Natchez

The Natchez lived among the bluffs above the lower Mississippi, where their ancestors built great earthen mounds. Emerald Mound served as a ceremonial centre before power shifted to the Grand Village of the Natchez. Their chief, known as the Great Sun, belonged to a ruling lineage in which descent passed through women; his successor was the son of a female member of the family.

French settlement brought mounting conflict over land. In 1729 the Natchez attacked Fort Rosalie and its settlers; French retaliation and further fighting devastated their towns. After their defeat in 1731, many captives were sent to Saint-Domingue and sold into slavery. Other Natchez escaped and found refuge among the Chickasaw, Muscogee and Cherokee, carrying their community's identity into new homelands.