University of Virginia Library

2. Creek Indian Migration Record

Ispahihtca,[*] a former chief of the Creek Nation, of the Kasihta town, told the following version of the Creek Indian Migration Legend to James Roane Gregory. Mr. Gregory repeated the legend to John R. Swanton in May of 1912. Mr. Swanton included the legend in his "42nd Annual Report" to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute, entitled "Social Organization and Social Usages of Creek Indians," pages 53-55, 1924-1925. A copy was found in the "Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 73" in the Oklahoma Historical Library, Oklahoma City .

Some people anciently lived together in the West. In course of time they became so evil that they could find nothing pure in the world except the sun, and they determined to travel eastward to find the place from whence it came. On the way they became separated into three bodies. The first of these were called Chickasaw because on the morning when they were to set out they were the first to see the sun rise and said Tcika ha'sa (hitcika hasa), "See the sun!" The second body said to the first Kohasita, ("Ko" is not the usual word meaning "where?" but is probably an exclamatory particle.) 'Where is the sun?' from which circumstance they received the name Kasihta. The Chickasaw moved first, the Kashihta following them, but the third body of people had some difficulty in passing around a brier thicket and were left a long distance behind, so that the parties in advance began to call them Ko-aoita, 'Those that are following us,' whence the Coweta.

During their travels these tribes came to a great river which they crossed, and presently the Chickasaw entered upon a beautiful country whre ther were small prairies abundantly supplied with strawberries and other wild fruits and having deep pools of water. Then the Chickasaw did not want to go any farther and said that they did not care where the sun came from So they settled in that country, while the remaining bands held on their course. By and by the Kasihta, who were still in advance, crossed a river smaller than the first. On the other side they raised a mound, leaving a great chamber in the center in which to fast and purify their bodies. They left their women, children, and other noncombatants there and went on toward the east.

Afterward, the Coweta arrived on the opposite side of the river and sent word over that they intended to cross and kill everyone in the place because the Kasihta warriors had not waited to have them join in the expedition. But among the Kasihta women was one who had a magic white stone or pebble, the mate to which was in the keeping of her husband among the warriors. By means of this stone she informed him of the serious state of affairs, and the Kasihta warriors immediately retraced their steps, cut switches, and, passing over to the Coweta warriors, whipped them severely. But they did not strike them with a weapon of war. They then told the Coweta to take charge of the mound, and, gathering together their own noncombatants, they went eastward once more.

After the Kasihta had left, the Coweta made medicine and went inside of the great mound in order to purify them selves, but while they were there a Cherokee war party attacked the camp. Great was their surprise, however, when the Coweta warriors poured up from the bowels of the earth, and the Cherokees were defeated with great slaughter. From this circumstance the Coweta town became the Great War town of the Creek Nation. Then the Kasihta sent back for the Coweta but, without waiting for them to catch up, continued in the same direction as before. Presently they reached a country populated by naked people who would attack them and then run off. The naked people did this repeatedly until they at length ran into a dense fog. The Kasihta followed them, and emerging on the other side, found them selves on the shore of the ocean from which the fog had arisen. Unable to go farther they camped where they were, and in the morning saw the sun rise out of the sea. They concluded that was why it was bright and pure. By and by the Coweta came up, and the two peoples agreed that the country from which they had started was so far off that they would not return to it. So they remained where they were, fought with the inhabitants of the land, and brought them under their own system of laws.

In curse of time no people were left willing to resist them, and they longed for someone with whom to fight. Hereupon Coweta challenged Kasihta to a game of ball in order to obtain revenge for having been beaten with switches by the latter. The custom of having ball contests originated at this time and in this manner and has continued to the present day. Now arose the division between the war towns and the peace towns. The war towns have separated from the Coweta and the peace towns from the Kasihta, except in the cases of towns which have been brought in from outside. These have usually been brought in by the peace towns, and hence are generally white.

(Transcribed by Barbara Cox.)