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Native American Tribes of Alabama

Welcome to Native Languages of the Americas! You have reached the Native American states section of our website, a new educational project designed to provide information about indigenous people in different U.S. states. Follow the links to the right of our tribal map for more information about the language, culture and history of each Alabama tribe, or scroll below the map for Alabama Indian activities including a wordsearch, fact sheets for kids about each tribe, and worksheets teaching words from the different Native American languages of Alabama. Feel free to print any of these materials out for classroom use!

American Indians in Alabama

Did you know the name "Alabama" is a Muskogean Indian word? It meant "campsite" or "clearing," and became used as a name for one of the major tribes in the area, the Alabama (or Alabamee) Indians. The Alabama Indians were not the only native people of this region, however.

The original inhabitants of the area that is now Alabama included:

About Our Maps

The Alabama tribe

The Biloxi tribe

The Cherokee tribe

The Chickasaw tribe

The Choctaw tribe

The Koasati tribe

The Muskogee (Creek) tribe (including the Abihka,
Coosa, and Tallapoosa)

Most Native Americans were forced to leave Alabama during the Indian Removals of the 1800's. These tribes are not extinct, but except for the descendants of Alabama Indians who escaped from Removal, they do not live in Alabama anymore. They were moved to Indian reservations in Oklahoma and Texas instead. If you click on the link for each tribe, you can find more information about them.

There is one federally recognized Indian tribe in Alabama today.

Here is the address of Alabama's Indian reservation:

Poarch Creek Indians (Muskogee):
5811 Jack Springs Road
Atmore, AL 36504
http://www.poarchcreekindians-nsn.gov/

Other Indian tribes, bands and communities remaining in Alabama today include:

Cherokee Tribe of Northeast Alabama:
PO Box 1227
Scottsboro, AL 35768

Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama:
630 County Road 1281
Falkville, AL 35622

Machis Lower Creek Tribe:
Rt 1 708 South John St
New Brockton, AL 36351

Mowa Band of Choctaw:
1080 Red Fox Rd.
Mt. Vernon, AL 36560

Star Clan of Muskogee Creeks:
PO Box 126
Goshen, AL 36035

Teaching and learning activities about Alabama Native Americans:

Feel free to print these out for classroom use!

Alabama Tribes Word Search: Printable puzzle hiding the names of Alabama's Indian tribes.

Alabama Language Greetings: Learn to say "hello" in several Native Alabama languages.

Alabama Native Animals: Learn the Native American names of Alabama animals.

Write Your Name In Cherokee: Directions for using the Cherokee writing system to spell English names.

Alabama Facts for Kids: Answers to frequently asked questions about the Indian tribes of Alabama.
We currently have pages for the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Coushatta, Muskogee, and Alabama Indian tribe.

Recommended books about Alabama Native Americans:

Alabama Indian Dictionary For Kids: Good overview of the Native Americans of Alabama.

Alabama Indians: Introducing Alabama's Native American history and culture to kids.

They Say The Wind Is Red: History of the Alabama Choctaw tribe.

The Winding Trails: Kids' book on the Alabama-Coushatta tribe.

Prehistoric Indians of the Southeast: Alabama Indian history and archaeology.

Indian Place Names in Alabama: The native etymology of present-day place-names in Alabama.

Historic Indian Towns in Alabama: Ethnography and historical geography of Alabama Native Americans.

Myths and Folktales of the Alabama-Coushatta Indians of Texas: Traditional Koasati and Alabama Indian stories for sale.

Other resources about American Indian history, culture and society in Alabama state:

Alabama Indian Affairs Commission: State bureau representing American Indians in Alabama.

Indian Tribes of Alabama: History and genealogy of the Cherokee, Choctaw, and Creek Indians in Alabama.

Alabama History: Indian Removal Era: History and the texts of four treaties with the Alabama Creek and Cherokee Indians.

Early Settlers of Alabama: Cherokee Indians: Article on Cherokee Indian history in Alabama.

Poarch Creek Indians of Alabama: Article on Creek Indian history and culture in Alabama.

Introduction to the Alabama Creeks: Information, lesson plans, and maps showing the location of Indian villages and other settlements.

The Creek Indian Wars in Alabama: History articles on the Alabama Indian role in the War of 1812 and the Creek War of 1836.

Prehistoric Alabama: Articles on ancient Alabama tribes from the Paleo-Indians through the Mound-Builders.

Southeast Indian Artifacts Guide: Photographs and descriptions of arrowheads and other Indian relics from Alabama and Georgia.

Moundville Archaeological Site: Online museum exhibit about Alabama's Indian mounds and the ancient culture that built these sites.

Native American Indian tribes of Alabama: Historical overview of all the main Indian groups in Alabama.

Moundville Alabama Indian Festival: Pictures from Alabama's annual Native American cultural event.

Back to the index of Native American tribes
Back to our index of Indian tribes by state
Back to our Native American FAQ for Kids

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