The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1907-10-11
The Lssf Meeting of the Five Civi
lized Ones.

at Okmulgee is full of historical inter
est from the fact that it will be the
last meeting of the Creek legislature
under the regime OF the Five Civilized
Tribes. The coming of statehood will
obliterate all lines of the once pow
erful Indian nations and will destroy
the last vestage of authority enjoyed
by the original settlers of Indian Ter
ritory.
Chief Moty Tiger, who succeeded to
the office by the death of Chief Pleas
ant Porter a few weeks ago, i'm his
massage to the council paid a high
tribute to the dead chieftain and then
called attention to the act which au-
thorizes the chief to deliver deeds
to his people. The message states
that 81 1896 deeds have been executed
to Creek allottees and of this num-
bar 81 100 have been delivered. Since
each allottee receives two deeds there
are 1896 citizens, 1893 of which
are of Indian blood and 6,S05 negro
freedmen. Under the new born act
of 1906 there has been enrolled L.
72S children Of Indian blood and 936
freedmen. Chief Tiger urges in his
massage that every allottee who is
without his deed, to secure it at
once.
Chief Tiger urges the council to
take action to prevent congress from
removing the restrictions upon the
land of full-Dloods and the homesteads
of freedmen. He declares that this
would be violating the agreement OF
the government with the tribe.
Preserve Council House.
In view of the fact that the pres
ent session of the council will doubt
less be the last, steps will be taken
to preserve the history of the coun-
Gil and the old stone building at Ok
mulgee, where the Creek legislators
have met for the last thirty years.
Okmulgee has been the capital of the
Creek nation since 1868, when the
first council house, a rough log struc-
ture, was built upon the spot where
the present building stands. The pre-
vious year the council met three
miles west of Okmulgee and a consti-
tuition was adopted which took much
of the power away from the town
kings and vested it in the courts
There were six of these, and the judg.
es We're appointed. by the council
Previous TO that time the town king
of each town, who sat in the house
of kings, as at present, had almost
absolute power over his people and
could order them punished for all
crimes and could act as Judge in all
their disputes.
Before removing from their homes
i'm the southland in 1880 to the Indian
Territory, the Creek councils were
held under huge circular arbors with
conical roofs thatcied with branches
of trees and bark, and seated with
rough benches. At night the Creek
lawmakers slept under these rude
shelters and held their dances there.
I The late Chief Porter is authority
for the statement that the first coun
Gil meetings OF the Creek nation were
held near the mouth of the Verdigris
/ river, six miles northwest of Musko
/ gee, after their migration to Indian
! Territory. These sessions were helC
/ under arbors similar to those of the
southern nation. Later, however, the
Creek capital was removed to an ele
waited spot twenty miles from the
! present capital, known as Council
/ Hill, where the town of Council Hill
now stands. Shortly thereafter, fol
! the sake of convenience, two subor
dinate councils We're organized, on,
for the Creeks living in the northern
part OF the nation, held at Coweta
and the other at Tuckabatchee town
for the benefit OF the southel
Creeks. The acts of these councils
were reviewed and subject to revis
ion or repeal by the central body.
Civi! War lnterposed.
Then the civil war interposed ant
most of the male citizens were EN-
gagged in that great struggle. The!