40-2 
MUSKOG 
they rnnmifaOure are earthen pots and pans, balkets, 
.liorfe-ropes or halters, fmolced leather, black marble 
pipes, wooden fpoons, and oil from acorns, hickery-nuts, 
and cjiefnuts. Their land is a common llock; and any 
individual may remove from one part of it to another, 
and occupy vacant ground wherever he can find it. 
From their unfettled and roving difpofition, their num¬ 
ber cannot be eafily or exaftly alcertained. The fighting 
men are eftimajed at between five and fix thoufand, ex- 
clufive of the Seminoles, who are of little account in war, 
except as fmall parties of marauders. The whole number 
of perfons that compofe the Creek nations may be reck¬ 
oned at about 25 or 26,000. Every town and village has 
one eftabliihed w'hite trader in it, and generally a family 
of whites, who have fled from home part of the frontier. 
The Creeks are a well-made, expert, hardy, fagacious, 
politic, people, jealous of their rights, and averfe from 
parting with their lands. They are badly armed, having 
few rifles, and being moftly armed with mufkets. For 
about forty years pall:, they have had little intercourle 
with any foreigners except the Englifh, to whom they 
are much attached, and whom they highly refpeff. 
Their language is foft and mufical, and is fpoken through 
the whole confederacy, though compofed of many na¬ 
tions who have a fpeech peculiar to themfelves, and alfo 
by their friends and allies, the Natchez; the Chichafaw 
and Chadlaw language is, fay the Mulkogulges, a dialed 
of theirs. Thefe people are Angularly laudable for pro¬ 
hibiting the ufe of fpirituous liquors : one of the prin¬ 
cipal articles in their treaties w'ith the white people is, 
“ that no kind of fpirituous liquors fhall be fold or 
brought into their towns.” Molt of their favourite 
fongs and dances they derive from their enemies, the 
Chadaws, who are famous for poetry and muAc. Their 
m'uiic is both vocal and inftrumental; but of the latter 
they have fcarcely any thing that deferves the name; 
fuch are the tambour, rattle-gourd, and a kind of flute, 
made of a joint of reed, or the tibia of the deer’s leg, 
which yields a hideous melancholy difcord, rather than 
harmony; but the tambour and rattle, accompanied with 
their fweet low voices, produce a pathetic harmony, in 
which they keep time together; the countenance of the 
muflcian exprefling, at proper intervals, the folemn ele¬ 
vated Hate of his mind ; and the harmony touches the 
feelings of the attentive audience, and produces an uni- 
verfal fenfation of delight and tranquility throughout 
the alfembly. Their mufle, both vocal and inftrumental, 
united, keeps exad time with the performers or dancers. 
In dancing, their mod admired and generally pradtifed 
fiep is llow, fhuffling, and alternate; both feet moving 
forward one after the other, Arft the right foot foremoft, 
and next the left, moving one after the other, in oppofite 
circles, i. e. Arft a circle of young men, and within a 
circle of young women, moving together oppofite ways, 
the men with the courle of the fun, and the females in a 
contrary direction; the men ftrike their arms with the 
open hand, and the girls clap hands, and raife their {brill 
fweet voices, anfwering an elevated fhout of the men at 
ftated times of termination of the ftanzas; and the girls 
perform an interlude or chorus feparately. In accom¬ 
paniment with their dances, they have fongs, martial, 
bacchanalian, and amorous; and they have alfo moral 
fongs, which feem to be the molt elteemed and pradlifed, 
and anfwering the purpol’e of religious lectures. They 
have alfo a variety of games for exercife and paftime, 
fome peculiar to the men, others to the female lex, and 
others in which both lexes are employed. The ball-play 
is elteemed the molt noble and manly exercife. This 
game is exhibited in an extenlive level plain ufually con¬ 
tiguous to the town ; and in this the inhabitants of one 
town play againlt thole of another, in confequence of a 
challenge, where the youth of both fexes are often en¬ 
gaged; and here they perform amazing feats of ftrength 
and agility. The game principally conlifts in taking and 
carrying off the ball from the oppofite party, after being 
ULGE S. 
hurled in the air between two high pillars, which are 
the goals, and the party which bears off the ball to their 
pillar wins the game. Each perfon has a racket or hurl, 
which is an implement of curious conltrudlion, refem- 
bling a ladle, or fmall hoop-net, with a handle about 
three feet in length, the hoop and handle of wood, and 
the netting of thongs of raw hide, or tendons of an ani- 
mal. The foot-ball is likewife a favourite diversion. 
All their games are terminated with feafting and dancing 
in the public fquare. They have, befldes, feftivals almoft 
for every month in the year, which are chiefly dedicated 
to hunting and agriculture. The principal of thefe is the 
bujk, or feaftof firft-fruits, which feems to end the old and 
begin the new year. There are three in Auguft, when their 
new crops of corn are arrived at maturity; and every 
town celebrates it feparately, when their harvell is ready. 
If they have any religious rite or ceremony, this feftival 
is its moll folemn celebration. They begin with clean- 
ftng their houfes, fquares, and the whole town, of filth, 
and confuming all their old veftments and provifions 
with fire. Then'follows a fall of three days, during which 
the fire in the whole town is extinguilhed, and they 
abftain from the gratification of every appetite and paf- 
fion. A general amnefty is proclaimed; all malefadlors 
may return to their town, and they are abfolved from 
their crimes, which are now forgotten, and they are re- 
llored to favour. On the fourth morning, the high prieft, 
by rubbing dry wood together, produces new fire in the 
public fquare, whence every habitation in the town is 
Supplied with the new and pure flame. The women then, 
go forth into the harveft-field, and bring from thence 
new corn and fruits, which, being duly prepared, are 
folemnly brought, together with drink, into the fquare, 
where the people are affembled in their new clothes and 
decorations. The women and children place themfelves 
in their feparate families, and in the evening repair to 
the public fquare, where they dance, fing, and rejoice, 
through the whole night. This continues three days; 
and during the four following days they receive vifits, 
and rejoice with their friends from neighbouring towns, 
who have purified and prepared themfelves. The Muf¬ 
kogulges allow of polygamy in the utmoft latitude: for 
every man takes as many wives as he pleafes; but the 
firft is the conlort, and the others her handmaids and 
affociates. 
The youth of both fexes are fond of decorating them¬ 
felves with external ornaments. The men lhave the 
head, leaving a creft or comb, beginning at the crown, 
where it is frizzed and Hands upright, covering the 
hinder part of the head and neck, and terminating be¬ 
hind in lank hair, ornamented with pendant filver quills 
and jointed filver plates. Their ears are lacerated, and a 
piece of lead is faftened to the cartilage, which extends it 
to a great length, and which is then bound round withbrafs 
or filver wire in the form of a bow or crefcent, decorated 
with foft white plumes of heron-feathers. They encircle 
the forehead with a curious diadem or band, ingenioully 
wrought, and decorated with Hones, beads, porcupine- 
quills, &c. the front peak being embellilhed with a high 
waving plume of crane or heron feathers. Their clothing 
is Ample and frugal. The head, neck, and breaft, are 
painted with Vermillion; and fome of the warriors have 
the lkin of the breaft, or mufcular parts of the body, 
inferibed with hieroglyphic fcrolls, flowers, figures of 
animals, ftars, crefcents, and the fun in the middle of the 
breaft; which ftains are given in youth, by pricking 
the lkin with a needle, and rubbing in a bluilh tint. 
The decorations of drefs are reftridled to particular oc- 
cafions; for tire male youth are perfectly naked till they 
attain the age of twelve or fifteen years; but the females 
always wear a jacket which reaches to the middle of the 
leg. The junior priefts, or ltudents, conllantly wear the 
mantle or robe, which is white; that of others being of a 
fcarlet or blue colour; and they have a great owl-lkin 
cafed and fluffed, and fo well executed as almoft to repre- 
3 ient 
