|
Muskhogean Indian Family History
Muskhogean Family. An important linguistic stock,
comprising the Creeks, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole, and other tribes. The
name is an adjectival form of Muskogee, properly MdskMi (pl. Maskokalgi or
Muscogulgee). Its derivation has been attributed to an Algonquian term
signifying `swamp' or `open marshy land' (see Muskeg), but this is almost
certainly incorrect. The Muskhogean tribes were confined chiefly to the
Gulf states E. of almost all
of Mississippi and Alabama, and parts of Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and
South Carolina. According to a tradition held in common by most of their
tribes, they had reached their historic seats from some starting point w.
of the Mississippi, usually placed, when localized at all, somewhere on
the upper Red r. The greater part of the tribes of the stock are now on
reservations in Oklahoma.
Through one or another of its tribes the stock early came into notice.
Panfilo de Narvaez met the Apalachee of w. Florida in 1528, and in 1540-41
De Soto passed E. and w. through the whole extent of the Muskhogean
territory. Mission effort was begun among them by the Spanish Franciscans
at a very early period, with such success that before the year 1700,
besides several missions in lower Georgia, t, he whole A palachee tribe, an important single body,
was civilized and Christianized, and settled in 7 large and well-built
towns (see Missions. ) The establishment of the French at Mobile, Biloxi,
and other points about 1699-1 705 brought them into contact with the
Choctaw and other western branches of the stock. The powerful Creek
confederacy had its most intimate contact with the English of Carolina and
Georgia, although a French fort was long established in the territory of
the Alibamu. The Chickasaw also were allies of the English, while the
Choctaw were uncertain friends of the French. The devotion of the
Apalachee to the Spaniards resulted in the destruction of the former as a
people at the hands of the English and their Indian allies in the first
years of the 18th century. The tide of white settlement, both English and
French, gradually pressed the Muskhogean tribes back from the shores of
the Atlantic and the Gulf, some bands recrossing to the w. of the
Mississippi as early as 1765. The terrible Creek war in 1813-14 and the
long drawn-out Seminole war 20 years later closed the struggle to maintain
themselves in their old territories, and before the year 1840 the last of
the Muskhogean tribes had been removed to their present location in
Oklahoma, with the exception of a few hundred Seminole in Florida, a
larger number of Choctaw in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, and a
small forgotten Creek remnant in E. Texas. (Seethe several tribal
articles.)
There existed between the tribes marked dissimilarities as to both
physical and cultural characteristics. For instance, the Choctaw were
rather thickset and heavy, while those farther E., as the Creeks, were
taller but well-knit. All the tribes were agricultural and sedentary,
occupying villages of substantially built houses. The towns near the
tribal frontiers were usually palisaded, while those more remote from
invasion were left unprotected. All were brave, but the Choctaw claimed to
fight only in self-defense, while the Creeks, and more particularly the
Chickasaw, were aggressive. The Creeks were properly a confederacy, with
the Muskogee as the dominant partner, and including also in later years
the alien Yuchi, the Natchez, and a part of the Shawnee. The Choctaw also
formed a loose confederacy, including among others several broken tribes
of alien stock.
In their government the Muskhogean tribes appear to have made progress
corresponding to their somewhat advanced culture in other respects. In the
Creek government, which is better known than that of the other tribes of
the family, the unit of t s he political as well as of ' the social
structure was the clan, as if) many Indian tribes, marriage being
forbidden within the clan, and the children belonged to the clan of the
mother. Each town ]fall its independent government, its council being a
miniature of that of the confederacy; the town and its outlying
settlements, if it had any, thus represented an autonomy such as is
usually implied by the terra "tribe." Every considerable town was provided
with a "public square," formed of 4 buildings of equal size facing the
cardinal points, 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 belonged to the
warrior chiefs; that on the N. to the inferior chiefs, while that on the
w. was used for the paraphernalia belonging to the ceremony 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 by the chief,
or head mice. The confederacy itself was a political organization founded
on blood relationship, real or fictitious ; its chief object was mutual
defense, and the power wielded by its council was purely advisory. The
liberty within the bond that held the organization together was shown by
the fact that parts of 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 divided into
two classes, the White or Peace towns, whose function pertained to the
civil government, and the Red or War towns, whose officers assumed
management of military affairs.
The square in the center of the town was devoted to the transaction of all
public business and to public ceremonies. In it was situated 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
which it takes its popular name, and to the bnsk(q. v. ), or so-called
Green-corn dance. Such games, though not strictly of religious
significance, were affairs of public interest, and were attended by rites
and ceremonies of a religious nature. In these squares strangers who had
no relatives 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
primarily to the members of the clans concerned; secondly, to the council
of the town or tribe involved. The busk was important institution among the Muskhogean people
and had its analogue
among most, if not all, other American tribes; itt was chiefly in the
nature of an offering of first fruits, and its celebration, which occupied
several days, was au occasion 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 murder, were forgiven at this festival, and a new
year began. Artificial deformation of the head seems to have been
practiced
to sane extent 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 pure-bloods
belonging to the family in Indian Ter. was as follows: Choctaw, 9,996;
Chickasaw, 3,464; Creek, 9,291; Seminole, 2,539; besides perhaps 1,000
more in Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. In 1905 their numbers
were: Choctaw by blood, 17,160; by intermarriage, 1,467; freedmen, 5,254;
in Mississippi, 1,235. Chickasaw by blood, 5,474; by intermarriage, 598;
freedmen, 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 variants, are as follows:
1. Muskogee (including almost half of the Creek confederacy, and its
offshoot, the Seminole).
2. Hitchiti (including a large part of the 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, Chickasaw, and the following small
tribes: Acolapissa, Bayogoula, Chakchinnta, Chatot, Chula, Huma, Ibitoupa,
Mobile. Mugalasha. Naniba. Ofogoula, Tangipahoa, Taposa, and Tohome).
To the above the Natchez (q. v. ) should probably be added as a fifth
division, though it differs more from the other dialects than any of these
differ from one another. The ancient Yamasi of the Georgia-South Carolina
coast may have constituted a separate group, or my have been a dialect of the
Hitchiti. The Yamacrawwererenegades from the
lower Creek towns and in the main were
probably Hitchiti. Chahtahs.-Prichnrd, Phvs. Hist. Mankind, y. 403, 1517 (or, Choktahs
or Flatheads). Chahta Muskoki.-Trumbell in Johnson's Cyclordia,
11, 11.56,1877. Chahtas -Gallatint in Traps. Am.
The books presented are for their
historical value only and are not the
opinions of the Webmasters of the site.
Handbook
of American Indians, 1906
Index of Tribes or Nations
|
|
