252 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 73 
distinguish their tribes from the mother's side of descent, but they are as one people 
with the Natches at this time, . . . and why may they not by conjecture be entitled 
to the claim of the primitive Muscogee more than any other of the tribes, for they are 
not discriminated by any antient denomination that is known of. For their present 
appellation is derived from their manner of approveing or acquiescing a proposition. 
Tho' the national tongue is spoken by the tribe in all its purity, yet most notorious they 
assent or approbate what you may say to them in conversation with the long aspiration 
aw whereas the rest of the nation approbate or answer short cdw. From their singular 
manner of answering or approbating they got the name of aw biw M. Moreover, the 
rest of the Indians in talking of them and their tongue aptly call it the aw bih ka tongue, 
and never resort to the appelation of Ispocoga except in a national way A brass 
drum that was in their possession not a half century ago is kept as a trophy. And it is 
eaid by them to have been got by their ancestors in times of old from a people who 
invaded or past in a hostile manner through their country comeing from up the river, 
that they were not like any people they ever saw before, that they were ferocious, 
proud, and impudent in their manners. From the traditional circumstance of the 
brass drum it would lead to the inference that the proud people alluded to was the 
escort of Ferdinand Soto, and that the Indians came in possession of one of his drums 
by some means. 1 
Another native explanation for the tribal name is the following, 
originally obtained from a former Creek head chief, Spahi'tci, and 
related to me by the late Creek chief, Mr. G. W: Grayson: At a 
certain time there was a contest for supremacy between the Kasihta, 
Coweta, Chickasaw, and Abihka, and this consisted in seeing which 
tribe could bring in the most scalps and heap them highest around 
the ball post. Kasihta brought in the most, Coweta the next, the 
Chickasaw still fewer, and Abihka brought in only a very small 
number, which were thrown about the base of the post in a careless 
manner. From this circumstance they came to be called Abihka 
because abi'ka i'djita means "to heap up in a careless manner." 
Practically the same story is told by Hawkins. 2 Of course this is not 
related by the Abihka themselves and is simply a folk explanation. 
The interpretation given by Stiggins appears very plausible, but so 
far I have not been able to identify the linguistic fact on which it is 
based, and perhaps it is no longer possible to do so. 3 
I have spoken of the confusion which has resulted from the exist- 
ence of an Abihkutci town occupied by Abihka Indians and another 
occupied by Okfuskee Indians. 4 Although Abihka sometimes 
appears on maps, it is curious that as soon as we have a specific town 
it is called Abihkutci. This appears first, so far as I am aware, 5 on 
the De Crenay map of 1733. It is also on the Bowen and Gibson 
and Mitchell maps of 1755, on the Evans map of 1777, the D'Anville 
map of 1790, and many others of the period. We find it in the 
i Stiggins, MS. Nevertheless from what Swan says regarding the number of British drums in Creek 
towns and the esteem in which they were held it is possible that this Abihka specimen was of much more 
recent introduction. See Schoolcraft, Ind. Tribes, v, p. 275. 
s Ga. Hist. Soc. Colls., in, p. 82. 
3 Mr. H. S. Halbert suggests a possible derivation from the Choctaw aiabika, "unhealthful place." 
♦ See p. 247. 
6 Plate 5; Hamilton, Col. Mobile, p. 190. 
