364 



CRiiiEKS 



[b. a. e. 



nioval of the larger part of the Creek 

 and Seminole people and their negro 

 slaves to the lands assigned them in In- 

 dian Ter. took place between 1836 and 

 1840. 



The Creek woman was short in stature 

 but well formed, while the warrior, ac- 

 cording to Pickett (Hist. Ala., 87, ed. 

 1896), was "larger than the ordinary 

 race of Europeans, often above 6 ft. in 

 height, but was invariably well formed, 

 erect in his carriage, and graceful in every 

 movement. They were proiid, haughty, 

 and arrogant; brave and valiant in war." 

 As a people they were more than usually 

 devoted to decoration and ornament; 

 they were fond of music, and ball play 

 was their most important game. Exog- 

 amy, or marriage outside the clan, was 

 the rule; adultery by the wife was pun- 

 ished by the relatives of the husband; 

 descent was in the female line. In gov- 

 ernment it was a general rule that where 

 one or more clans occupied a town they 

 constituted a tribe under an elected chief, 

 or miko, who was advised by the council 

 of the town in all important matters, 

 while the council appointed the "great 

 warrior" or tustemiggi-hlako. They usu- 

 ally buried their dead in a square pit 

 under the bed where the deceased lay in 

 his house. Certain towns were conse- 

 crated to peace ceremonies and were 

 known as "white towns," while others 

 set apart for w^ar ceremonials were des- 

 ignated as "red towns." They had 

 several orders of chiefly rank. Their 

 great religious ceremony was the annual 

 jiUKkita (see Busk), of which the lighting 

 of the new fire and the drinking of the 

 black drink (q. v. ) were important accom- 

 paniments. 



The early statistics of Creek popu- 

 lation are based on mere estimates. It is 

 not known what numerical relation the 

 mixed bloods hold to the full bloods and 

 their former negro slaves, nor the num- 

 ber of their towns (having a square for 

 annual festivities) and villages (having 

 no square). In the last quarter of the 

 18th century the Creek population may 

 have been about 20,000, occupying from 

 40 to 60 towns. Knox in 1789 ( Am. State 

 Pap., I, 1832) estimates them at 6,000 war- 

 riors, or a total of 24,000 inhabitants in 

 100 towns; but these evidently included 

 the Seminole of Florida. Bartram, about 

 1775, credits the whole confederacy, ex- 

 clusive of the Seminole, with 11,000 in 55 

 towns. Hawkins, in 1785, gave them 

 5,400 men, representing a total of about 

 19,000. Estimates made after the re- 

 moval to Indian Ter. place the popula- 

 tion between 15,000 and 20,000. In 1904 

 the "Creeks by blood" living in the 

 Creek Nation, numbered 9,905, while 

 Creek freedmen aggregated 5,473. The 

 number of acres in their reserve in 1885 



was 3,215,395, of which only a portion 

 was tillable, and 90,000 were actually 

 cultivated. 



Some of the more important earlier 

 treaties of the United States with the 

 Creek Indians are: Hopewell, S. C, Nov. 

 28, 1785; New York, Aug. 7, 1790; Cole- 

 raine, Ga., June 29, 1796; Ft Jackson, 

 Ala., Aug. 9, 1814; Creek agency on Flint 

 r., Jan. 22, 1818; Indian Spring, Creek 

 Nation, Jan. 8, 1821; Washington, D. C, 

 Jan. 24, 1826, and Mar. 24, 1832; Ft Gib- 

 son, Ind. T., Nov. 23, 1838. 



At present the Creek Nation in In- 

 dian Ter. is divided into 49 townships 

 ("towns"), of which 3 are inhabited 

 solely by negroes. The capital is Okmul- 

 gee. Their legislature consists of a House 

 of Kings (corresponding to the Senate) 

 and a House of Warriors (similar to the 

 National House of Representatives), with 

 a head chief as executive. Several vol- 

 umes of their laws have been published. 



The Creek clans follow, those marked 

 with an asterisk being extinct; the final 

 ah/i means ' people ' : Ahalakalgi ( Bog po- 

 tato), Aktayatsalgi, Atchialgi (Maize), 

 *Chukotalgi, Fusualgi (Bird), Halpadalgi 

 (Alligator), Hlahloalgi (Fish), Hutalgalgi 

 (Wind), *Isfanalgi, Itamalgi, Itchhasu- 

 algi (Beaver), Itchualgi (Deer), Katsalgi 

 (Panther), Koakotsalgi (Wild-cat), Ku- 

 nipalgi (Skunk), *Muklasalgi, Nokosalgi 

 (Bear),*Odshisalgi (Hickory-nut), *Oki- 

 lisa, *c3ktchunualgi (Salt), Osanalgi (Ot- 

 ter ) ,*Pahosalgi, Sopaktalgi ( Toad ) ,Takus- 

 algi ( Mole), Tsulalgi ( Fox ), * Wahlakalgi, 

 "Wotkalgi (Raccoon), Yahalgi (Wolf). 



Below is a list of the Creek towns and 

 villages. The smaller contained 20 to 30 

 cabins and the larger as many as 200. 

 Tukabatchi, the largest, is said to have 

 had 386 families in 1832. The towns 

 were composed of irregular clusters of 4 

 to 8 houses, each cluster being occupied 

 by the representatives of a clan. 



Upper Creek towns. — Abihka, Abikud- 

 shi, Alkehatchee, Anatichapko, Assi- 

 lanapi, Atasi, Atchinaalgi, Atchinahat- 

 chi, Aucheucaula, Canjauda, Cayomulgi, 

 Chakihlako, Chananagi, Chatoksofki, 

 Chatukchufaula, Chiaha, Cholocco Lita- 

 bixee, Conaliga, Coosahatchi, Cow Towns, 

 Eufaula, Fusihatchi, Ghuaclahatche, 

 Hatchichapa, Hillabi, Hlanudshiapala, 

 Hlaphlako, Hlahlokalka, Huhliwahli, 

 Ikanachaka, Ikanhatki, Imukfa, Ipisogi, 

 Istapoga, Istudshilaika, Kailaidshi, Ker- 

 off, Kitchopataki, Kohamutkikatska, 

 Kulumi, Kusa, Littefutchi, Lutchapoga, 

 Muklassa, New Eufaula, Ninnipaskulgees, 

 Niuyaka, Oakfuskee, Oakfuskudshi, Ok- 

 chayi, Okchayudshi, Ooeasa, Opilhlako, 

 Oselarneby, Otituchina, Pakan Tallahas- 

 see, Pinhoti, Potchushatchi, Sakapatayi, 

 Satapo, Saugahatchi, Sukaispoka, Tala- 

 dega, Talasi, Talasihatchi, Talapoosa, 

 Taliposehogy, Tukabatchi, Tukabatchi 



