Oklahoma

Acts under which the Work of Enrollment was Prosecuted

It has been pointed out above that the intervention of the United States in respect to the making of the tribal rolls was necessary because the tribal authorities had themselves failed to make correct rolls, owing to their corrupt practices, and that many persons who were entitled to citizenship were unjustly deprived of their rights. From all that has been said it is apparent that Congress intended to. and actually did, repudiate the tribal rolls in a large measure. In undertaking the work of making the rolls Congress legislated as guardian upon the theory that the Indians were wards of … Read more

Tuskegee Tribe

Robert Seale Map

Tuskegee Indians. Many dialects were spoken anciently near the junction of the Coosa and Tallapoosa. Adair says: I am assured by a gentleman of character, who traded a long time near the late Alebahma garrison, that within six miles of it live the remains of seven Indian nations, who usually conversed with each other in their own different dialects, though they understood the Muskohge language; but being naturalized, they are bound to observe the laws and customs of the main original body. Some of these “nations” have already been considered. We now come to a people whose language has not … Read more

Muklasa Tribe

Still another town in this neighborhood not speaking Muskogee was Muklasa. The name means “friends” or “people of one nation” in Alabama, Koasati, or Choctaw, therefore it is probable that the town was Alabama or Koasati, the Choctaw being at a considerable distance. According to the list of 1761 it was then estimated to contain 30 hunters. William Trewin and James Germany were the traders. In 1797 the trader was Michael Elhart, “an industrious, honest man; a Dutchman.” Bartram visited it in 1777, and in 1799 Hawkins gives the following account of it: Mook-lau-sau is a small town one mile below Sau-va-noo-gee, … Read more

Muskogee Tribes

The dominant people of the Creek Confederacy called themselves and their language in later times by a name which has become conventionalized into Muscogee or Muskogee.

Kasihta Tribe

The honorary name of this tribe in the Creek Confederacy was Kasihta lako, “Big Kasihta.” According to the earliest form of the Creek migration legend that is available – that related to Governor Oglethorpe by Chikilli in 1735 – the Kasihta and Coweta came from the west “as one people,” but in time those dwelling toward the east came to be called Kasihta and those to the west Coweta. This ancient unity of origin appears to have been generally admitted down to the present time. According to John Goat, an aged Tulsa Indian, they were at first one town, and … Read more

Kealedji Tribe

According to native tradition this was a branch of Tukabahchee, but, if so, it must have separated at a very early date. Gatschet says that the name appears to refer to a warrior’s headdress, containing the words ika, his head, and a verb meaning to kill (iłäidshäs, I kill). This seems probable. At any rate the name evidently is not old enough to be worn down much by age and suggests a comparatively recent origin for the group. This is also confirmed to a considerable extent by the absence of its name from the earliest documents. Probably it is the … Read more

Kolomi Tribe

The earliest mention of Kolomi town is contained in a letter of the Spanish lieutenant at Apalachee, Antonio Mateos, in 1686. A translation of this has been given in considering the history of the Kasihta. The town was then probably on Ocmulgee River, where it appears on some of the very early maps, placed close to Atasi. From the failure of Mateos to mention Atasi it is possible that that town was not yet in existence. From later maps we learn that after the Yamasee war the Kolomi settled on the Chattahoochee. The maps show them in what is now Stewart … Read more

Hilibi Tribe

The Hilibi Tribe, once a prominent town among the Upper Creeks, has a complex history tied to various migrations, conflicts, and cultural connections. Originally founded by a member of the Aktayatci clan after a split from the Tukpafka Indians, the town rapidly grew and came to be known as Hilibi, meaning “quick” in the local language. Over time, Hilibi developed close ties with neighboring towns like Eufaula and Wakokai, suggesting a possible shared origin. The tribe’s historical presence is recorded as early as the 18th century, with mentions in Spanish and later American sources. The Hilibi community later relocated to Oklahoma, where some traditions and settlements, such as the busk grounds, were preserved into the early 20th century.

Eufaula Tribe

The Eufaula tribe was an independent body as far back as history takes us. According to one of my informants they branched off from Kealedji, while another seemed to think that they originated from Hilibi. Practically no confidence can be placed in these opinions. Not even a plausible guess can be furnished by the living Indians regarding the origin of the name.

Coweta Tribe

The Coweta were the second great Muskogee tribe among the Lower Creeks, and they headed the war side as Kasihta headed the peace side. Their honorary title in the confederacy was Kawita ma’ma’yi, “tall Coweta.” Although as a definitely identified tribe they appear later in history and in the migration legends which have been preserved to us the Kasihta are given precedence, the Coweta were and still are commonly accounted the leaders of the Lower Creeks and often of the entire nation. By many early writers all of the Lower Creeks are called Coweta, and the Spaniards and French both speak … Read more