5 Cents Natchez tribes

The Jamul Indian Village, a Kumeyaay band located in San Diego County, is among the many tribal nations that have issued sovereign coinage under the authority recognized through federal trust status. This particular piece honoring the Natchez — a Mississippian culture tribe nearly destroyed by French colonial forces following the 1729 Natchez Massacre — represents an unusual pairing of issuing authority and honored subject, the two peoples geographically and culturally unrelated.

Whether these tribal issues circulate as currency in any practical sense remains doubtful; they are produced primarily for the collector market by private minting contractors.