Are there any native oral histories that explained or described the arrival of de Soto at the time of the arrival of French explorers in the American Southeast?

by I_Minored_In

Over 100 years passed in the American Southeast between Hernando de Soto and French explorers. Did native indians pass down oral histories on what they saw, the content of their visitations, etc?

Reedstilt

Off hand, I can't think of anything dating to the 18th or 19th Century relating to de Soto (not saying that it's not out there, just that I'm unfamiliar with it). However, we do actually have some post-de Soto information from the 16th Century.

In 1567-68, Juan Pardo led his second expedition into the interior from the ill-fated colony of Santa Elena, just north of the modern South Calorina-Georgia border. Along the way he and his men encountered many of the same nations de Soto had a generation earlier. In the great italwa of Coosa, running the length of the southern Appalachians from roughly from western Virginia into northeastern Alabama, Pardo's men heard of the battles fought against de Soto. The people of Greater Coosa (to distinguish the larger polity from its capital, which was also called Coosa) spoke of fighting against mounted Spaniards, as well as Spanish infantry. While there's no record of violence between de Soto's men and the people of Greater Coosa in the various Spanish records, it's quite likely that the people of Coosa participated in the Battle of Mabila. Pardo was warned by one of his interpreters that he would have a hard time if he attempted to reach Coosa itself, since de Soto's abuses were well-remembered. This is unsurprising, especially considering that the mico of Coosa at the time of Pardo was likely the same one that de Soto encountered (at the time of de Soto, the mico was only in his mid-20s. What is interesting is that this interpreter also says that the people of Coosa had killed de Soto and his men. Since the interpreter was from a smaller town far out on the northeastern edge of Coosa's territory, he may have received an erroneous version of the events that occurred at Mabila, hundreds of miles away. This seems the most reasonable explanation, considering de Soto lived for quite a while after Mabila, even though it was the beginning of the end of this expedition (though perhaps by forcing de Soto into that situation was as good as actually killing him for the people of Coosa).