Muscogee (Creek) Indians

Location:

The Muscogee (mus-ko-gee) are a confederacy of tribes. Creek is the European name given to the Muscogee because of their geographic location. At the start of the 1500's the Muscogee occupied nearly all of what is the southeast United States. That came to an end in the 1600's when the Cherokee, and later the Europeans, drove them west to Alabama and finely to what is now Oklahoma.

Traditions:

Muscogee towns are based around a Mother town. When a town reached 400 to 600 people, part of the town would move to a new area just outside the Mother town. They would then start there own village which would maintain the same layout. They were centered around a plaza used for dancing, religious ceremonies and games. This plaza also contained a rotunda for council meetings. The plaza had houses around it for the members of the village. The town government consisted of a Chief, Assistant Chief and a Chief Speaker. This arrangement is still used today. The traditional home of the Creek people is the hut which is roofed with grass or wood. Today the homes are much more modern.

History:

Conflict between Muscogee and Europeans started with a battle in Lumpkin County near Slaughter Gap. It was the first of many defeats that forced the Muscogee farther west. A later battle forced the Muscogee south and west to the Chattahoochee and Coose Rivers. This is why the names Upper and Lower were added to the new separate Muscogee tribes. Gov. George Troup drove the Muscogee out after the Treaty of Indian Springs was signed. By 1827 the Creeks were gone from Georgia.

Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not claim expertise on Muscogee culture.

Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the web address of this page.

If you are Muscogee, your feedback is much appreciated.

Muscogee (Creek) Nation Official Tribal Government Website http://www.muscogeenation-nsn.gov/

The official site of the Muscogee Nation: http://themuscogeecreeknation.com/

Native American Facts for Kids: Creek Indians: http://www.bigorrin.org/creek_kids.htm

Creek Indians: http://www.creekindian.com/

References:

Muscogee History http://www.ocevnet.org/creek/history.html

American Indians in North Georgia: http://ngeorgia.com/history/creek.html

Written by: Kyle Ramaker