Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-05-18

vaded They meetings
tribe that the Choctaw manifested no hostility toward
the Americans during this conflict A small band of
perhaps thirty probably the only Choctaw with the
Creeks The larger part of those in Mississippi began to
migate to Indian Territory in 1882, having ceded most
of their lands to the United States in various treaties
(Royce, Indian Land CeSsQnS 18th Rep. b. A. f., 1899.
The Choctaw pre-eminently the agriculturists
OF the southern Indians Though brave their wars IN
most instances defensive No mention is made of
the great house the square, in Choctaw towns
they existed in the Creek communities, of the
busk, The game of chmkey, well as the ball play,
was extensively practiced them. 1t their custom
clean the bones of the dead before depOSitng them
in boxes baskets in the bOnehOuseS the work being
performed by certain old gentlemen with very long
nails, who allowed their nails to grow long for tins
purpose. The people OF this tribe also followed the
custom of setting up poles around the new graves, ON
which they hung hoops, WreahS etc to aid the spirit IN
its ascent As their name seems to imply they pracced
artificial head flattening.
The population of the tribe when it first into
relations with the French about the year 7OO has been
estimated at from $4,000 to 10000. Their number in
1904 was 17S05, exclusive of 4722 Choctaw freedmen
(negroes) These are all under the Union agency In
dian Territory. TO these must be added small number
in Mississippi and Louisiana.
There are at least were formerly, several dialects
spoken in different sections these however differed
little that they have not been considered worthy OF
special mention. The small MuskhOgean tribes known
as Mobian TOhome or TOmez TawaSa Muguasha,
Mississippi and Alabama are sometimes called Choctaw,
but the Chocaw proper had their villages inland on the
upper courses of the Chickasawhay, Pearl, and Big
Black rivers and the western affluents of the Tombg
bee At least in later times they distinguished into
three sections, each under its mingo chief The
western division was called Okafaaya, 'the long peO
pie and consisted of small scattered villages; the
northeastern, Ahepatokla (Oypatuka), "pOtao-eating
people, and the southeastern district to be called
Oklahanna, "Sixtowns" from the of the domin-
ant subdivision The people of these two latter districts
lived i'll large towns for mutual defense against their
constant enemies the Creeks Gatschet gives Cobb In
dians as the name of those ChOctaw settled west Of
Pearl river. (John R. Swanton of the Bureau of Amer
can Ethnology and Cyrus Thomas of the Bureau Of
American EthnOlOgy)
Creeks
A confederacy forming the largest division of the
NIuskhOgean family They received their from
the English account of the streams in their
country. During early history times the Creeks
cupied the greater portion of Alabama and Georgia.
siding chiefly Coosa and Talapoosa rivers the two
largest tributaries of Alabama river and Flint and
Chatta hoochee rivers They claimed the territory
the from the Savannah to st. Johns river and all
the islands, thence to Apalache bay and from this line
nOrthward to the mountains. The southern portion of
this territory held by dispossesson Of the earlier
Florida tribes They sold to Great Britain at early
date their territory between Savannah and Ogeechee
rivers all the coast to ST. Johns river and all the islands
up TO tidewaer, reservng for themselves st. Catherine
Sapelo and OssabaW islands, and from PipemakerS bluff
to Savannah. Thus occupying aleading position among
the Muskhogean tribes the CherOkees sufficiently
numerous and powerful to resist attacks from the
northern tribes, the Catawba, oquois Shawnee and
Cherokee after they had united in confederacy which
they did at early day The dominating tribes at the
time of the confederation to have been the Abhka
Cor Kusa) Kasihta, Kawita, Oakfuskee and other
tribe tribes at the junction of Coosa and Tallapoosa
rivers Nothing certain be said of their previous
condition, of the time when the cOnfederacy was
established but it appears from the narratives of De
SOtOs expedition that leagues among several of these
towns existed in 1540 which head chiefs presided
For more than century before their removal to the
west between 1886 and 1S40 the people of the Creek
confederacy occupied fifty towns, in which We're
spoken six distinct languages viz, Muscogee, Hchiti,
Koasat, Yuch, Nachez and Shawnee. The first three
were of MuskhOgean stock, the others entirely
alien interpretations About half the confederacy spoke
the Muscogee language, which thus constituted the
ruling language and gave to the confederacy The
meaning of the word is unknown. Although attempt
has been made to connect it with the Algonquian
maskeg, swamp the probabilities to favor a
southern origin The people speaking the cognat