Apalachee [key], tribe of Native North Americans once centered about Apalachee Bay, NW Florida, belonging to the Muskogean branch of the Hokan-Siouan linguistic stock (see Native American languages). Prosperous agriculturalists, they fought off the raids of the Creek until early in the 18th cent. Combined Native American and British forces then conquered them, wiping out their villages along with Spanish missions and garrisons. More than 1,000 Apalachee were sold into slavery. Some relocated to W central Louisiana, along the banks of the Red River, where the French granted them land. Descendants of the tribe, which was deprived its land in 1826 and lost government recognition under President Andrew Jackson, still live in Louisiana.
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