In the beginning was ...

Creek Indian story of beginning:

In the beginning, the Muskogee people were born out of the earth itself. They crawled up out of the ground through a hole like ants. In those days, they lived in a far western land beside tan mountains that reached the sky. They called the mountains the backbone of the earth. Then a thick fog descended upon the earth, sent by the Master of Breath, Esakitaummesee.

The Muscogee people could not see. They wandered around blindly, calling out to one another in fear. They drifted apart and became lost. The whole people were separated into small groups, and these groups stayed close to one another in fear of being entirely alone. Finally, the Master had mercy on them. From the eastern edge of the world, where the sun rises, he began to blow away the fog. He blew and blew until the fog was completely gone.

The people were joyful and sang a hymn of thanksgiving to the Master of Breath. And in each of the groups, the people turned to one another and swore eternal brotherhood. They said that from then on these groups would be like large families. The members of each group would be as close to each other as brother and sister, father and son. The group that was farthest east and first to see the sun, praised the wind that had blown the fog away.

They called themselves the Wind Family, or Wind Clan. As the fog moved away from the other groups, they, too, gave themselves names. Each group chose the name of the first animal it saw. So they became the Bear, Deer, Alligator, Raccoon, and Bird Clans. However, the Wind Clan was always considered the first clan and the aristocracy of all the clans. The Master-of-Breath spoke to them: "You are the beginning of each one of your families and clans. Live up to your name. Never eat of your own clan, for it is your brother."

You must never marry into your own clan. This will destroy your clan if you do. When an Indian brave marries, he must always move with his wife to her clan. There he must live and raise his family. The children will become members of their mother's clan. Follow these ways and the Muskogee will always be a powerful force. When you forget, your clans will die as people." 

5 Native Women's bios

Lena Fowler, a member of the Navajo Nation, is running for the Coconino County Board of Supervisors, District 5, in Arizona.  She is a life-long resident of Coconino County, and she has spent her life helping her community.  She won her primary at the beginning of this month, but she faces a general election this fall.  She needs our help to win!

Laura McGee, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, is running for State House District 18 in Montana.  She was appointed to the candidacy after the Democratic winner in the district had to drop out, and she faces the Republican incumbent in an uphill battle in November.  She can win, but she needs help from INDNs!

Sharon Peregoy, a member of the Apsaalooke Nation (Crow Tribe), is running for Montana State Senate District 21, which encompasses the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations.  She will fight for quality education, adequate health care, and for more jobs, but she needs our help to win!

Celena Wasson, a member of the Walker River Paiute Tribe, is running for School Board in Washoe County, Nevada.  She has 30 years of teaching experience in the district, and she wants to continue to be a voice for children.  Help her win in November!

Karen Wilde, a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, is running for Colorado State House District 40.  She had no primary, but she faces a Republican opponent in the fall. When she wins, she will continue to advocate for successful education for all of our children and affordable healthcare.  But she needs our help!  

CLAN STORY

How The Clans Came To Be – Creek

In the beginning, the Muscogee people were born out of the earth itself. They crawled up out of the ground through a hole like ants. In those days, they lived in a far western land beside tan mountains that reached the sky. They called the mountains the backbone of the earth. Then a thick fog descended upon the earth, sent by the Master of Breath, Esakitaummesee.

The Muscogee people could not see. They wandered around blindly, calling out to one another in fear. They drifted apart and became lost. The whole people were separated into small groups, and these groups stayed close to one another in fear of being entirely alone. Finally, the Master had mercy on them. From the eastern edge of the world, where the sun rises, he began to blow away the fog. He blew and blew until the fog was completely gone.

The people were joyful and sang a hymn of thanksgiving to the Master of Breath. And in each of the groups, the people turned to one another and swore eternal brotherhood. They said that from then on these groups would be like large families. The members of each group would be as close to each other as brother and sister, father and son. The group that was farthest east and first to see the sun, praised the wind that had blown the fog away. They called themselves the Wind Family, or Wind Clan. 

As the fog moved away from the other groups, they, too, gave themselves names. Each group chose the name of the first animal it saw. So they became the Bear, Deer, Alligator, Raccoon, and Bird Clans. However, the Wind Clan was always considered the first clan and the aristocracy of all the clans. The Master-of-Breath spoke to them: "You are the beginning of each one of your families and clans. Live up to your name. Never eat of your own clan, for it is your brother."

You must never marry into your own clan. This will destroy your clan if you do. When an Indian brave marries, he must always move with his wife to her clan. There he must live and raise his family. The children will become members of their mother's clan. Follow these ways and the Muskhogeans will always be a powerful force. When you forget, your clans will die as people." 

Early Sport

HOW THE ALLIGATOR'S NOSE WAS BROKEN – Creek

"In the old days," said Fixco, the Seminole, "all the animals determined upon a big ball play. 

The 4-footed animals, with the Alligator for their chief, challenged the fowls, with the Eagle at their head, for a game. Sides were chosen, the poles put up, the ground measured off, and the medicine men conjured the balls.

"The day came and they all met on the ground. The animals ran around their poles, all painted and dressed up, while the birds flew and screamed around their poles. At last the ball was tossed into the air and the game began. The Alligator caught the ball as it came down and, grasping it in his teeth, ran toward the poles. The birds in vain attempted to snatch it from him and at last gave it up in utter despair. The Eagle, however, soared aloft and circled in the air till almost out of sight, and then like an arrow he swooped to the earth and struck the Alligator on the nose and broke it. The Alligator's wife had run along with her old man and was shouting at the top of her voice: 

"Look at the little striped alligator's daddy, just look at him," while all the animals shouted in triumph.

"But when the Eagle struck the Alligator all was changed. The Alligator's teeth opened on the ball and the Turkey poked his head in among the teeth, pulled it out, and ran to the poles of the birds and threw the ball between them.

"The fowls won the game and ever since that time the Alligator has had a sunken place on his nose where the Eagle broke it."


Myths and Tales of the Southeastern Indians, by John R. Swanton; Smithsonian Institution, USGPO, Washington, D.C.; Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 88 [1929] and is now in the public domain.(creek)



from archives of Blue Panther

How Rabbit Got The Widow's Daughter

Christies Cabaret of Glendale

September 10, 2013

An old woman had a beautiful daughter with whom Rabbit was in love. So he went to the old woman and asked to marry her. But the old woman made excuses, saying that the girl was not old enough, did not understand housework, etc. Rabbit thereupon went off and made a plan, which he proceeded to carry out. He took a cane and made a hole in the back of the fireplace so that the sound could come through the fire. Then one night he got behind the fire and spoke through his cane, saying: "Anyone who has a growing daughter and does not allow her to marry will surely die, will surely die." Then the old woman was frightened and said to her daughter: "Listen to this. When he comes back you had better marry him." And so Rabbit got the girl.

Myths and Tales of the Southeastern Indians, by John R. Swanton; Smithsonian Institution, USGPO, Washington, D.C.; Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 88 [1929] and is now in the public domain.(Creek)

archives of Blue Panther

Nicole Scherzinger, formerly with the Pussy Cat Dolls on the beach.

CREEK I AM

"The way the Creeks treated enslaved Africans was considered a much different and kinder form of slavery than the way the white Americans, Cherokee, or Choctaw went about it. Families could work under different enslaved African owners and did not have to live on the same property as who they worked for. The enslaved Africans worked quite hard and were paid, but had to give most all of their pay to their owners, being allowed to keep a small amount. Lucinda was treated as a family member and did her duties. Her responsibility was taking care of the baby, amongst being an extra had for cleaning and cooking here and there. She was not beaten or disrespected. It was understood what was needed of her and she followed along."

Lucinda Davis was an enslaved African woman who grew up in the Creek Indian culture. She spoke the Muskogee Creek language fluently. The main information source was from an interview in the summer of 1937, at which time she was guessed to be 89 years old. Lucinda's parents were owned by two different Creek Indians. Being enslaved so young without her parents, she never found out her birthplace, nor the time of her birth. Her parents were both enslaved Africans who sold her close to her birth, because they left their own masters either by running away or buying back their freedom. When Lucinda's parents left, her mother's master sold her to Tuskaya-hiniha. Lucinda was brought up in the Creek family she was sold to.
- I Love Ancestry

"Her story draws a thin line between the Southern definition of slavery and the Creek understanding of family ties!" - Dawn Wolf, Keeper of Stories

Emma Curry Pitchlynn, born 1885

Emma, the wife of Garvin County Pioneer George Pitchlynn, (Chickasaw Roll number 3687), was born in Dublin, Montgomery County, Alabama in 1885.

She was the daughter of Arthur and Fannie Shaver Curry. Emma's mother was of Choctaw Descent. Her grandmother was named Caroline Shaver (1/2 Choctaw) and her great-grandfather was named John Ochiltree (full-blood Choctaw). Emma Curry was a pioneer of Garvin County.

She came to Wynnewood, Indian Territory in 1900 and married George Pitchlynn on December 10, 1902. She was a very religious person who cared dearly for all of her many children: Georgiann, roll no. 518, (born 1904), William, roll no. 114, (born 1905), Bertha (born 1907) and Theodore Pitchlynn (born 1908).

an ELDER'S teaching

In November of 2007 Pam Tinker and I had the privilege of receiving  and hosting Rainbow Eagle and his wife to Wolf Run for a week of teaching. The Muskogee (Creek) Elder, Bear Heart was to be featured but was dying in his home. He sent Rainbow Eagle, an Okla-Choctaw man whom Bear Heart had taught and passed on the ancient responsibility of being the Keeper of the Peace Shield.

Rainbow Eagle held all of us captive unfolding many things about these prophecies, and unique to his scholarship he showed us the connections of Christian history and theology to these indigenous teachings, and the prophecies in anticipation of the new cycles approaching in 2012. There were many things shared, and many insights enlightened our understandings. New Medicines were exchanged. Understanding relationships broadened the discussions, and through it all I took copious notes, and buried a lot within my heart the way Mary hid the prophetic words of the angels who spoke of her son to come in the world as a Messiah.

One of the simple things he said I will share.  "Elders say, 'learn to say thank you. Learn from all experiences, develop respect for all Life."

It is so simple these words, the teaching.

~ Heart Song Stone Man (2013)

Creation story from NDN country

Emergence from Nanih Waiya - Choctaw

A very long time ago the first creation of people was in Nanih Waiya and there they were made and there they came forth. The Muscogees (Creeks) first came out of Nanih Waiya, and they dried themselves on Nanih Waiya's earthen rampart, and when they got dry they went to the east. On this side of the Tombigbee, there they rested and as they were smoking tobacco they dropped some fire.

The Cherokees next came out of Nanih Waiya. And they dried themselves on Nanih Waiya's earthen rampart, and when they got dry they went and followed the trail of the elder tribe. And at the place where the Muscogees had stopped and rested, and where they had smoked tobacco, there was fire and the woods were burnt, and the Cherokees could not find the Muscogees' trail, so they got lost and turned aside and went north and there toward the north they settled and made a people.

And the Chickasaws third came out of Nanih Waiya. And they sunned themselves on the earthen rampart, and when they got dry they went and followed the Cherokees' trail. And when they got to where the Cherokees had settled and made a people, they settled and made a people close to the Cherokees.

And the Choctaws fourth and last came out of Nanih Waiya. And they then sunned themselves on the earthen rampart, and when they got dry, they did not go anywhere but settled down in this very land and it is the Choctaws' home.

This Myth was found in "Native American Legends" compiled and edited by George E. Lankford (August House/Little Rock Publishers, 1987, ISBN# 0-87483-039-7)

From Blue Panther Keeper of Stories