University of Virginia Library

1. Euchees of the Creeks

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