No Man's Land: A History of El Camino Real — John Shaqi
No Man's Land: A History of El Camino RealNardini, Louis Raphael
History
No Man's Land: A History of El Camino Real
Nardini, Louis Raphael
El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail (Tex. and La.); Louisiana -- History
III
DACHICOIN—A NOBLE INDIAN
LOS ADAIS, 1723
Dachicoin had only two years before he reached the considered age of an
adult, which according to the Adais law was sixteen. He had ignited the
council-fire of the Adais and was demanding audience. The Elders came
and seated themselves in their proper places and bade him speak.
He brought to the attention of the Adais how nice the Spanish or French
treated an Indian of position in any Indian tribe—they dared not molest
this Indian or any of his family. Also, the Indian of position seemed to
get a better deal in the matter of trade-goods. “If we make all the
Indian adult males of the Adais an officer or man of position then the
whole tribe will benefit by it. I wish first to test this and, if I am
successful, then I demand to be made a _conachas_”.[4] Dachicoin
explained his proposed test to the Elders.
Dachicoin went to the Natchitoches Post and demanded of Sieur Barme, a
merchant of certain trade-goods, a supply of such goods, saying that he
would bring all the profit back to the merchant in return for which he
expected something that he could trade for himself at profit. Sieur
Barme saw possibilities in Dachicoin because he agreed to the Indian’s
terms. Sieur Barme did not overlook the fact that the Indian spoke to
him in French. Later he found out that the Indian also spoke Spanish.
Dachicoin was made a _conachas_ among the Adais.
When Dachicoin was fifteen years old the Spanish priests came to the
Adais. Even at this young age he must have realized that a new way of
life was beginning among the Adais, and decided to follow the new trend
by working with the Spanish priests, guiding them among the tribes of
the Caddos and commuting back and forth with them to the Natchitoches
post. Soon he mastered the Spanish language. When he was sixteen and had
successfully filled the agreement of his first test with Sieur Barme,
the Natchitoches merchant, three other men, Lotbotiniere, Lagross and
Largen, saw the possibility of profit in the use of Dachicoin. One or
the other of these traders was continuously traveling back and forth to
the Hasinai Indians who lived deep in the Tejas Country. So Dachicoin
began a tutorship with the traders, and at the same time began to master
the French language.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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