 | The name of the bay, along the coasts of Wakulla and Jefferson Counties, into which the St. Marks and Aucilla Rivers empty. It was also the ancient name applied to the land and inhabitants located between the Aucilla and Ochlockonee Rivers.
. . . Tallahassee is located at the approximate geographic center of the ancient Apalachee Indian territory, which probably also extended for a short distance into what is now the state of Georgia. There were approximately thirty towns within this territory during the Spanish mission period. Apalachee culture seems to have been a cross between that of the other Florida tribes and their own Muskogean (Creek) relatives to the north. Their architecture was definitely of the southern style, and they probably had more cultural traits in common with the other southern tribes.
Panfilo de Narvaez, the leader of a Spanish expedition, entered the territory in 1528. The expedition's chronicles, recorded by Cabeza de Vaca, offer not only the earliest information concerning Indians of the southeast, but also reveal the Spanish cruelty and total lack of respect for other cultures. Their preoccupation with finding gold, and their fanatical religious attitude prevented them from attempting to learn about the newly discovered people. After entering the Apalachee territory, Cabeza says the expedition encountered some Indians who led the Spaniards to their village. He doesn't say if the Indians invited them out of friendliness or coercion. But upon entering the village he reports:
"There we found many boxes ... In every one of them was a corpse covered with painted deer hides. The commissary thought this to be some idolatrous practice, so he burnt the boxes with the corpses."
Actually, the bodies were being preserved until an appropriate burial time. This desecration of remains did not create a favorable impression of the "hairy invaders" among the North Florida tribes.
The Spaniards then proceeded to the Indian town of Apalachen where Cabeza entered with nine horsemen and fifty foot soldiers. There were only women and children in the town, but the Indian men soon returned and started shooting arrows at the intruders. No doubt, word had already reached them of the Spanish desecration at the first village two hours earlier. After a skirmish, the Indian warriors fled, but later returned asking for the release of their women and children. The Spaniards did so, but kept a Caciques, or chief, as prisoner. This angered the Indians, of course, and they attacked again the following day. The Apalachees continued to attack daily, losing only two warriors in the twenty five days the Spaniards occupied their village. The Spaniards were exposed to guerrilla warfare wherein their horses and men were frequently wounded or killed when they went for water. Pursuit of the Indians was futile, as they would disappear into the big patches of corn or a shallow lake or pond. Cabeza reported that in one fight:
"... some of our people were wounded in spite of their good armor. There were men that day who swore they had seen two oak trees, each as thick as the calf of a leg, shot through and through by arrows, which is not surprising if we consider the force and dexterity with which they shoot. Those people (of Florida) are wonderfully built, very gaunt and of great strength and agility. Their bows are as thick as an arm, from eleven to twelve spans (hands) long, shooting an arrow at 200 paces with unerring aim."
The Spanish finally made it back to the Gulf coast where they made five barges and sailed west, having nothing further to do with the inhabitants or the Apalachee territory. Narvaez, with four ships and about 400 men, had originally set out to explore the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Many of the men were killed by Indians; Navarez himself was drowned near the mouth of the Mississippi River. In the end there were only four men left, Cabeza de Vaca and three companions. The great army had wandered about for eight years, traveled over two thousand miles across the continent, with only four survivors finally reaching a Spanish settlement on the western coast of Mexico. . . .
By 1728, there were only two Apalachee towns surviving in the territory. One, called Hamaste, was about six miles from Fort San Marcos (St. Marks), and had about 200 people living there. The other one was San Juan de Guacara with about 20 people. . . .
The Apalachean language appears to have been related to Choctaw. In Choctaw, Apelachi means helper or ally, and Apelichi means the place in which to rule, preside, or govern. The second, Apelichi, appears to reflect the situation as the Spaniards found it, as Elvas (Portuguese traveling with De Soto) reported that Anahayca Apalache was "where the lord of all that country and province resided". . . .
Swanton (1922) claimed Apalachee means "on the other side" in Hichiti. This may be the true meaning, and the Apalachee may have just coincidentally been the dominant tribe in the region at that particular time. The largest geographic feature perserving the name of this tribe is the Appalachian Mountains.
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