Hi Rich
The Yuchi were Muskogean or possibly "isolate". They weren't Iroquoian. They were related to the Natchez. I'd go with "isolate", actually Savanah River descendants, from what I can make out.
My initial introduction to the Yuchi was from "Tribes that Slumber", where they were presented as something of a mystery. For the confusion as to their language, page 144.
I did include a Yuchi henge tradition in my book, but gave the matter little thought until long afterwards, even though henges were recovered at Cahokia. (My conclusion now is that not only Siouxian peoples had henges.)
After my book and stroke, I read the accounts of the Ocanachee while in Halifax, North Carolina, I believe from this book:
http://www.amazon.com/reader/0742552632?%5Fencoding=UTF8&ref%5F=sib%5Fdp%5Fpt#reader-linkThat's when I first became aware of the gross physical differences between them and other peoples. (email me please as well on this.)
And then I saw the council house in Tallahasse, which were common through the South East:
http://www.missionsanluis.org/Including at Ocanachee itself.
This is exactly what was described by de Soto in Alabama. They're big enough to ride horses around in.
As the Apalachee were not Yuchi/Ocanachee ethnically, it appears this type of structure was adopted by other peoples in the south east. But I know of no Siouxian antecedents or descendants for this type of structure.
The Yuchi relationship with the Natchez was distant, but it appears that they did participate in the Mississippian trade federation.
Moving on: the Cherokee remembered when the Siouxian peoples showed up, and their battle with them.
[/i]Archaeology disagrees and so do I. [/i]
See Tribes that Slumber, page 144, for the distribution of Yuchi sites. Note that Yuchi/Ocanachee remains are indistinguishable. For the Cherokee account of their battle with the Catawba, see my book, or email me. The Cherokee had names for the Mushkogean nations.
So what was the colonist's name and where's the account?That should have been colonists' (plural), not just one. This wasn't an isolated siting, and when I was at Newark I expected that I would be able to find out more about these cats when I returned home.
The colonists' accounts are in Newark, and that's all I can give you until and unless I stumble across the satchel containing my notes/copies, or I am able to return to Newark. My apologies for this, but I've had this damn stroke; it's quite frustrating.
I would take another look at the diagnostics. What cultural artifacts indicated they were a Siouxian people?
[/i]The way the wikwams were arranged in concentric circles [/i]
Those wikwams did not happen to have 2 foot deep foundations, by any chance?
and there was a astronomical calendar structure in the center. I am of the opinion now that henges were not uniquely Siouxian.
Again, I included a Yuchi henge tradition in my book.
[/i]Also projectile point and pottery styles match that of other Southeastern Siouians.[/i]
Those are pretty good, but... I wonder if what you're seeing as Southeastern Siouxian are not Ocanachee/Yuchi? Again, Ocanachee/Yuchi had a grossly different appearance than Sioux.
Given the southeast distribution of clovis, my current thinking is that these people came north from South America, bringing overstrike technology with them.
In closing this note, which started out on the Walam Olum, I have been wrong before, and like everyone else I am just trying to put the pieces together. I hope you understand why I can not accept Oestreicher's work entire, and why I ask that it remain in Research Needed.