Abstract
In February 2002, avocational archaeologists from northeastern Texas and northwestern Louisiana conducted archaeological investigations in an area along Big Cypress Bayou in Marion County, Texas, to search for and identify a pre-1841 Coushatta Indian village depicted on a 1943 General Land Office map. That map showed a "Coushatti" village with at least seven to eight structures (a common way at the time to indicate an Indian village, but not necessarily an accurate characterization of the number of structures once present at the site) near the confluence of Black Cypress Bayou and Big Cypress Bayou. This article describes the results of these archaeological investigations.. Other Alabama (Alibamu) and Coushatta (Koasati) villages have been documented in recent years through archaeological and historical investigations in the Caddo Lake and Red River areas of northeastern Texas and northwestern Louisiana. These villages were first established around 1803 or 1804 by these members of the Creek Indian confederacy who had moved or resettled as a group from the Alabama River area of east-central Alabama. The Alabama and Coushatta chose to resettle in traditional Caddo lands rather than "associate with the British and American traders and settlers who moved into Creek Territory after the French and Indian War, which ended in 1763, and the American Revolution".
Highlights
The archaeological information obtained from very limited investigations in 2002 at 41MR254 strongly suggest that this is the location of a pre-1840 Coushatta Indian village on Big Cypress Bayou
The best evidence of this pre-1840 Coushatta occupation derives from the aboriginal ceramic vessel sherds found there, as the ceramics seem to share characteristics of paste, temper, and decoration with other early 19'h century Coushatta sites in northwest Louisiana and East Texas (McCrocklin 1990; Jumey and Perttula 1995; Perttula 1994)
The most diagnostic ceramic decorative style documented in early 19'h century Coushatta ceramics-namely appliqued fillets placed in a horizontal band below the rim of Chattahoochee Roughened everted rim jars- is not present at 41 MR254, but the aboriginal sherd assemblage is quite small
Summary
Ln February 2002, avocational archaeologists from northeastern Texas and northwestern Louisiana conducted archaeological investigations in an area along Big Cypress Bayou in Marion County, Texas, to search for and identify a pre-1841 Coushatta Indian village depicted on a 1943 General Land Office map (General Land office 1941:304-305). Other Alabama (Alibamu) and Coushatta (Koasati) villages have been documented in recent years through archaeological and historical investigations in the Caddo Lake and Red River areas of northeastern Texas and northwestern Louisiana (Bagur 2001 :54-58; McCrocklin 1990; Jurney and Perttula 1995). These villages were t1rst established around 1803 or 1804 by these members of the Creek Indian confederacy who had moved or resettled as a group from the Alabama River area of east-central Alabama. The Alabama and Coushatta chose to resettle in traditional Caddo lands rather than "associate with the British and American traders and settlers who moved into Creek Territory after the French and Indian War, which ended in 1763, and the American Revolution" (Perttula 1994:66)
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