The Euchee tribe of the Creek Indian is a distinct family of
Indians from all the other eastern tribes. They differ in habits,
language and appearance from all their surrounding neighbors, with
a possible slight exception in the manner of saying “no,”
“none,” and the single guttural sound of “eauh” for
“yes.” All evidence point to the Pacific coast to locate the
cousins and tribal families of the Euchees, among the Tin-nay
nations, who are composed of the Apache, Navajo, and Hupi tribes
of the southwest part of the United States. Extending northward on
the Pacific coast and mountains are the Kotenay, Nehane, Sekane
and Tututenay tribes, who, with some other tribes, are classified
as the Athabascan tribes. Mr. Mooney, and also Grinnell, describes
these western tribes so well in their histories that anyone
acquainted with the Euchees can recognize the western origination
of these people, as they themselves prove by distinguishing
individuals as the Te-nay in common with the Athabascan tribes of
the west.
The Euchees
are a brave, war-like tribe. Physically they are moderately well
developed being more of a lank sinewy structure than any of their
neighbors, excepting possibly the mountain Cherokees. We have been
told by the old folks who knew the Euchees when they were wild,
savage Indians, that it was a common thing for a Euchee to start
in the morning on the track of a deer, his only weapon being a
knife, and would run down the deer and kill it with his knife
before evening. The tribe was once strong and a powerful nation on
the Savanna, Chattahoochee, Tennessee and Suwannee rivers of the
southeast. They had no allies. They fought every tribe within
reach of them, and braver men than they never lived. They were
unconquerable. They are the only tribe that ever got the best of
the Chickasaws in battle. They were the warriors that drove the
Sioux from their eastern home. Then finally the semi-civilized
Muskogees (or Creeks, as they were afterwards called), came from
the west along the Gulf coast, fighting all opposition to their
progress, when the greatest war the Euchees ever engaged in
ensued. After a protracted struggle for several years’ duration
the Euchees lost so heavily they retired from before these new
enemies. Yet for four generations they continued desultory
warfare, until at a great council of the Muskogee or Creek tribe
the question of exterminating the entire Euchee tribe was
considered by the council and recommended by two of the three
Espokokee towns of the Creek nation. The third Espokokee town,
known as the Cussehtah town, interceded for the lives of the
remnant of the Euchees. This being done in regular order and
according to the laws and customs of the Creek nation, it was
granted by the council, as the Cussehtah town was the Espokokee
peace town of the nation. This town had legal authority to command
the peace, even with the enemy.
The Euchees
were formally notified of this action by the Creek council and
were taken by the hand of peace and friendship and led to the
entrance of the boundary mounds of the Cussehtah sacred ground of
the town square, thus becoming full-fledged citizens of the Great
Cussehtah Town of the Creek nation. They were requested in common
with all other members of the town, by poll tax labor to keep the
Cussehtan Temple of the Sacred Fire in repair. This tax was
required of all young male members of the town, including those of
other bands who were intermarried, unless exempted by special
privileges known only to the town Tus-ke-he-ne-ha. Hence, thus was
the story started by ignoramuses about the Euchees once having
been the slaves of the Creeks. This labor meant, at most, only
about two days in the year, with plenty to eat and entertainment,
dances, and ball plays, a plug of chewing tobacco, with a black
junk bottle of whisky and with a ki-yi-whoop, homeward he would
go, the little pessel-tail pony carrying the drunk and happy
rider, with an extra haversack full of bear steak and big bean
dumplings, home to the little shaved head Euchee, who, that
morning, made faces and grimaces at the great Cussehtah king who
rode by the split log cabin. Yes, and they shot blunt arrows at
the lazy sofky dog that was following the pony heels of his
majestic master. The boys whooped “kella hun-no-wah, ko see-ya”
as the king rode on, paying no attention to trifles below the
dignity of a king and his sofky dog.
It is a pity every
Indian, white man and Negro in the Territory are not as free and
happy today as those people were in that day. No, the Euchees were
never slaves of the Creeks. They never asked quarter of the Creeks
and probably would have gone down fighting to the last, if the
Creek council had decided to exterminate them. Among them we find
some of the able men of the Creek nation of today. It was a Euchee
chief by the name of Timpoochee Bairnard [sic] that received the
gold medal from the Congress of the United States, through
recommendation of General Jackson being the “bravest of the
brave” during the British war of 1812-14.
There were 590
Euchees in the Creek nation at the last Creek census, they having
in the last few years decreased rapidly. This decrease seems to be
largely due to a new habit they have learned of drinking Jamaica
ginger, which is prepared principally of wood alcohol, and which
is destroying a great many lives in this Territory.
The Euchees, like
the Osages, strongly adhere to their old customs. They are like
wild quails, hard to domesticate. The Euchee is by nature a hunter
and a great lover of the wild mountains and forests. Their
language is very limited. The Euchee is not a man of words but a
man of deeds.
Published in the Indian Journal, Eufaula, I.T.,
April 26, 1901.
James Roane Gregory
