The Creek Tribe is a union of Native American tribes that migrated to the southeastern United States. They are a sovereign nation with their own laws and government. The tribe lived in villages and were governed by male chiefs. The Creeks were divided into Upper and Lower Creeks and had interactions with Europeans. In the 1800s, the US attempted to turn them into ranchers and planters, leading to civil war and loss of land. Today, the Creek Tribe is governed by a tribal government in Oklahoma.
Also called the Muskogee, the Creek Tribe is a collection of separate Native American tribes that eventually banded together and migrated to the southeastern United States. The union of tribes, also known as the Creek Confederacy or, simply, the Creek, evolved over time, as groups often subsided and other alliances merged with the tribe. Today, the Creek Tribe is governed by a tribal government located in east-central Oklahoma.
Some Creeks live in South Florida as part of the Seminole tribe, and a Poarch Creek band reside on a reservation in Alabama. Tribe members are American citizens. However, the Creek tribe is a sovereign nation with its own set of laws and form of government.
During the 1500s, the tribe lived primarily in the area that is now Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The tribe received its name from Europeans who identified the Native Americans with the Ocmulgee Creeks in Georgia. In the 1600s, the Creeks were slowly driven off their lands by the Cherokee and also by Europeans. In the 1800s, large numbers of Creeks moved to Oklahoma, where they eventually formed their own nation.
Before 1800, the Creek tribe lived in villages called Italwa, where people spoke the same language and enjoyed the same traditions. Native Americans lived in communities where men hunted and women prepared food and raised children. The men were often warriors who decorated themselves with ceremonial headdresses and tattoos. Cities were governed by a male chief and an assistant chief, selected by a tribal council.
The Creeks have never let their towns outgrow them. Once a Creek town grew to about 600, half of the residents moved to a nearby location and formed another town. In the 1700s, the Creeks began to drift away and gradually adapted to an agricultural lifestyle.
During their dealings with Europeans, the Creek were divided into two distinct geographic areas. Settlers referred to the Creeks located along the Tallappoosa River region of Alabama as Upper Creeks. Europeans called the Native Americans located along the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers in northern Georgia the Lower Creeks. The Lower Creeks had more interaction with the Europeans, while the Upper Creeks kept more to themselves.
In the 1800s, the United States attempted to turn Creek tribesmen into ranchers and planters. In 1813, civil war broke out between different factions of the Creek tribe. American troops intervened and under General Andrew Jackson several hundred Creeks were killed. Under a treaty with the US government, the Creeks granted more than 20 million acres. After the Civil War, the Creeks ceded more than 3 million acres to the US government.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
