Biloxi Language - History

History

Biloxis first encountered Europeans in 1699 along the Pascagoula River. By the mid-18th century they had settled in central Louisiana. Some were also noted in Texas in the early 19th century. By the early 19th century their numbers were already dwindling, and by 1934 the last native speaker, Emma Jackson, was in her 80s. Morris Swadesh and Mary Haas spoke with Emma Jackson in 1934 and confirmed her status as a speaker of the language.

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