962 



MUSKHOGEAN FAMTT^Y 



[b. a. e. 



unit of the political as well as of the 

 social structure was the clan, as in many 

 Indian tribes, marriage being forbidden 

 within the clan, and the, children be- 

 longed to the clan of the mother. Each 

 town had its indejiendent government, 

 its council being a miniature of that of 

 the confederac}'; the town and its out- 

 lying settlements, if it had any, thus rep- 

 resented an autonomy such as is usually 

 implied by the term "tribe." Every 

 considerable town was provided with a 

 "public square," formed of 4 buildings of 

 equal size facing the cardinal jioints, and 

 each divided into 3 apartments. The 

 structure on the e. side was allotted to 

 the chief councilors, probably of the 

 administrative side of the government; 

 that on the s. side l)elonged to the war- 

 rior chiefs; that on the N. to the inferior 

 chiefs, while that on the w. was used for 

 the paraphernalia 1)elonging to the cere- 

 mony of the black drink, war physic, etc. 

 The general policy of the confederacy 

 was guided by a council, composed of 

 representatives from each town, who met 

 annually, or as occasion required, at a 

 time and place fixed liy the chief, or head 

 7nico. The confederacy itself was a jiolit- 

 ical organization founded on blood rela- 

 tionship, real or fictitious ; its chief object 

 was mutual defense, and the power wield- 

 ed by its council was purely advisory. 

 The liberty within the bond that held the 

 organization together was shown by the 

 factthatpartsof the confederacy, and even 

 separate towns, might and actually did 

 engage in war without reference to the 

 wishes of the confederacy. The towns, 

 especially those of the Creeks, were di- 

 vided into two classes, the White or Peace 

 towns, whose function pertained to the 

 civil government, and the Red or War 

 towns, whose officers assumed manage- 

 ment of military affairs. 



The square in the center of the town 

 was devoted to the transaction of all pub- 

 lic business and to public ceremonies. 

 In it was situate<l the sweat house, the 

 uses of which were more religious than 

 medicinal in character; and here was the 

 chunkey yard, devoted to the game from 

 whichittakes itsjiopular name, and to the 

 Inisk ( q. V. ) , or .so-called Green-corn dance. 

 Such games, though not strictly of reli- 

 gious significance, were affairs of public 

 interest, and were attended by rites and 

 ceremonies of a religious nature. In 

 these squares strangers who had no rela- 

 tives in the town -i. e., who possessed no 

 clan rights — were permitted to encamp 

 as the guests of the town. 



The settlement of disputes and the 

 punishment of crimes were left pri- 

 marily to the members of the clans con- 

 cerned; secondly, to the council of the 

 town or tribe involved. The busk was 



an important institution among the 

 Muskhogeati ])eople, and had its analogue 

 among most, if not all, other American 

 tribes; it was chiefiy in the nature of an 

 offering of first fruits, and its celebration, 

 which occupied several days, was an oc- 

 casion for dancing and ceremony; new 

 fire was kindled by a priest, and from 

 it were made all the fires in the town; 

 all offenses, save that of nmrder, were 

 forgiven at this festival, and a new year 

 began. Artificial deformation of thehead 

 seems to have been practised to some ex- 

 tent by all the tribes, but prevailed as a 

 general custom among the Choctaw, 

 who for this reason were sometimes 

 called "Flatheads." 



The Muskhogean population at the 

 time of first contact with Europeans has 

 been estimated at 50,000. By the census 

 of 1890 the number of ])ure-bloods be- 

 longing to the family in Indian Ter. was 

 as follows: Choctaw, 9,996; Chickasaw, 

 3,464; Creek, 9,291; Seminole, 2,539; be- 

 sides perhaps 1,000 more in Florida, Mis- 

 sissippi, Louisiana, and Texas. In 1905 

 their numbers were: Choctaw by blood, 

 17,160; by intermarriage, 1,467; freed men, 

 5,254; in Mississippi, 1,235. Chickasawby 

 blood, 5,474; by intermarriage, 598; freed- 

 men, 4,695. Creeks by blood, 10,185; 

 'freedmen, 5,738. Seminole by blood, 

 2,099; freedmen, 950; in Florida (1900), 

 358. 



The recognized languages of the stock, 

 so far as known, each with dialectic vari- 

 ants, are as follows: 



1. Muskogee (including almost half of 

 the Creek confederacy, and its offshoot, 

 the Seminole). 



2. Hitchiti (including a large part of 

 tlie Lower Creeks, the Mikasuki band of 

 the Seminole, and perhaps the ancient 

 Apalachee tribe). 



3. Koasati (including the Alibamu, 

 Wetumpka, and Koasati towns of the 

 Creek confederacy). 



4. Choctaw (including the Choctaw, 

 Chii'kasaw, and the following small 

 tribes: Acolapissa, Bayogoula, Chakchi- 

 uma, Chatot, Chula, Huma, Ibitoupa, 

 Mobile, Mugalasha, Naniba, Ofogoula, 

 Tangipahoa, Taposa, and Tohome). 



Tothe above the Natchez (q. v. ) should 

 probably be added as a fifth division, 

 though it differs more from the other dia- 

 lects than any of these differ from one 

 another. The ancient Yamasi of the 

 Georgia-South Carolina coast may have 

 constituted a separate group, or may have 

 been a dialect of the Hitchiti. The Yama- 

 craw were renegades from the Lower Creek 

 towns and in the main were probably 

 Hitchiti. (h. w. H. .t. m.) 



>Chahtahs.— Prichard, Phys. Hist. Mankind, v, 

 403, 1S47 (or, Choktahs or Flatheads). =Chahta- 

 Muskoki.— Trumbull in Johnson's Cyolopsedia, 

 II, 1166, 1877. >Chahtas.— Gallatin In Trans. Am. 



