Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) https://www.tshaonline.org

Ais Indians https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/ais-indians

The Ais Indians: History and Culture of East Texas

By: Margery H. Krieger

Published: 1952

Updated: June 1, 1995

The Ais (Ayis, Ays, Eyeish, Ayish) Indians, an East Texas group associated with the Hasinais, spoke a language different from the Caddos of the region. For this reason, it has been suggested by some authorities that the Ais represented a culture older than the confederacy known to the French and Spanish. Their early home was on Ayish Bayou between the Sabine and Neches rivers. In 1717 Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de los Ais Mission was founded for them in the vicinity of present San Augustine. According to historical accounts the Ais were distrusted alike by the Caddo and by French and Spanish authorities. In the later part of the eighteenth century they were placed under the jurisdiction of the officials residing at Nacogdoches. They were later placed on the Wichita reservation in Oklahoma.

Share this entry on social media:

Bibliography:

Frederick Webb Hodge, ed., Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico (2 vols., Washington: GPO, 1907, 1910; rpt., New York: Pageant, 1959).

The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.

Margery H. Krieger, “Ais Indians,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed April 11, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/ais-indians.

TID: BMA15

Original Publication Date:
1952
Most Recent Revision Date:
June 1, 1995