation is “red ox” (Brieger , p. ); the Choctaw terms for “ox” (wak hobυk or wak toksυli) and “red” (homma) are certainly not evident in the place name. Finally, the following interpretation by Phelps and Ross (, p. ) is questionable but interesting: “ [A] Park Ranger in the Kosciusko District

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of the Natchez Trace Parkway . . . often heard a local tale that a party of Indians, fording the stream, overlooked one of the children who then called across to them, ‘Yockanookany,’ meaning, ‘Come and get me.’ This could be made to fit Byington’s [] translations: yaki, lo, behold; an, me (dative case); ikhana, to know, to find, to get.”

Yocona Community (est.  as Cornish) in SE Lafayette County. Named for the nearby Yocona River (see for translation and pronunciation).

Yocona Lake W Pontotoc County (q.v.). Artificial recreational lake on the Yocona River (see for translation and pronunciation).

Yocona River (YOCK-uh-nuh) W Pontotoc (q.v.)/Lafayette/N Yalobusha (q.v.)/N Tallahatchie (q.v.)/ SW Panola (q.v.) counties. Crossed by I- and U.S. Hwy.  nine mi. S of Batesville, and by Miss. Hwy.  four mi. S of Oxford. Yocona is a derivation of Chickasaw yaakni’, “land.” This stream’s present-day designation is shortened from the original name, which has various transliterations, including Cushman’s (, p. ) “Yoconapatawfa” and “Yak-ni-pa-tuffih,” and, on s maps, “Yocony Patawfa” (Gutting , p. ) and “Yoknepatawpha” (Seale , p. ). The most familiar variant of the river’s full original appellation, however, is that used by novelist William Faulkner, for his mythical Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi. According to Faulkner, Yoknapatawpha is Chickasaw for “water runs slow through flat land” (Gwynn and Blotner , p. ), but this is mostly fanciful; the Chickasaw equivalents of the English words of Faulkner’s purported translation (with the exception of yaakni’, “land”) do not resemble the phonetic elements of the name. (Another mistaken belief, as noted by Doyle [, p. ], is the local notion that Yoknapatawpha means “water passing through the air.”) The second element of the full original name is usually identified as Choctaw patafa, “split open; plowed; furrowed; tilled” (cf. Cushman


, p. ; Seale , p. ). However, as indicated above, the stream runs mostly through historically Chickasaw territory, and Chickasaw patafa in recent translation is defined only as “to be ripped; to be cut open,” while the phonetically dissimilar Chickasaw words liichi and laa are respectively defined as “to plow” and “to be plowed” (Munro and Willmond , pp. , ). But, in view of the fact that patafa occurs in both Choctaw and Chickasaw, and that the word in both tongues has recorded translations including the similar verb roots “to split,” “to rip” and “to cut,” it is likely that Chickasaw patafa historically shared with Choctaw the meanings “plowed,” “furrowed,” and “tilled,” as well. Hence, Yoknapatawpha (in Chickasaw orthography Yaakni’ Patafa), the full original name of the Yocona River, means “plowed land” or “plowed ground” (cf. Dyson , p. ).

Yocona River, Old SW Panola (q.v.)/SE Quitman counties. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  twelve mi. SW of Batesville. See Yocona River for translation and pronunciation.

Yocony Extinct community (est. ) in E Itawamba County (q.v.). Local pronunciation unrecorded. From Chickasaw yaakni’, “land” (cf. Seale , p. ).

Yoda Creek W Calhoun County. Crossed by Miss. Hwy.  on W side of Bruce. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Origin unknown; perhaps a corruption of Choctaw aiυtta, “abode; domicile; habitation” or a similar (but unrecorded) Chickasaw term.

Yokena (YOCK-uh-nuh) Community in S Warren County. From Choctaw yakni, “land” (Seale , p. ).

Yonaba Creek (yuh-NOB-uh) W Lee County. Halbert (, p. ), using Choctaw vocabulary, states

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that this stream’s name (spelled by him Yanubbee; cf. Yanubbee Creek, q.v.) means “Iron wood” (cf. Choctaw iyanυbi, “ironwood”). Cushman (, p. ) independently states that the name is from a Chickasaw word, spelled by him “yanubih,” which he also translates as “iron-wood.” The Chickasaw name for the ironwood tree (Ostrya virginiana, also known as the hop hornbeam) is not recorded in Munro and Willmond’s () Chickasaw-English dictionary, but Dyson (, p. ) renders it iyanabi’. However, Seale (, p. ), using Choctaw, suggests that the designation may be derived from a personal name combining ia, “one who goes,” the conjunctive particle na, “and,” plus υbi, “to kill”—i.e., “one who goes and kills.” Another interpretation offered by Seale (ibid.) is that Yonaba is perhaps derived from Choctaw yυnoba, “feverish.” It should be noted, however, that this creek is located in historically Chickasaw territory; there are no recorded Chickasaw equivalents of Seale’s suggested solutions.

Yonkapin Lake (YONK-uh-pin) N Tallahatchie County (q.v.). Seale (, p. ) suggests that Yonkapin may be a corruption of Choctaw yokopa, “placid; quiet” but also notes the close similarity to the non-Mississippi Indian word yankapin, a variant of Ojibwa wakipin, “crooked root.” Seale, however, offers no explanation of how this lake could have acquired as its name an obscure term belonging to the language of an upper midwestern tribe. It is more likely that the resemblance is coincidental.

Yucatan Lake W Claiborne County. Local pronunciation unrecorded. Named for the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. The name is of Yucatec (Mayan) derivation; its meaning is unknown (Bright , p. ).

Yucatan Point W Claiborne County. Point of land bordering Yucatan Lake (see for name origin).

References

Adair, James. . The History of the American Indians. Edited by Samuel Cole Williams. New York: Promontory Press. (Original edition published in  by Edward and Charles Dilly, London.) Anonymous. . Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Mississippi, Vol. . Chicago: Goodspeed. ———. . Mississippi Perpetuates Names of Indian Tribes. Jackson, Miss. Daily Clarion-Ledger, December ,  (p. no. unavailable). Copy at Mississippi Department of Archives and History Library, Jackson. Atkinson, James R. . The Ackia and Ogoula Tchetoka Chickasaw Village Locations during the French-Chickasaw War. Mississippi Archaeology, Vol. , No. , pp. –. ———. . Death of a Chickasaw Leader: The Probable Grave of Piomingo. Mississippi Archaeology, Vol. , No. , pp. –. ———, editor. a. A Narrative Based on an Interview with Malcolm McGee by Lyman C. Draper. Journal of Mississippi History, Vol. , pp. –. ———. b. Splendid Land, Splendid People: The Chickasaw Indians to Removal. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press. Baca, Keith A. . Indian Mounds of Mississippi: A Visitor’s Guide. Jackson: Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Boggan, Greg S. (n.d.) The Chunky Creek Train Wreck of . Newton County (Mississippi) Historical and Genealogical Society, http://www.nchgs.org/history/ trainwreck (accessed Dec. , ). Brieger, James F. . Hometown, Mississippi. Jackson, Miss.: Town Square Books.

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———. b. Chickasaw Traditions, Customs, Etc. Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society, Vol. , pp. –. Watkins, Ben. . Choctaw Definer: English with Choctaw Definition. Van Buren, Ark.: J. W. Baldwin. Winston, E. T. . Story of Pontotoc. Pontotoc, Miss.: Pontotoc Progress. Wright, Muriel H. . Review of The Rise and Fall of the Choctaw Republic, by Angie Debo. Chronicles of Oklahoma, Vol. , No. , pp. –.

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