... The word Alabama is said to be from the Choctaw “alba ayamule”, which means “I open or clear the thicket.” The word Koasati has been suggested to signify “white cane.” Many variant spellings have been noted, including Coushatta.
Courtship and Marriage: A young man expresses his interest in a girl by perhaps a pinch or a light blow as he passes her... If interested, she will chase him around a nearby tree. The next week the process may be reversed with the girl making the first overture.
“...The essential characteristic of the culture of the Alabama-Koasati group may best be described as calm well-reasoned, non-individualistic group action. The individual is sunk in the total community structure, they act together as a group on all things affecting their welfare. The solemn, soberly conducted tribal meeting is the climax of this group expression...”