The Creeks or Muskoki were one of the strongest tribes of the southern
states. To them were related in language a number of important tribes—the
Apalachi, Alibamu, Choctaw, Chicasaw, and others. Several of these tribes
were united with the Creeks into a so-called confederacy. This union was
not to be compared with that of the Iroquois or the Aztecs, but was a
loose combination against foes.
The Creeks and their kindred tribes present a number of points of rather
peculiar interest. In the olden time there were two kinds of Creek
towns—white towns and red towns. The red towns were war towns, governed by
warriors. The white or peace towns were governed by civil chiefs. It is
said by some of the early writers that the white towns were “cities of
refuge” to which those who were being pursued for some crime or
unfortunate accident could flee. The red towns could be known as such as
soon as a stranger entered the public square, as the posts of the “great
house” were painted red.
Warriors were the most honored of men among the Creeks. Until a young man
was successful in battle he was treated hardly different from a servant.
The Creek boys had a pretty hard time. They were made to swim in the
coldest weather; they were scratched with broken glass or fish teeth, from
head to foot till the blood ran; these things were intended to toughen
them to the endurance of pain. When the boy was fifteen to seventeen years
old he was put through a test, after which he was no longer a boy, but a
man. At the proper time he gathered an intoxicating plant. He ate the
bitter root of it for a whole day, and drank a tea made of its leaves.
When night came he ate a little pounded corn. He kept this up for four
days. For four months he ate only pounded maize, which could only be
cooked for him by a little girl. After that his food might be cooked by
any one. For twelve months from the time of his first fast he ate no
venison from young bucks, no turkeys nor hens, no peas nor salt; nor was
he permitted to pick his ears or scratch his head with his fingers, but
used a splinter of wood for the purpose. At the time of new moon he fasted
four days, excepting that he ate a little pounded maize at night. When the
last month of his twelve months’ test came, he kept four days’ fast, then
burned some corncobs and rubbed his body with the ashes. At the end of
that month, he took a heavy sweat and then plunged into cold water.
Men who wished to become great warriors selected some old conjurer to give
them instruction. Four months were spent with him alone. The person
desiring to learn fasted, ate bitter herbs, and suffered many hardships.
After he had learned all the old conjurer could teach him, it was believed
that he could disarm the enemy even at a distance, and if they were far
away, could bring them near, so that he might capture them.
In the center of every large Creek town there was a public square. In this
square there were three interesting things,—the great house, the council
house, and the playground. The great house consisted of four one-story
buildings, each about thirty feet long; they were arranged about a square
upon which all faced. The side of these which opened on the central square
was entirely open. Each of the four houses was divided into three rooms or
compartments by low partitions of clay. At the back of each compartment
were three platforms or seats, the lowest two feet high, the second
several feet higher, the third as much higher than the second. These were
covered with cane matting, as if for carpeting. New mats were put in each
year, but the old ones were not removed. Each of these four buildings was
a gathering-place for a different class of persons. The one facing east
was for the _miko_ and people of high rank; the northern building was for
warriors; the southern was for “the beloved men”; and the eastern for the
young people. In the great house were kept the weapons, scalps, and other
trophies. Upon the supporting posts and timbers were painted horned
warriors, horned alligators, horned rattlesnakes, etc. The central court
of the great house was dedicated ground, and no woman might set foot in
it. In the center of it burned a perpetual fire of four logs.
The council house was at the northeast corner of the great house. It stood
upon a circular mound. It consisted of a great conical roof supported on
an octagonal frame about twelve feet high. It was from twenty-five to
thirty feet in diameter. Its walls were made of posts set upright and
daubed with clay. A broad seat ran around the house inside and was covered
with cane mats. A little hillock at the center formed a fireplace. The
fire kept burning upon this was fed with dry cane or finely split pine
wood which was curiously arranged in a spiral line.
The council house was used as a gathering or meeting place, much as the
great house, but it was chiefly for bad weather, especially for winter.
Here, too, private meetings of importance were held at all times. Here
young men prepared for war-parties, spending four days in drinking
war-drink, and counseling with the conjurers. This council house was also
the place for sweat baths. Stones were heated very hot; water was thrown
upon them to give steam. Those desiring the bath danced around this fire
and then plunged into cold water.
The playground was in the northwest corner of the public square; it was
marked off by low embankments. In the center, on a low, circular mound,
stood a four-sided pole, sometimes as much as forty feet high. A mark at
the top served as a target for practice with the bow and arrow. The floor
of this yard was beaten hard and level. The chief game played here was
called Chunkey. It was played with neatly polished stone disks. These were
set rolling along on the ground, and the players hurled darts or shafts at
them to make the disk fall. (Compare with the wheel game of the
Blackfeet.) Ball games and sometimes dances were also held upon this
playground.
The great celebration of the Creeks was the annual _busk_. They called it
_puskita_, or fast. The ceremony was chiefly held at the great house. The
time was determined by the condition of the new corn and of a plant named
cassine. The ceremony lasted eight days and included many details. Among
them we can mention a few. On the first day a spark of new fire was made
by rubbing two pieces of wood together. With this a four days’ fire was
kindled; four logs of wood were brought in and arranged so that one end of
each met one end of the others at the middle, and the four formed a cross,
the arms of which pointed to the cardinal points; these were fired with
the spark of new fire. Bits of new fire, at some time during the four
days, were set outside where the women could take them to kindle fresh
fires on their home hearths.
At noon of the second day, the men took ashes from the new fire and rubbed
them over their chin, neck, and body; they then ran and plunged themselves
into cold water. On their return, they took the new corn of the year and
rubbed it between their hands and over their bodies. They then feasted
upon the new corn. On the last, eighth day, of the busk, a medicinal
liquid was made from fourteen (or fifteen) different plants, each of which
had medicinal power; they were steeped in water in two pots and were
vigorously stirred and beaten. The conjurers blew into the liquid through
a reed. The men all drank some of this liquid and rubbed it over their
joints.
They did other curious things during this day. When night came, all went
to the river. “Old man’s tobacco” was thrown into the stream by each
person, and then all the men plunged into the river and picked up four
stones from the bottom. With these they crossed themselves over the breast
four times, each time throwing back one stone into the river.
Mr. Gatschet thinks that much good resulted from the busk. After it all
quarrels were forgotten; crimes, except murder, were forgiven; old
utensils were broken and new ones procured. Every one seemed to leave the
past behind and begin anew.
ALBERT S. GATSCHET.—A Swiss, living in America: linguist,
ethnologist. Connected with Bureau of American Ethnology. Edited
_A Migration Legend of the Creeks_.