The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-12-01
CREEK TOWNS.
Article on Creek Customs
 h, Cho rles Gibson.

EufauIa Undian Territory) Journal.
 A great many strangers among tho Creek people and the outside woriu mas often wondered what was meant ny town In the Creek Nation Tn other na- !. tions the word town Is used in oniy us common sense and IS toWh, H,.y village, but among the Creek inaians ee,a has altogether a different meaning. oonle hundreds of years ago what are now called towns among the Greeks were ha tions or independent tribes .h.
 For instance is the Alabama town. the Hichita town. the Arbeka, the Eucna and in fact forty-seven towns now on the Creek rolls, adding in the three coi ored towns which have been nameo a,a M formed since the rebellion, It was Lne custom of the Creeks. as With all esher en, capture and adopt other tribes, whetner for the purpose of enlarRng their own army or for revenge Is not knoWh, pus such was the case After cap,urihs " der the eyes of the conquerors nntl it was safe to let them have their hperty. They were kept under a klnd or paIu,e ta . until so long, then were set tree m .he Creek camps and were treated as equais.
 As a general thing, the adopted peopie stuck to their captors. but were khoWil by their original tribe names, whcnn . names they yet hold on to. but insteao of 9se cpdes srSs iSsy aso are Grss Thsse being adopted, were inclined to i've WlIn- in small neighborhoods, or camped inde, pendent. The camps were nnally calieo towns, in the Creek language, when iIi- depreciation should be nations. The in- terpretation of the Creek council IS the gathering or meeting of nations' or tribes. ,-...---------.---,,..,.- ,.,
 These towns, as they are called, are composed of clans, the bear, wolf, ahga- tor, tiger the wino and great many others too numerous to mention. The bear clan of, say Eufaula town. can go to the Arbeka town. and he VIII hnu hnt, many of his clan in said town who VIII claim him as a relation and he Is treated as such. There are bear clan people III all Creek towns. also of the other clans. It does not matter If the visitor is not known when he arrives in the strange town if he will let himself be known as belonging to the bear clan he VIII at once be recognised as kin and Will De treated as such at once, and so Witn all other clans visiting different town from their own. There is not a Creek Indian living but what belongs to one of these forty-seven towns, ana every Creek Indian belongs to some one or these clans.
 anybody at all. got up a great ball play. One of these games was to divide these clans into two great clans, caIieo tne Hut-Haka on one side ana Che hok' Haka on the other The English language fails us for an interpretation of these large clans, though this might answer, The whites. or civilized, against the savages."
 In these games there is always large majority on one side, but In their regu- lations they always play ball, not count ing the difference. In these games there Is always more or less betting. Lots or the young men will tether their last ponies together. saddle and all, and the loser will foot it home happy after the game is over. This as, as We see and know. what is called a Creek town and their custom.