The Appalousa were Native Americans who had occupied the area around Opelousas, Louisiana before European contact.
The name Opelousas has been thought to have many meanings, but the one most commonly accepted is "Blackleg", possibly because the tribe painted or stained their legs a dark color. [1]
Michel De Birotte, who lived in Louisiana from 1690 to 1734, about forty years of which he spent living among the Indians, said the Appalousa lived just west of two small lakes, thought to be Leonard Swamp, east of Opelousas. This was the westernmost channel of the Mississippi River in earlier times. Because of mineral deposits and the great number of leaves covering the bottom, the waters of the lake were black. Appalousa hunting and fishing in the lake found their legs became stained black from the stagnant waters.