The Kataba Indians of North and South Carolina are mentioned here only
incidentally, as they do not appear to have had much intercourse with
any Maskoki tribe. The real extent of this linguistic group is
unknown; being in want of any vocabularies besides that of the Kataba,
on Kataba river, S. C., and of the Woccons, settled near the coast of
N. C., we are not inclined to trust implicitly the statement of Adair,
who speaks of a large Kataba confederacy embracing twenty-eight
villages "of different nations," on Santee, Combahee, Congaree and
other rivers, and speaking dialects of the Kataba language. The
Waterees, seen by Lawson, probably belonged to this stock, and the
Woccons lived contiguous to the Tuscarora-Iroquois tribe.
The passage of Adair being the only notice on the extent of the Kataba
language found in the early authors, excepting Lawson, I transcribe it
here in full (History, pp. 224. 225): "About the year 1743, the nation
(of the Katahba) consisted of almost four hundred warriors, of above
twenty different dialects. I shall mention a few of the national names
of those who make up this mixed language; the _Kátahba_ is the
standard or court dialect--the _Wateree_, who make up a large town;
_Eenó, Charàh_, ||_-wah_, now _Chowan, Canggaree, Nachee, Yamasee,
Coosah_, etc. Their country had an old waste field of seven miles
extent, and several others of smaller dimensions, which shows that
they were formerly a numerous people, to cultivate so much land with
their dull stone axes, etc."
After Charàh a new page begins, and the _-wah_ following, which has no
connection with what precedes, proves that there is a printer's
lacune, perhaps of a whole line. Eenó is given by Lawson as a
Tuscarora town;[2] Charàh is the ancient Sara, Saura, Saraw or Sarau
mentioned by Lederer and others. The "Nachee" certainly did not speak
a Kataba language, nor is there much probability that the Yámassi did
so. By the Coosah are probably meant the Indians living on
Coosawhatchee river, South Carolina, near Savannah. Adair, in his
quality as trader, had visited the Kataba settlements personally.[3]
[Footnote 2: Reprint of 1860, pp. 97. 100. 101. 383.]
[Footnote 3: Cf. B. R. Carroll, Histor. Collect. of S. C., II,
p. 243. Lawson states that the Congaree dialect was not
understood by the Waterees and Chicarees.]
Pénicaut, in his "Relation,"[4] mentions a curious fact, which proves
that the alliances of the Kataba extended over a wide territory in the
South. In 1708, the Alibamu had invited warriors of the Cheroki, Abika
and Kataba (here called _Cadapouces, Canapouces_) to an expedition
against the Mobilians and the French at Fort Mobile. These hordes
arrived near the bay, and were supposed to number four thousand men;
they withdrew without inflicting much damage. More about this
expedition under "Alibamu," q. v.
[Footnote 4: Margry, _Découvertes_, V, 477.]