In the summers of 1904 and 1905 I spent a
total of about four months among the Yuchi
Indians of the Creek nation in Oklahoma
collecting material for the Bureau of
American Ethnology. The investigation was
undertaken at the recommendation of Dr.
Franz Boas of Columbia University. Funds to
cover transportation and the collection of
ethnological specimens were furnished by the
American Museum of Natural History upon both
occasions under Dr. Boas's recommendation.
The greater part of the ethnological
material offered in this paper was obtained
at the same time, and is published with the
permission of both the scientific
institutions concerned.
Again during the winter of 1908 while
holding a Harrison fellowship at the
University of Pennsylvania, I was able under
special provision of the Provost to make a
third visit to the Yuchi for the purpose of
completing my observations, and the studies
which are embodied in the present work took
their final form during this period.
It has been my object simply to give an
account of the Yuchi Indians as they exist
at the present day and as they presented
themselves to me during my several periods
of residence among them, purposely avoiding
any lengthy discussion of the conditions
which I encountered. Much of the description
is based directly upon observation; the rest
of the matter was obtained from informants
who are responsible for its accuracy
Among the latter were GAmbesi'ne (Jim
Brown), Ektiané (Louis Long), Ka'Ká (John
Wolf), George Clinton, John Big Pond,
Gonlantciné (Jim Tiger), Henry Long, and
Fagoeonwi', all of whom held civil or
religious offices in the tribe, and others
who from time to time appeared to be well
informed upon special topics.
Source: Ethnology of the Yuchi Indians,
Written by Frank G. Speck, 1909, University
Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Online Publication: Online Publication: The manuscript was scanned and then
ocr'd. Minimal editing has been done, and readers can and should expect some
errors in the textual output. Symbols used in many cases were the closest we
could find to the written page.
