NO. 8 CREEK SQUARE GROUNDS SWANTON 5 



In course of time the non-Muskogee element represented by the 

 Apalachicola Indians was increased, first by other groups related 

 to the last mentioned — such as the Hitchiti, Okmulgee, Sawokli, and 

 Tamali — who spoke closely related languages and called themselves 

 Atcik-hata, a term said to have some reference to the ashes of the 

 ceremonial fire in the square grounds. These Indians formed the 

 greater part of the first Creek invaders of Florida who presently 

 constituted the Seminole nation. The leading town in this southward 

 movement was Oconee, almost certainly affiliated with the Atcik-hata, 

 and the titular leadership among the Seminole remained with them 

 until after the Seminole War. However, the complexion of the 

 Seminole as a whole was changed from Atcik-hata or Hitchiti, to 

 ]\Iuskogee by the multitudes of refugees which fled to Florida after 

 the Creek War of 1813-14. The later removal to Oklahoma seems 

 to have reversed the situation since more than two-thirds of the 

 Indians now in Florida speak a language of the Hitchiti group. 



There is strong evidence that the Chiaha Indians originally spoke 

 Hitchiti and that the Mikasuki of Florida branched off from them, 

 but some early event in their history separated them from the other 

 Atcik-hata and made them allies of the Coweta. This friendship 

 they shared with the Osotci who seem originally to have belonged 

 to the Timucua linguistic group of Florida. To the Upper Creeks 

 were added the distinct but dialectically related Alabama, Koasati, 

 and Tuskegee, while l)ands of Yamasi and Apalachee were 

 temporarily connected with both Upper and Lower Creeks. The 

 Alabama town of Tawasa seems to have had an origin similar to 

 that of the Osotci. At a very late date the wholly alien Yuchi 

 population was admitted into the Confederation, most of them 

 making their home among the Lower Creeks though there was a 

 small body also among the Copper Creeks. And more divergent still 

 were the Shawnee, from among whom two towns made their homes 

 in Creek territory for several decades during the eighteenth century. 

 One of these probably continued on into the early years of the 

 nineteenth century. 



It may be added that towns are known to have changed from 

 one side to the other. Alabama was once a White town closely 

 associated with the Okchai. but later they were affiliated with the 

 Tukabahchee and came to be reckoned as Red. Wiogufki, Hilibi, 

 and Wiwohka are also said to have shifted from one side to the 

 other. In the case of the two last this may be partially explained by the 

 fact that, if we may trust native tradition, they were built up of 

 refugees from other settlements. 



