Taensa

The Taensa (also Tahensa, Tinsas, Tensas, Tenisaw, Taënsa, grands Taensas (in French), Taenso, Takensa, Tenza, Tinza) were a people of northeastern Louisiana. They lived on Lake Saint Joseph west of the Mississippi River, between the Yazoo River and Saint Catherine Creek. Their settlements were in present-day Tensas Parish, Louisiana, as reported by Nicolas de la Salle in 1682. They numbered perhaps 1,200 people in several villages.

The meaning of the name is unknown, although it is believed to be an autonym. The Chitimacha called them Chō´sha.

The Taensa are not to be confused with the Avoyel, also known in French as petits Taensas (English: Little Taensa) who were closer to the Tunica people and lived in present-day Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana (mentioned by Iberville in 1699).

History

Prehistory

The Plaquemine culture is considered ancestral to the Natchez and Taensa Peoples.

European contact

The Taensa were visited by French Catholic missionaries around the year 1700, who settled among the Taensa, Tunica people, and Natchez. In 1699, the Taensa had seven villages. They lived along the Mississippi River south of the Tunica, near the Yazoo River.