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Creeks and Their
Ancestors Had an Advanced Writing System
Architect Richard Thornton is a member of an alliance of Creek, Choctaw and
Seminole scholars, who over the past seven years have been intensely studying
the heritage of the Muskogean peoples. Much of their activities have involved
re-examination of the archives of the early Spanish, English and French
exploration of the Southeastern United States. We have asked Richard to provide
AccessGenealogy with some of his work. As we add to these articles we will
also be providing a question and answer section for the reader to ask questions
of Richard.
People of One Fire
An alliance of Muskogean scholars
P.O. Box 941 ~ Blairsville, GA 30512
PeopleofOneFire@aol.com
Brief News Update - 10/22/2010
How We Know That the Creeks and Their Ancestors Had an
Advanced Writing System Prior to the Arrival of
Europeans
A long time reader of our newsletters, who himself has a PhD
in History, wants to now how the Creeks know that we once had a written language
capable of transmitting complex thoughts. Others in the past have questioned my
statements about this, because all archaeology books state that no Native
American society north of Mexico had a written language prior to Sequoya's
creation of the Cherokee syllabary.
Here is the proof . . .
Not too long after Savannah was settled in 1732, a mikko of the Kassita Creeks
traveled to Savannah and presented General Oglethorpe with a white bison skin.
On it were many black and red characters that described the migration legend of
the Kassita Creeks. A, yahola accompanying the group, translated the text. A,
English colonial clerk carefully wrote down the text both in English and in
Mvskoke. Both the bison skin and the translations were quickly shipped off to
England. Oglethorpe wanted the English bureaucracy to understand that his new
friends, the Creeks, were very special people, and deserved a status of equality
with Englishmen. The vellum and the translation were kept for many years at the
Colonial Office on a wall. However, no one knows where they are now.
Fortunately, the English and Mvskoke texts were printed in a book. They were
reprinted in the late 1800s. This book in on the internet and can be downloaded
as an Adobe PDF file. It is:
Gatschet, Albert S.,
A Migration
Legend of the Creek Indians. Pub. D.G. Brinton, Philadelphia, 1884
There are several intriguing aspects to this story. The “cursive” form of Maya
was also written in red and black letters. The migration legend covers several
pages of printed text. It contains complex thoughts and all standard verb
tenses. The original writing on the bison skin was obviously an advanced writing
system, not logoglyphs.
Surely, some time in the future, some lucky archaeologist is going to find more
examples of this writing system. It will be a major discovery.
Notes About this Material
Source: Richard Thornton, an alliance of Muskogean scholars, professors and
professionals. Copyright Richard Thornton, Blairsville, GA, 2010. Used here with
permission.
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