The great family of Pani Indians has, in historic times, extended from
the Platte river southward to the Gulf of Mexico. From the main stock,
the Sanish or Arikari have wandered on their hunting trips north to
the Middle Missouri river, while the Pani, in four divisions, had the
Platte and its tributaries for their headquarters. The southern tribes
are the Witchita, the Towákone or Three Canes, who speak the Witchita
dialect, the Kichai and the originally Texan tribes of the Caddo and
Waco (Wéko, in Spanish: Hueco.)[32]
[Footnote 32: Cf. R. G. Latham, Opuscula, p. 400, who was the
first to hint at a possible affinity of Caddo to Pani.]
The Pani family was too remote from the Maskoki tribes to enter in
direct connection with them. Some of the southern septs had
intercourse with them, mainly through the French colonists. Fights
between Caddos and Cha'hta are recorded for the eighteenth century.
The Pani family is mentioned here simply because the legendary caves
from which the Creek nation is said to have sprung lay on Red river,
within the limits of the territory held by some of the southern Pani
nations.
When L. d'Iberville ascended the western branch of the Red river, now
called Red river (the eastern branch being Washita or Black river), in
March 1699, he saw and visited eight villages of the Caddo connection.
His Taensa guide named them as follows:
Yataché; called Yátassi by Americans.
Nactythos; they are the Natchitoches.
Yesito;
Natao; the Adái above.
Cachaymons;