The Nechaui were a Native American tribe from eastern Texas. Their name is thought to be derived from Nachawi, the

Caddo language Caddo is a Native American language, the traditional language of the Caddo Nation. It is critically endangered, with no exclusively Caddo-speaking community and only 25 speakers as of 1997 who acquired the language as children outside school ins ...

word for

Osage orange ''Maclura pomifera'', commonly known as the Osage orange ( ), is a small deciduous tree or large shrub, native to the south-central United States. It typically grows about tall. The distinctive fruit, a multiple fruit, is roughly spherical, b ...

.Nechaui Indians.
''Handbook of Texas Online.'' (retrieved 9 Sept 2009)

History

The Nechaui were part of the

Hasinai The Hasinai Confederacy (Caddo: ) was a large confederation of Caddo-speaking Native Americans who occupied territory between the Sabine and Trinity rivers in eastern Texas. Today, their descendants are enrolled in the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma an ...

branch of the

Caddo Confederacy The Caddo people comprise the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe headquartered in Binger, Oklahoma. They speak the Caddo language. The Caddo Confederacy was a network of Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands, wh ...

. During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, their principal village was located on the

Neches River The Neches River () begins in Van Zandt County west of Rhine Lake and flows for through the piney woods of east Texas, defining the boundaries of 14 counties on its way to its mouth on Sabine Lake near the Rainbow Bridge. Two major reservoirs, ...

, in present-day

Cherokee County, Texas Cherokee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 50,412. The county seat is Rusk, which lies 130 miles southeast of Dallas and 160 miles north of Houston. The county was named for the C ...

. In the late 17th century, Spanish explorer, Francisco Casañas de Jesús María encountered the tribe and wrote, "Toward the north, where the above-mentioned Necha tribe ends, is that called the Nacachau."The Nacachau, Nechaui and Nacono Tribes.
''Access Genealogy''. (retrieved 9 Sept 2009) The Nechaui settled near the

Nacono The Nacono were a Native American tribe from eastern Texas. Today they are part of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe in Oklahoma. History The Nacono were part of the Hasinai branch of the Caddo Confederacy.Sturtevant 616 ...

and

Neche tribe The Neche were a Native American tribe from eastern Texas.Sturtevant, 617 History The Neche were part of the Hasinai branch of the Caddo Confederacy. During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, they settled along the Neches River, in present da ...

s. In 1716, another Spanish explorer, Domingo Ramón wrote that Franciscan friars established a

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

to convert the Nechaui and neighboring Hasinai tribes. Ultimately, they assimilated into other Hasinai tribes in the 18th century, and are enrolled in the

Caddo Nation of Oklahoma The Caddo people comprise the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe headquartered in Binger, Oklahoma. They speak the Caddo language. The Caddo Confederacy was a network of Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands, who ...

today.

Synonymy

The tribe is also known as the Nechavi.Sturtevant, 629

Notes

References

* Bolton, Herbet E
''The Hasinais: Southern Caddoans As Seen by the Earliest Europeans.''
Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2002. . * Sturtevant, William C., general editor and Raymond D. Fogelson, volume editor. ''Handbook of North American Indians: Southeast''. Volume 14. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution, 2004. .

External links

Nechaui Indians
from Handbook of Texas Online Caddoan peoples Native American history of Texas Native American tribes in Texas {{Texas-stub