Mobile cultural area
The Mobile cultural area refers to the historical and social landscape associated with the Mobile people, a Native American group primarily located in present-day Alabama. The Mobile, under the leadership of Chief Tuscaloosa, notably resisted Spanish incursions in 1540 during Hernando de Soto's expedition, marking a significant moment in their history. Following this period, many members of the Mobile tribe migrated south to Mobile Bay, where they encountered French settlers around 1700. Seeking protection from traditional adversaries, they allied with the French and settled near Fort Louis in 1708.
Throughout the 18th century, French Roman Catholic missionaries played a role in the Christianization of the Mobile, who eventually became absorbed into the Choctaw Nation. By 1758, the population of the Mobile had dwindled to fewer than two hundred individuals. The Mobile people communicated in their native language and also utilized a trade language known as Mobilian, which was a form of Choctaw used among various tribes across a broad region from Florida to Louisiana. The Mobile cultural area thus reflects a rich history marked by resilience, adaptation, and interaction with European colonizers.
Mobile cultural area
Category: Tribe
Culture area: Southeast
Language group: Muskogean
Primary location: Choctaw Bluff on the Alabama River
Despite extensive historical data on the Mobile, there is little prehistoric information. In 1540, Hernando de Soto first fought with the Mobile, who were under the leadership of their chief, Tuscaloosa, who rallied his people and neighboring groups to oppose the Spanish successfully.
Later, many Mobile moved south to Mobile Bay, where the French encountered them in 1700. The Mobile appealed to the French for protection from their traditional enemies, and in 1708 they were settled near Fort Louis, along with the Tohome. French Roman Catholic missionaries were relatively successful in Christianizing the Mobile, who were absorbed into the Choctaw Nation. By 1758 there remained fewer than two hundred Mobile.
In addition to their own language, the Mobile spoke a so-called Mobilian lingua franca, or trade language, which actually was a corrupted jargon of the Choctaw used by most tribes from Florida to Louisiana, and north along the Mississippi.