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Tuskegee

Tuskegee is a poorly attested language of Tennessee and Alabama. Although the Taskigi village is identified as a Cherokee village in some history texts, the few recorded vocabulary words of the tribe's original language suggest it was a Muskogean language, and James Mooney quoted 19th-century Cherokee sources stating that the Tuskegee tribe was distinct from either the Cherokees or the Creeks and that the Cherokees moved into the Taskigi village later, after most of the original occupants were gone. Alternate spellings for this tribe in historical documents include Tuskogee, Tasquiqui, Tus-kee-gee, Taskigi, Taskiki, Tasqui, Taskeke, Kakigue, Cacougai, Cattougui, Caskigui, and Caskighi.

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Because there are so few records of the Tuskegee language remaining, it is not known whether Tuskegee was a distinct language, a dialect of another Muskogean language such as Alabama or Koasati, or possibly the same language as other poorly-known Southeastern languages such as Yamasi. Most of the remaining Tuskegee people are believed to have merged into the larger Creek and Cherokee tribes, and traveled with them to Oklahoma along the infamous Trail of Tears. Others fled to Florida and joined the Seminoles.

Tuskegee Language and History Resources

Tuskegee Tribe
Article on the history of the Tuskegees, including some recorded vocabulary words.

Four Directions: Tuskegee
Demographic information and timeline for the Tuskegee Indian tribe.

A Historical and Archaic Study of the Tuskegee in Florida:
1936 article about the Tuskegee Seminoles and their lifestyle.
(Note that this article is rather dated and very biased in places.)

Tuskegee Indian Legends:
Collection of Tuskegee myths and legends.

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