Native American Facts For Kids was written for young people learning about the Apalachees for school or home-schooling reports.
We encourage students and teachers to visit our Apalachee language and culture
pages for more in-depth information about the tribe, but here are our answers to the questions we are most often asked by children, with
Apalachee pictures and links we believe are suitable for all ages.
How do you pronounce the word "Apalachee"? What does it mean?
It's pronounced "APP-uh-LATCH-ee." It means "people on the other side" in Hitchiti, the language of a neighboring tribe.
Where do the Apalachees live?
The Apalachees are original residents of northwestern Florida.
But their descendants do not live in that location anymore. The Apalachees were nearly destroyed by war in the early 1700's, and most
of the survivors fled to Alabama and Louisiana, where the remaining Apalachee people are living today.
How is the Apalachee Indian nation organized?
In the past, the Apalachee tribe was led by a chief, called the holahta in the Apalachee language. This chief was chosen
by a tribal council made up of all the important men in the tribe. Although he was the leader of the tribe, the Apalachee chief still needed to listen
to the opinions of the tribal council-- otherwise they might choose a new chief!
The Apalachee tribe is not federally recognized in the United States. That means Apalachee people today
do not have a reservation or their own government. But the Apalachees do have a community in Louisiana where they
continue to practice their culture.
What language do the Apalachees speak?
The Apalachee people speak English today. In the past, they spoke their native
Apalachee language. If you'd like to know a few easy Apalachee words, here is a
vocabulary list.
How do Apalachee Indian children live, and what did they do in the past?
They do the same things all children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house.
Many Apalachee children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more
chores and less time to play, just like colonial children. But they did have
dolls,
toys and games to play with.
Ballgames were popular sports among teenage boys as they were among adult men. Apalachee mothers, like many
Native Americans, traditionally carried their babies in
cradleboards
on their backs--a custom which many American parents have
adopted
now.
What were men and women's roles in the Apalachee tribe?
Apalachee men were hunters and sometimes went to war to protect their families.
Apalachee women were farmers and also did most of the child care and cooking.
Only men became Apalachee chiefs, but both genders took part in storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine.
What were Apalachee homes like in the past?
The Apalachee Indians lived in rivercane huts thatched with palmetto or bark. Each family had its own small house. The Apalachees
also built larger council houses in the same style. Here are some pictures of a
reconstructed Apalachee council house, showing how
it was constructed. Some Apalachee villages also had a special ball-playing field with benches for spectators.
Today, these old-fashioned buildings are only used for educational purposes, not as shelter.
Apalachee people live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you.
What was Apalachee clothing like? Did they wear feather headdresses and face paint?
Apalachee men wore breechcloths.
Apalachee women wore wraparound skirts made of woven fiber.
Shirts were not necessary in the Apalachee culture, but both genders wore cloaks in cooler weather.
The Apalachees also wore moccasins on their feet.
Here is a webpage with pictures of
traditional Southeastern Native American dress,
and here are some photographs and links about Indian clothes in general.
The Apalachees didn't wear long headdresses like the
Sioux. Apalachee men usually shaved their heads in the
Mohawk style and tied feathers on top..
Apalachee women usually wore their long hair wound into buns on top
of their heads. Apalachee men, especially warriors, often decorated their bodies with
tribal tattoos and painted themselves bright red before battles or dances.
Apalachee women didn't tattoo or paint themselves, but they liked to wear long strings of shell jewelry.
Today, some Apalachee people still wear moccasins, but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breechcloths...
and they only wear feathers in their hair on special occasions like a dance.
What was Apalachee transportation like in the days before cars? Did they paddle canoes?
Yes--the Apalachee Indians made dugout canoes from hollowed-out cypress logs. Over land, the Apalachees used dogs as pack animals.
(There were no horses in North America until colonists brought them over from Europe.)
Today, of course, Apalachee people also use cars... and non-native people also use canoes.
What was Apalachee food like in the days before supermarkets?
The Apalachees were farming people. Apalachee women did most of the farming, harvesting crops of corn, beans, and squash.
Apalachee men hunted deer, wild turkeys, and small game, and they fished in the rivers and along the coast.
Apalachee dishes included cornbread, soups, and stews. They also ate berries, nuts and fruit.
What were Apalachee weapons and tools like in the past?
Apalachee hunters used bows and arrows. Fishermen usually used fishing spears.
In war, Apalachee men fired their bows or fought with spears.
What other Native Americans did the Apalachee tribe interact with?
The Apalachees traded regularly with other Muskogean tribes of Florida and Georgia, such as the
Creek and
Miccosukee tribes. But when the Creeks became allies of the British, they
fought with the Apalachees and helped drive them out of Florida.
What kinds of stories did the Apalachees tell?
There were many traditional Apalachee legends and fairy tales. Storytelling was very important to the
Apalachee Indian culture. Here is a story about the origin of fire.
This is a Hitchiti legend, but the Apalachees told the same story.
What about Apalachee religion?
Religions are too complicated and culturally sensitive to describe appropriately
in only a few simple sentences, and we strongly want to avoid misleading anybody. You can visit this site to learn more about
the beliefs of Southeastern Native Americans or this site about
Native American spirituality in general.
How do I cite your website in my bibliography?
You will need to ask your teacher for the format he or she wants you to use. Our names are Laura Redish and
Orrin Lewis and the title of our site is Native Languages of the Americas. The site was first created in 1998 and last updated in 2007.
Thanks for your interest in the Apalachee Indian people and their language!
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