Creek Indians & Georgia History

A conversation with Dr. Joseph Kitchens

June 25, 2011

By Edna Peirce Dixon

Good Morning Joe,

Many times as I was growing up in Warner Robins, GA, we visited Ocmulgee National Monument – a place where I learned some mysterious people out of the past had once lived. Other than that I never heard the first mention in school about the ancient or historical Native Peoples. I now understand what is meant by “invisible” people.

When I first met Bobby Johns in high school, he told no one of his Creek ancestry – why spoil a good thing – he told me later. It was not until our paths crossed again some 43 years later that I learned of his heritage and his life mission. I did some research per his recommendation and that is what fired me up to walk his path and do what little I could to assist. We’ve come a long way the past 13+ years. I’ve learned a whole lot and am dedicated even more to helping him in his mission.

Over the years, I’ve communicated with many Creek descendants searching in vain for that elusive ancestral heritage that the old ones refused to talk openly about. I’ve learned that tracing the identity and movements of the Southeastern Indians, especially those from Georgia, is difficult and hard to prove. In today’s world proving an ancestor on the Dawes Rolls seems to be the gold standard for acceptance and recognition, but those whose ancestors avoided removal by hiding in the swamps and lying to avoid removal have a difficult time. Hopefully one day someone will open up some minds to this fact and some of this pompous foolishness about who is a real Creek and who isn’t will disappear.

Thanks so much, Joe. Your interest and effort is greatly appreciated. epd

~~~

Edna,

I have thought much on the subject of the “invisible” Creeks and share the concerns suggested in the material you sent. Perhaps I should make a stab at writing on this subject.

Creek culture is not the only victim of the decline of rural Georgia. A majority of Atlantans (according to the 2010 census) were not born in Georgia. South Georgia has declined significantly as documented by many indexes, but I believe it comes down to the reality that in some ways Atlanta’s greatness has come at the expense of the rest of the state. While I shy away from believing some conspiracy is responsible, it is clear that many wonderful and valuable cultural and natural environments are being lost. No doubt, this has happened in many other places. But, I do not live in “many other places” and my own family and personal roots lie deep in Georgia’s red clay.

One need look no further than literature to see that personal values still run deep after the tide of population and progress have passed them by. Janesse Ray’s wonderful book, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, is a testament to the staying power of values held by those in whom nature is deeply ingrained. Jimmy Carter’s The Hornet’s Nest bears witness to the importance of history in determining one’s character.

Racism directed against the Creeks seems to have been late-blooming, and rose with the tide of African slaves brought to the cotton plantations–of which there were few before 1800. There was a necessity in a nominally Christian society to find justification for the racism that came to dominate Georgia life. Scripture and science were bent to serve this new ideology and the Creeks, along with other native peoples, began to feel the impact by the 1820s. One consequence was a virtual stampede to the west-to Mexico’s Texas territory-where there were new opportunities and mixed marriages and their children could hopefully live in peace. And, as you know many increasingly isolated pockets of Creeks and Cherokees remained behind, increasingly withdrawn and marginalized in a society where commercial agriculture and slavery seemed to crush everything in its path.  

Because a portion of the Creek nation known as the “Red Sticks,” rose to defy the United States (and Georgia) in 1812-1814, Georgians became ruthless in demanding the cession of all Indian lands. The Cherokee, who sought to duplicate the US system of government fared no better. Every move toward a male-dominated social system, commercial farming, African slavery, and political democracy only angered Georgians.  It is ironic that Georgia’s admiration for the Cherokee became pronounced only after the demise of that people and their banishment to Oklahoma. Recalling the Creeks’ hopelessly courageous stand against Andrew Jackson’s forces in the Red Stick War cast an even darker shadow over the conscience and history of Georgia. Ever since, it has been less painful to forget than to learn.

These are a few of my personal conclusions–hopefully some of them are near the truth.

Joe