Traders and merchants traveled afar, using the many paths that crisscrossed the Indian nations.  Like the ambassador, the trader's right to travel unmolested was sacred.  No matter what the political situation, the economy could not be disturbed any more than necessary because the entire people could suffer.  An enemy's traders were allowed to pass through the Tsalagi Nation.  Any person who hindered their travel or did them harm would have to answer to his clansmen.
  Most roads used for long distance travel were ancient animal trails.  Anywhere the great bison could travel, man could traverse with ease.  The main trade route on the western side of the Allegheny Mountains was called the Great War Path.  The trail ran north and south through the Tsalagi Nation.  This high road to adventure was used more often as a trade route than a path for men on their way to war.  Over this trail came the red pipe stone from the north.  Also from the north, around the Great Lakes region, came copper to make earrings and nose rings, bracelets, and arrow points.  Conch shells came from the coast, and cotton from as far as the plains region west of the Mississippi River.
  Traders ranged far and wide, using trade jargon or sign language to communicate.  In the area of the Ani-Tsalagi, the trade language was called Choctaw Trade Language, a Muskogee language.  When the language could not be spoken, the trader switched to the universal sign language.  The barter system or strings of wampum were used as the most prominent medium of exchange.