Crazy Snake Rebellion
Encyclopedia
The Crazy Snake Rebellion, also known as the Smoked Meat Rebellion or Crazy Snake's War, was an incident in 1909 that at times was viewed as a war between the Creek people
and American
settlers. It should not be confused with an earlier, bloodless, conflict in 1901 involving much of the same people. The conflict consisted of only two minor skirmishes, and the first was actually a struggle between a group of marginalized African Americans and a posse
formed to punish the alleged robbery of a piece of smoked meat.
Crazy Snake was the very loose translation to English
of Chitto Harjo
's name. Chitto Harjo was a leader of the Four Mothers Society
among the Creek and an outspoken oppoent of allotment. In 1893 Congress formed the Dawes Commission
to seek to have the lands of the Creek, Choctaw
, Chickasaw
and Cherokee
allotted. In 1895 Congress authorized surveying of the land and in 1896 they passed a law creating tribal rolls and breaking up the land. The Creek government decided to negotiate the best terms they could, but in 1898 the Creek held an election at which allotment was voted down. In response to this, Congress passed the Curtis Act
which dissolved the governments of the Creek and their neighboring tribes.
In 1900 there was a meeting where Chitto Harjo was declared the principal chief of the Creek by a meeting at his ceremonial grounds, near Henryetta
, which view Pleasant Porter
's methods of introducing the allotment system to be in violation of the 1867 Creek Constitution. The meeting that elected Harjo also elected a second chief, a bicameral legislature and established a court. Since the Creek Nation did not exist in the view of the American government the legality of Harjo's election was not relevant at the time in United States law. The followers of Harjo organized a group called the Lighthouse to serve as a police force to enforce their view of the law. It was alleged that this group whipped some men for accepting allotment but this is disputed by other writers.
The anti-allotment activities of the Lighthouse caused the 8th Cavalry to be called out and several of the followers of Harjo to be arrested. In 1907 Oklahoma had introduced Jim Crow Laws
similar to those of neighboring Arkansas
and Texas
. As a result of these measures many African Americans faced restrictions on their residence. A group of African Americans who may have been "Creek freedman", that is descendants of slaves who had been held by the Creek, gathered at Harjo's ceremonial grounds. By July 1908 a large number of African Americans, some of whom were Creek Freedmen, had gathered at Old Hickory, the site where Harjo and his associates ran the Creek government.
In March 1909 during the annual meeting of the Creek traditionalists there was an allegation that one of them or their African American allies had stolen some meat from a local white farmer. A sheriffs deputy was sent to arrest someone, but the African Americans drove him away both because as auxiliaries to the Creek nation they did not recognize the local county to have authority there and because they had good reason to believe neither an African American nor a native American had chance of a fair trial, and either had a high likelihood of being lynched. The sheffif's deputy organized a posse to enforce the arrest for the stolen smoked meat. In the following battle one African-American man was killed and forty-two other African Americans were arrested.
A second confrontation happened on March 27 when a posse from McIntosh County
attempted to arrest Chitto Harjo who was holed up in his cabin near Hickory Ground with a few other men. At sundown, the posse was approaching the cabin when one of Harjo's bodyguards opened fire from a window, killing two of the possemen. The fire was returned and a lucky shot hit Harjo in one of his legs above the knee. Eventually the Creeks fled under the cover of darkness and the death of the two Americans created a "furor" in Checotah
and Henryetta. A larger posse returned to the cabin only to find a women. The posse fired into the cabin and burned it down, the woman to flee into the woods. After the second skirmish, vigilante
groups roamed the vicinity pillaging Snake farms in search of Harjo. Governor
Charles N. Haskell
called out the state militia
. The First Regiment of the Oklahoma National Guard occupied Hickory Ground with 200 men and quickly restored order. Harjo was never captured though, he likely died in April of 1911, either in Choctaw territory or in Mexico
.
Creek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
settlers. It should not be confused with an earlier, bloodless, conflict in 1901 involving much of the same people. The conflict consisted of only two minor skirmishes, and the first was actually a struggle between a group of marginalized African Americans and a posse
Posse
Posse may refer to:* Posse comitatus , a group of men assembled to assist in law enforcement* Posse , starring Kirk Douglas* Posse , starring Mario van Peebles...
formed to punish the alleged robbery of a piece of smoked meat.
Rebellion
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
of Chitto Harjo
Chitto Harjo
Chitto Harjo was a leader and orator among the traditionalists in the Muscogee Creek Nation in Indian Territory at the turn of the 20th century. He resisted changes which the US government and local leaders wanted to impose to achieve statehood for what became Oklahoma...
's name. Chitto Harjo was a leader of the Four Mothers Society
Four Mothers Society
The Four Mothers Society is a religious, political, and traditionalist organization of Muscogee Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw people, as well as the Natchez people enrolled in these tribes, in Oklahoma. It was formed as an opposition movement to the allotment policies of the Dawes...
among the Creek and an outspoken oppoent of allotment. In 1893 Congress formed the Dawes Commission
Dawes Commission
The American Dawes Commission, named for its first chairman Henry L. Dawes, was authorized under a rider to an Indian Office appropriation bill, March 3, 1893...
to seek to have the lands of the Creek, Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
, Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
and Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
allotted. In 1895 Congress authorized surveying of the land and in 1896 they passed a law creating tribal rolls and breaking up the land. The Creek government decided to negotiate the best terms they could, but in 1898 the Creek held an election at which allotment was voted down. In response to this, Congress passed the Curtis Act
Curtis Act of 1898
The Curtis Act of 1898 was an amendment to the United States Dawes Act that brought about the allotment process of lands of the Five Civilized Tribes of Indian Territory: the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee, Cherokee, and Seminole...
which dissolved the governments of the Creek and their neighboring tribes.
In 1900 there was a meeting where Chitto Harjo was declared the principal chief of the Creek by a meeting at his ceremonial grounds, near Henryetta
Henryetta, Oklahoma
Henryetta is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6,096 at the 2000 census.Henryetta is notable as the high school hometown of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman...
, which view Pleasant Porter
Pleasant Porter
Pleasant Porter , was a respected American Indian statesman and the Principal Chief of the Creek Nation from 1899 until his death. He served with the Confederacy in the 1st Creek Mounted Volunteers, as Superintendent of Schools in the Creek Nation , as commander of the Creek Light Horsemen , and...
's methods of introducing the allotment system to be in violation of the 1867 Creek Constitution. The meeting that elected Harjo also elected a second chief, a bicameral legislature and established a court. Since the Creek Nation did not exist in the view of the American government the legality of Harjo's election was not relevant at the time in United States law. The followers of Harjo organized a group called the Lighthouse to serve as a police force to enforce their view of the law. It was alleged that this group whipped some men for accepting allotment but this is disputed by other writers.
The anti-allotment activities of the Lighthouse caused the 8th Cavalry to be called out and several of the followers of Harjo to be arrested. In 1907 Oklahoma had introduced Jim Crow Laws
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
similar to those of neighboring Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. As a result of these measures many African Americans faced restrictions on their residence. A group of African Americans who may have been "Creek freedman", that is descendants of slaves who had been held by the Creek, gathered at Harjo's ceremonial grounds. By July 1908 a large number of African Americans, some of whom were Creek Freedmen, had gathered at Old Hickory, the site where Harjo and his associates ran the Creek government.
In March 1909 during the annual meeting of the Creek traditionalists there was an allegation that one of them or their African American allies had stolen some meat from a local white farmer. A sheriffs deputy was sent to arrest someone, but the African Americans drove him away both because as auxiliaries to the Creek nation they did not recognize the local county to have authority there and because they had good reason to believe neither an African American nor a native American had chance of a fair trial, and either had a high likelihood of being lynched. The sheffif's deputy organized a posse to enforce the arrest for the stolen smoked meat. In the following battle one African-American man was killed and forty-two other African Americans were arrested.
A second confrontation happened on March 27 when a posse from McIntosh County
McIntosh County, Oklahoma
McIntosh County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 19,456. Its county seat is Eufaula.-Geography:...
attempted to arrest Chitto Harjo who was holed up in his cabin near Hickory Ground with a few other men. At sundown, the posse was approaching the cabin when one of Harjo's bodyguards opened fire from a window, killing two of the possemen. The fire was returned and a lucky shot hit Harjo in one of his legs above the knee. Eventually the Creeks fled under the cover of darkness and the death of the two Americans created a "furor" in Checotah
Checotah, Oklahoma
Checotah is a city in McIntosh County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named for Samuel Checote, the first chief of the Creek Nation elected after the Civil War. The population was 3,481 at the 2000 census....
and Henryetta. A larger posse returned to the cabin only to find a women. The posse fired into the cabin and burned it down, the woman to flee into the woods. After the second skirmish, vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
groups roamed the vicinity pillaging Snake farms in search of Harjo. Governor
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
Charles N. Haskell
Charles N. Haskell
Charles Nathaniel Haskell was an American lawyer, oilman, and statesman who served as the first Governor of Oklahoma. Haskell played a crucial role in drafting the Oklahoma Constitution as well as Oklahoma's statehood and admission into the United States as the 46th state in 1907...
called out the state militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
. The First Regiment of the Oklahoma National Guard occupied Hickory Ground with 200 men and quickly restored order. Harjo was never captured though, he likely died in April of 1911, either in Choctaw territory or in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.