The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1903-05-14
THE SACRED CREEK RELICS.
Metal Plates and a Treaty With
England.
A Clan Guards the Objects With Great
Care--.the Plates Said in a Legend
to Have Been Given by a
Spirit

Euiala, |. T., May THE two
most sacred relics of the Greek, oil
Muskogee, Indians are in the keeping
OF the To-ka-par-chee clan. Charles
Gibson, a Creek citizen, writing oil
the relics, says:
lone Of them reaches back to the
time OF George III OF England. This
relic has been handed down from one
generation to another up to thepres'
ent time. The ruling clan OF To-ka'
par chez was honored with being the
custodian OF this relic. II is said to
be the treaty between the Creeks and
Great Britain; it is on genuine sheep
skin and was wrapped up in six lay
ers OF dressed deer skin, unsmoked
A long time before the rebellion the
noted chief, Hopathle lohola, was
custodian OF this relic. He was a
friend and married u To-ka-par'chee
woman.
when a custodian of this relic
was dying it was his will TO confer
this honor on a safe man OF his clan,
to take charge OF the relic and keep
it his lifetime, turning it over to
someone like the first one did. About
the close OF the civil war this noted
old chief died and conferred the
honors on Captain John Goodfellow.
This man also became very i'll after a
long time and he consulted some OF
the old men Of his clan and they de-
cided on a man and the relic was de-
hvered to him. This man now is the
custodian OF this sacred relic.
PLATES THAT ARE SACRED.
To-day the Indians look upon
this relic as next to brass or copper
plates that the To-ka-par-chee OWL
these plates are hard to describe, as
they are kept in a very sacred vault
where none is allowed to enter except
the medicine man or some old chief.
The history Of these plates Is as fol-
lows:
"One old medicine man who had
been noted for being the greatest
among the Creeks, before dying told
some OF the other medicine men that
so many days after the day OF his
death, il they would meet him on the
highest mountain peak-naming the
meuntain-he would bring them
something very sacred and it would
strengthen their medicine and add to
their happiness. The medicine men
then appointed a day and waited.
When the last stick was thrown
away, each wended his way to the
top of the mountain They waited
long and we'll.
"When the sun became low in the
west great snake came from the
west and darkened the country
around about the mountain. The
medicine men were frightened, but
stood their ground. Then came claps
of thunder and flashes of lightning
that almost blinded the old men
Then dark cloud appeared, and all
at once there appeared out OF the
dark cloud a bundle, which was hand
ed to the old men. The hands hold
ing the bundle were all that could be
seen, and resembled the hands OF the
old medicine man who had died.
ACLEAR SKY FOLLOWED.
"As soon as the package contain
ing the plates was delivered the cloue
moved away and there was q clea1
sky. The old men took their charg'
back to their square house and hidit
until the time OF their annual cele
bration or green corn dance, wher
the plates were introduced into theil
festivities. That was some 1000
years ago, and they are still in pos
session OF the town OF the Creeks.
"The custodians Of these plates ar
what are called the Wild Clan. Their
are great many Of these plates, ant
the largest ones have characters o
some kind on them. They are ex
hibited only on state occasions, ono
a year. Each one has a beautiful
sound or ring, it is said, when the.
are used in the dance, making swee
music. After the dance they are tai
en- out, one to each man, and ar
secured very bright end placedawa
until the next year. 1t is said tina
A. Al. noIs.ksux nr<,cooo fho worl