Muscogee (Creek) Nation
Encyclopedia
The Muscogee Nation is a federally recognized tribe of Muscogee people, also known as the Creek, based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma
. They are regarded as one of the historical Five Civilized Tribes
and call themselves Este Mvskokvlke. The tribe is part of the Creek Confederacy, a large, heterogeneous group of Eastern Woodland tribes of the American Southeast
.
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is the largest of the federally recognized Muscogee tribes. The Muskogean-speaking Alabama
, Hitchiti
, and Natchez people
, as well as Algonquian
-speaking Shawnee
and Yuchi
(language isolate) are enrolled in the Muscogee Creek Nation, although historically the latter two groups were from different language families than the Muscogee.
Other federally recognized Muscogee groups include the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town
, Kialegee Tribal Town
, and Thlopthlocco Tribal Town
of Oklahoma; the Poarch Band of Creek Indians
of Alabama, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas.
. Oklahoma Indian tribes do not have reservations (with one exception); they have Tribal Jurisdictional Areas. The Muscogee Nation has jurisdiction in Creek
, Hughes
, Okfuskee
, Okmulgee
, McIntosh
, Muskogee
, Tulsa
, and Wagoner counties
in Oklahoma.
The executive branch is led by a Principal Chief, Second Chief, Chief of Staff, Executive Director, and Secretary of the Nation. The Principal Chief and Second Chief are democratically elected every four years. The Principal Chief then chooses staff. The current members of the executive branch are as follows:
s to maintain the Creek Nation Community Hospital and several community clinics, a vocational rehabilitation program, nutrition programs for children and the elderly, and programs dedicated to diabetes, tobacco prevention, and caregivers.
The Muscogee Nation is policed by the Lighthorse Tribal Police Department, with 43 active employees. The tribe has its own program for enforcing child support payments.
The Mvskoke Food Sovereignty Initiative, sponsored by the Nation, educates and encourages tribal members to grow their own traditional foods for health, environmental sustainability, economic development, and sharing of knowledge and community between generations.
The Muscogee Nation also operates a Communications Department that produces a bi-monthly news paper, the Muscogee Nation News and a weekly Television show the Native News Today
.
in Tulsa and Okmulgee.
The Creek Nation operates two truck stops, 30 tribal smokeshops, two bingo halls, and eleven casinos. Gaming establishments owned by the tribe include Bristow Indian Bingo in Bristow
; Checotah Indian Community Bingo in Checotah
; Creek Nation Casino Duck Creek in Beggs
; Creek Nation Casino Muskogee
; Creek Nation Casino Okemah
; Creek Nation Casino Okmulgee; Creek Nation Travel Plaza in Okmulgee, Eufaula Indian Community Bingo in Eufaula
; Duck Creek Casino in Beggs; and River Spirit Casino in Tulsa
.
, College of the Muscogee Nation
, in Okmulgee. CMN is a two-year institution, offering associate degrees in Tribal Services, Police Science, Gaming, and Native American Studies. They offer Mvskoke language classes as well. In 2007, 137 students enrolled and the college has plans for expansion.
in the 1830s.
During the American Civil War
, the tribe allied with the Confederacy
. There were conflicts between pro-Confederate and pro-Union forces in the Indian Territory during the war. With the United States victory, it required the negotiation of new treaties with the Five Civilized Tribes. The Treaty of 1866 required the Creek to abolish slavery within their territory and to grant citizenship to the Creek Freedmen
who chose to stay in the territory, including voting rights and shares of annuities and land allotments. If the Creek Freedmen moved out, they would be granted United States citizenship.
The Creek established a new government in 1866 and selected a new capital of Okmulgee. In 1867 they ratified a new constitution. They built their capitol in 1867 and enlarged it in 1878. Today the Creek National Capitol
is a National Historic Landmark
and houses the Creek Council House Museum. The Nation built schools, churches, and public houses during the prosperous final decades of the 19th century, when the tribe had autonomy and minimal interference from the federal government.
The turn of the century brought the 1898 Curtis Act, which dismantled tribal governments; and the Dawes Allotment Act, which broke up tribal landholdings to allot land to individual households to encourage assimilation as subsistence farmers in the US style. The Dawes Commission registered tribal members in two categories, distinguishing between "Creek by Blood" and "Creek Freedmen," into which category they put anyone with recognizable African ancestry, regardless of their proportion of Creek ancestry. The 1905 Five Civilized Tribes Act was passed by the US Congress in anticipation of approving statehood for Oklahoma in 1907. During this time, Creeks lost over 2 million acres (8,093.7 km²) to non-Native settlers and the US government. Later, under the 1936 Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act
, some Muscogee tribal towns gained federal recognition.
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation did not reorganize and regain federal recognition until 1970. In 1979 the tribe ratified a new constitution that replaced the 1866 constitution. The pivotal 1976 court case Harjo v. Kleppe helped end US federal paternalism. It ushered in an era of growing self-determination
. Using the Dawes Rolls as a basis for determining membership of descendants, the Nation enrolled over 58,000 allottees and their descendants.
In August 2001, the Creek passed new membership rules, requiring citizens to be descended from an ancestor on the "Creek by blood" registers of the Dawes Rolls. They excluded descendants of "Creek Freedmen
," although they were listed on the Dawes Rolls and often documented in other registers as having ancestors with Creek blood. The Freedmen had been listed on a separate register, regardless of their proportion of Creek ancestry, and there had been intermarriage between the ethnic groups for years. Prior to the change in code, Creek Freedmen could use existing registers and the preponderance of evidence to establish qualification for citizenship, and were to be aided by the Citizenship Board. The Creek Freedmen have challenged their exclusion from citizenship in legal actions which are pending.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. They are regarded as one of the historical Five Civilized Tribes
Five Civilized Tribes
The Five Civilized Tribes were the five Native American nations—the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole—that were considered civilized by Anglo-European settlers during the colonial and early federal period because they adopted many of the colonists' customs and had generally good...
and call themselves Este Mvskokvlke. The tribe is part of the Creek Confederacy, a large, heterogeneous group of Eastern Woodland tribes of the American Southeast
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
.
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is the largest of the federally recognized Muscogee tribes. The Muskogean-speaking Alabama
Alabama (people)
The Alabama or Alibamu are a Southeastern culture people of Native Americans, originally from Mississippi...
, Hitchiti
Hitchiti
The Hitchiti were a Muskogean-speaking tribe formerly residing chiefly in a town of the same name on the east bank of the Chattahoochee River, 4 miles below Chiaha, in west Georgia. They spoke the Hitchiti language, which was mutually intelligible with Mikasuki; both tribes were part of the loose...
, and Natchez people
Natchez people
The Natchez are a Native American people who originally lived in the Natchez Bluffs area, near the present-day city of Natchez, Mississippi. They spoke a language isolate that has no known close relatives, although it may be very distantly related to the Muskogean languages of the Creek...
, as well as Algonquian
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
-speaking Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
and Yuchi
Yuchi
For the Chinese surname 尉迟, see Yuchi.The Yuchi, also spelled Euchee and Uchee, are a Native American Indian tribe who traditionally lived in the eastern Tennessee River valley in Tennessee in the 16th century. During the 17th century, they moved south to Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina...
(language isolate) are enrolled in the Muscogee Creek Nation, although historically the latter two groups were from different language families than the Muscogee.
Other federally recognized Muscogee groups include the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town
Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town
The Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town is both a federally recognized Native American tribe and a traditional township of Muskogean-speaking Alabama and Coushatta peoples. Their traditional languages include Alabama, Koasati, and Mvskoke...
, Kialegee Tribal Town
Kialegee Tribal Town
The Kialegee Tribal Town is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Oklahoma, as well as a traditional township within the Muscogee Creek Confederacy...
, and Thlopthlocco Tribal Town
Thlopthlocco Tribal Town
Thlopthlocco Tribal Town is both a federally recognized Native American tribe and a traditional township of Muscogee Creek Indians, based in Oklahoma. The tribe's native language is Mvskoke, also called Creek.-History:...
of Oklahoma; the Poarch Band of Creek Indians
Poarch Band of Creek Indians
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is the only federally recognized tribe of Native Americans residing in the southern part of the state of Alabama. Historically speaking the Muskogean language, they were formerly known as the Creek Nation East of the Mississippi. They are located mostly in Escambia...
of Alabama, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas.
Jurisdiction
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is headquartered in Okmulgee, OklahomaOkmulgee, Oklahoma
Okmulgee is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 12,321 a loss of 5.4 percent since the 2000 census figure of 13,022. It has been the capital of the Muscogee Nation since the United States Civil War. Okmulgee means "boiling waters" in the Creek...
. Oklahoma Indian tribes do not have reservations (with one exception); they have Tribal Jurisdictional Areas. The Muscogee Nation has jurisdiction in Creek
Creek County, Oklahoma
Creek County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 69,967. Its county seat is Sapulpa.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water....
, Hughes
Hughes County, Oklahoma
Hughes County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 14,154. Its county seat is Holdenville.-Geography:...
, Okfuskee
Okfuskee County, Oklahoma
Okfuskee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 11,814. Its county seat is Okemah.-Geography:...
, Okmulgee
Okmulgee County, Oklahoma
Okmulgee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 39,685. Its county seat is Okmulgee.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,819 km²...
, McIntosh
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:...
, Muskogee
Muskogee County, Oklahoma
Muskogee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 70,990. Its county seat is Muskogee.-Government:...
, Tulsa
Tulsa County, Oklahoma
Tulsa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population is 603,403. Its county seat is Tulsa.-History of Tulsa County:The history of Tulsa County greatly overlaps the history of the city of Tulsa...
, and Wagoner counties
Wagoner County, Oklahoma
Wagoner County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 73,085. Its county seat is Wagoner.-Early History:The area of Wagoner County was settled by the Creek after their forced removal in Alabama in the 1820's...
in Oklahoma.
Government
The government of the Muscogee Creek Nation is divided into executive, legislative, and judicial branches.Executive branch
- A. D. Ellis, Principal Chief
- Alfred Berryhill, Second Chief
- Edwin Marshall, Chief of Staff
- Claude Sumner, Executive Direction
- Kevin Dellinger, Secretary of the Nation.
Legislative branch
The legislative branch is the National Council, made up of 26 members elected to represent different districts within the tribal jurisdictional area. They write the laws of the Nation.Judicial branch
The Nation has two courts: the Muscogee (Creek) Nation District Court and the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has final authority over disputes about the Muscogee Creek Constitution and Laws.Services
The Nation operates its own division of housing and issues vehicle license plates. Their Division of Health contracts with Indian Health ServiceIndian Health Service
Indian Health Service is an Operating Division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . IHS is responsible for providing medical and public health services to members of federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Natives...
s to maintain the Creek Nation Community Hospital and several community clinics, a vocational rehabilitation program, nutrition programs for children and the elderly, and programs dedicated to diabetes, tobacco prevention, and caregivers.
The Muscogee Nation is policed by the Lighthorse Tribal Police Department, with 43 active employees. The tribe has its own program for enforcing child support payments.
The Mvskoke Food Sovereignty Initiative, sponsored by the Nation, educates and encourages tribal members to grow their own traditional foods for health, environmental sustainability, economic development, and sharing of knowledge and community between generations.
The Muscogee Nation also operates a Communications Department that produces a bi-monthly news paper, the Muscogee Nation News and a weekly Television show the Native News Today
Native News Today
The Native News Today is a weekly television show hosted by Gerald Wofford a citizen and Jason Salsman a citizen. It looks at various events happening throughout Indian Country from an Indian perspective and also endeavors to show some of the good that Native Americans and Indian Tribes are doing...
.
Economic development
Creek Nation Tribal Trade and Commerce and Creek Nation Business Enterprise oversee economic development projects for the tribe. The tribal government operates a budget in excess of $106 million; has over 2,400 employees; and maintains tribal facilities and programs in eight administrative districts. The nation operates several significant tribal enterprises, including the Muscogee Document Imaging Company; travel plazas in Okmulgee, Muskogee and Cromwell, Oklahoma; construction, technology and staffing services; and major casinosNative American gambling enterprises
Native American gaming enterprises are gaming businesses operated on Indian reservations or tribal land in the United States. Indian tribes have limited sovereignty over these businesses and therefore are granted the ability to establish gambling enterprises outside of direct state...
in Tulsa and Okmulgee.
The Creek Nation operates two truck stops, 30 tribal smokeshops, two bingo halls, and eleven casinos. Gaming establishments owned by the tribe include Bristow Indian Bingo in Bristow
Bristow, Oklahoma
Bristow is a city in Creek County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,325 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bristow is located at ....
; Checotah Indian Community Bingo 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....
; Creek Nation Casino Duck Creek in Beggs
Beggs, Oklahoma
Beggs is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,364 at the 2000 census. Beggs was named for C.H. Beggs, vice president of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway.-Geography:...
; Creek Nation Casino Muskogee
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
; Creek Nation Casino Okemah
Okemah, Oklahoma
Okemah is a city in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Okfuskee County. It is the birthplace of folk music legend Woody Guthrie. Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, a federally recognized Muscogee Indian tribe, is headquartered in Okemah...
; Creek Nation Casino Okmulgee; Creek Nation Travel Plaza in Okmulgee, Eufaula Indian Community Bingo in Eufaula
Eufaula, Oklahoma
Eufaula is a city in McIntosh County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,639 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of McIntosh County.-Geography:Eufaula is located at ....
; Duck Creek Casino in Beggs; and River Spirit Casino in Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
.
Civic institutions
The Nation's historic old Council House (also known as the Creek National Capitol) was built in 1878 and located in downtown Okmulgee. It was completely restored in the 1990s. It now serves as a museum of tribal history. The Red Stick Gallery in the museum features contemporary art by tribal members.Tribal college
In 2004, the Muscogee Nation founded a tribal collegeTribal colleges and universities
Tribal colleges and universities are a category of higher education, minority-serving institutions in the United States. The educational institutions are distinguished by being controlled and operated by Native American tribes; they have become part of American Indians' institution-building in...
, College of the Muscogee Nation
College of the Muscogee Nation
College of the Muscogee Nation is a two-year private American Indian tribal college, located in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. It was founded in 2004 by the Muscogee Nation to foster "Native culture, values, language and self-determination."...
, in Okmulgee. CMN is a two-year institution, offering associate degrees in Tribal Services, Police Science, Gaming, and Native American Studies. They offer Mvskoke language classes as well. In 2007, 137 students enrolled and the college has plans for expansion.
History
The Nation is descended from the Creek and their slaves who were forced by the US government to relocate from their ancestral homes in the Southeast to Indian TerritoryIndian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
in the 1830s.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the tribe allied with the Confederacy
Confederacy
Confederacy may refer to:A Confederation, an association of sovereign states or communities. Examples include:* Confederate States of America, eleven southern states of the United States of America between 1861 and 1865...
. There were conflicts between pro-Confederate and pro-Union forces in the Indian Territory during the war. With the United States victory, it required the negotiation of new treaties with the Five Civilized Tribes. The Treaty of 1866 required the Creek to abolish slavery within their territory and to grant citizenship to the Creek Freedmen
Creek Freedmen
Creek Freedmen are African American people who were former slaves of Muscogee Creek tribal members before 1866; they were freed by the 1866 treaty with the United States and granted citizenship in the Creek Nation. The Creek Freedmen had lived and worked the land in Indian Territory prior to the...
who chose to stay in the territory, including voting rights and shares of annuities and land allotments. If the Creek Freedmen moved out, they would be granted United States citizenship.
The Creek established a new government in 1866 and selected a new capital of Okmulgee. In 1867 they ratified a new constitution. They built their capitol in 1867 and enlarged it in 1878. Today the Creek National Capitol
Creek National Capitol
Creek National Capitol, also known as Creek Council House, is a building in downtown Okmulgee, Oklahoma. It was capitol of the Muscogee Nation nation from 1878 to 1907, when Oklahoma became a state. In 1919 the U.S...
is a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
and houses the Creek Council House Museum. The Nation built schools, churches, and public houses during the prosperous final decades of the 19th century, when the tribe had autonomy and minimal interference from the federal government.
The turn of the century brought the 1898 Curtis Act, which dismantled tribal governments; and the Dawes Allotment Act, which broke up tribal landholdings to allot land to individual households to encourage assimilation as subsistence farmers in the US style. The Dawes Commission registered tribal members in two categories, distinguishing between "Creek by Blood" and "Creek Freedmen," into which category they put anyone with recognizable African ancestry, regardless of their proportion of Creek ancestry. The 1905 Five Civilized Tribes Act was passed by the US Congress in anticipation of approving statehood for Oklahoma in 1907. During this time, Creeks lost over 2 million acres (8,093.7 km²) to non-Native settlers and the US government. Later, under the 1936 Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act
Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act
The Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of 1936, also known as the Thomas-Rogers Act, is a United States federal law that extended the US Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. It sought to return some form of tribal government to the many tribes in former Indian Territory...
, some Muscogee tribal towns gained federal recognition.
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation did not reorganize and regain federal recognition until 1970. In 1979 the tribe ratified a new constitution that replaced the 1866 constitution. The pivotal 1976 court case Harjo v. Kleppe helped end US federal paternalism. It ushered in an era of growing self-determination
Native American self-determination
Native American self-determination refers to the social movements, legislation, and beliefs by which the tribes in the United States exercise self-governance and decision making on issues that affect their own people...
. Using the Dawes Rolls as a basis for determining membership of descendants, the Nation enrolled over 58,000 allottees and their descendants.
Creek Freedmen controversy
From 1981-2001, the Creek had membership rules that allowed applicants to use a variety of documentary sources to establish qualifications for membership.In August 2001, the Creek passed new membership rules, requiring citizens to be descended from an ancestor on the "Creek by blood" registers of the Dawes Rolls. They excluded descendants of "Creek Freedmen
Creek Freedmen
Creek Freedmen are African American people who were former slaves of Muscogee Creek tribal members before 1866; they were freed by the 1866 treaty with the United States and granted citizenship in the Creek Nation. The Creek Freedmen had lived and worked the land in Indian Territory prior to the...
," although they were listed on the Dawes Rolls and often documented in other registers as having ancestors with Creek blood. The Freedmen had been listed on a separate register, regardless of their proportion of Creek ancestry, and there had been intermarriage between the ethnic groups for years. Prior to the change in code, Creek Freedmen could use existing registers and the preponderance of evidence to establish qualification for citizenship, and were to be aided by the Citizenship Board. The Creek Freedmen have challenged their exclusion from citizenship in legal actions which are pending.
Notable Muscogee Nation people
- Fred BeaverFred BeaverFred Beaver was a prominent Muscogee Creek-Seminole painter and muralist from Oklahoma.-Background:Fred Beaver was born in Eufaula, Oklahoma. His Muscogee name was Ekalanee, meaning "Brown Head." He was the son of Willie Beaver and Annie Johnson, was raised in Eufaula, and attended the Eufaula...
(1911-1980), artist - Acee Blue EagleAcee Blue EagleAcee Blue Eagle , also named Alex C. McIntosh, Chebon Ahbulah , and Lumhee Holot-Tee , was a Muscogee Creek-Pawnee-Wichita artist, educator, dancer, and flute player.-Background:...
(1909-1959), actor, artist, author, and educator - Ernest ChildersErnest ChildersErnest L. Childers was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his valorous actions in World War II.-Biography:...
(1918-2005), Lt. Col. in the US Army, first Native American WWII Medal of Honor recipient - Chitto HarjoChitto HarjoChitto 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...
(1846-1911), leader of the Crazy Snake Rebellion - Eddie ChuculateEddie ChuculateEddie Chuculate is an American fiction writer of Muscogee and Cherokee descent. His first book, Cheyenne Madonna, was published in July 2010 by Black Sparrow Books, an imprint of David R. Godine, Publisher, in Boston. Chuculate won a PEN/O...
(b. 1972), journalist and fiction writer - Joy HarjoJoy HarjoJoy Harjo is a Native American poet, musician, and author of ancestry. Known primarily as a poet, Harjo has also taught at the college level, played alto saxophone with a band called Poetic Justice, edited literary journals, and written screenplays. She is a member of the Muscogee Nation and...
(b. 1959), poet and musician - Joan HillJoan HillJoan Hill , also known as Che-se-quah, is a Muscogee Creek artist of Cherokee ancestry. She is one of the most awarded women artists in the Native American art world.-Personal:...
(b. 1930), painter - Jack JacobsJack Jacobs"Indian" Jack Jacobs was an American and Canadian football player in the National Football League and Western Interprovincial Football Union. He was a charter member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1963....
(1919-1974), football player - William Harjo LoneFightWilliam Harjo LoneFightDr. William Harjo LoneFight, , is President and CEO of American Native Services, a consulting firm in Bismarck, North Dakota.An alumnus of Dartmouth College, Oklahoma City University, and Stanford University, LoneFight has served on the Board of Directors of the American Indian College Fund,...
(b. 1966), author, President of Native American Services, languages and cultural activist - OpothleyaholaOpothleyaholaOpothleyahola, also spelled Opothle Yohola, Opothleyoholo, Hu-pui-hilth Yahola, and Hopoeitheyohola, was a Muscogee Creek Indian chief, noted as a brilliant orator. He was a speaker of the Upper Creek Council. He led Creek forces against the United States government during the first two Seminole...
(1798 - 1863), Muscogee chief, warrior leader during first two Seminole Wars and the Civil War. - Alexander PoseyAlexander PoseyAlexander Lawrence Posey was a Native American Muscogee Creek poet, humorist, journalist, and politician.-Early life:Alexander Posey born on August 3, 1873, near present Eufaula, Creek Nation...
(1873—1908), Muscogee Creek poet, humorist, journalist, and politician - Pleasant PorterPleasant PorterPleasant 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...
(1840-1907), Principal Chief from 1899-1907 - Will SampsonWill SampsonWill Sampson was an American actor and artist.-Life and career:Sampson, a Native American Muscogee , was born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Sampson's most notable roles were as "Chief Bromden" in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and as "Taylor the Medicine Man" in the horror film Poltergeist II...
(1933-1987), film actor, noted for his performance in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a 1975 American drama film directed by Miloš Forman and based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey.... - Johnny Tiger, Jr.Johnny Tiger, Jr.-Background:Johnny Tiger Jr. was born in 1940 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the capitol of the Cherokee Nation. His parents were Loucine Lewis and the Reverend John M. Tiger. His younger brother, the late Jerome Tiger was a celebrated artist. As a child Johnny traveled with his grandfather Coleman...
(b. 1940), artist - France Winddance TwineFrance Winddance TwineFrance Winddance Twine is Professor of Sociology and filmmaker at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is the former Deputy Editor of American Sociological Review, the flagship journal of the American Sociological Association...
, sociologist - Carrie UnderwoodCarrie UnderwoodCarrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
(b. 1983), country singer
See also
- Muscogee (Creek)
- Muscogee language
- Muscogee mythology
- Ocmulgee National MonumentOcmulgee National MonumentOcmulgee National Monument preserves traces of over ten millennia of Southeastern Native American culture, including major earthworks built more than 1,000 years ago by Mississippian culture peoples: the Great Temple and other ceremonial mounds, a burial mound, and defensive trenches...
- Stomp danceStomp danceThe Stomp Dance is performed by various Eastern Woodland tribes and Native American communities, including the Muscogee, Yuchi, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Delaware, Miami, Caddo, Ottawa, Peoria, Shawnee, Seminole, Natchez, and Seneca-Cayuga tribes...
External links
- Muscogee (Creek) Nation, official website
- Mvskoke Etlvlwv Nakcokv Mvhakv Svhvlwecvt (College of the Muscogee Nation)
- Muscogee Nation District Court
- Muscogee (Creek) Nation Bar Association
- Creek (Mvskoke), Oklahoma History Society article
- Womack, Craig. "Aestheticizing a Political Debate: Can the Creek Confederacy Be Sung Back Together?" Southern Spaces, November 20, 2007, http://southernspaces.org/2007/aestheticizing-political-debate-can-creek-confederacy-be-sung-back-together.
- Womack, Craig. "Baptists and Witches: Multiple Jurisdictions in a Muskogee Creek Story." Southern Spaces, July 17, 2007, http://southernspaces.org/2007/baptists-and-witches-multiple-jurisdictions-muskogee-creek-story.