Thlopthlocco Tribal Town
Encyclopedia
Thlopthlocco Tribal Town is both a federally recognized Native American tribe and a traditional township of Muscogee Creek Indians, based in Oklahoma
. The tribe's native language is Mvskoke
, also called Creek.
and Georgia
. They were collectively removed from the southeast to Indian Territory
under the United States' Indian Removal Policy
of the 1830s.
Before 1832, the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town split from a larger town. It was removed to Indian Territory
in 1835. The members of the town settled in an area south of Okemah, Oklahoma
, in what would become Okfuskee County
, on lands that were originally occupied by the Osage
and Quapaw
. Those tribes ceded their lands to the US by 1825.
During the American Civil War
, Thlopthlocco Tribal Town was briefly the headquarters of Confederate Col. Douglas H. Cooper
. Greenleaf Town, located five miles northwest of Thlopthlocco, was the headquarters of Opothleyahola
, a Muscogee leader who worked to resolve conflicts between the Creek factions during the war. He and 5000 others moved north to Kansas
to avoid the Civil War. After the war, the Muscogee Creek collectively signed the 1866 Treaty with the United States and freed their slaves. The treaty also called for the Creek Freedmen
to have membership in the Muscogee Nation. The freedmen settled new townships in Okfuskee County, including Boley
, Bookertee, Clearview
, Chilesville, and Rusk.
Thlopthlocco Tribal Town retained its tribal identity despite allotments
of land to individual households under the Dawes Commission
of 1896. From 1898-1906, members among the Five Civilized Tribes
were registered on what have come to be known as the Dawes Rolls. After making allotments to households registered with the tribes, the US government declared other formerly tribal land as surplus and sold it to European-American settlers after 1906. This further broke up tribal communal territory.
The Thlopthlocco Tribal members organized as a distinct tribe under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act
of 1936, which followed the national Indian Reorganization Act
of 1934. The original headquarters for the tribe was the Thlopthlocco Methodist Episcopal Church, located between Wetumka
and Okemah.
; it conducts business from Okemah. Tribal enrollment stands at 800, with 613 members living within the state of Oklahoma. George Scott is the elected Mekko, or Chief. He succeeded Vernon Yarholar. The tribe maintains a close relationship with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation
and falls under the jurisdiction of their tribal courts.
Thlopthlocco operates its own tribal housing program, smoke shop, and the Golden Pony Casino, located in Okemah.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. The tribe's native language is Mvskoke
Creek language
The Creek language, also known as Muskogee or Muscogee , is a Muskogean language spoken by Muscogee and Seminole people primarily in the U.S. states of Oklahoma and Florida....
, also called Creek.
History
The Muscogee Creek confederacy was composed of autonomous tribal towns, governed by their own elected leadership. The Creek originated in the Southeastern United States, in what is now AlabamaAlabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. They were collectively removed from the southeast to Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
under the United States' Indian Removal Policy
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830.The Removal Act was strongly supported in the South, where states were eager to gain access to lands inhabited by the Five Civilized Tribes. In particular, Georgia, the largest state at that time, was involved in...
of the 1830s.
Before 1832, the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town split from a larger town. It was removed to Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
in 1835. The members of the town settled in an area south of Okemah, Oklahoma
Okemah, Oklahoma
Okemah is a city in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Okfuskee County. It is the birthplace of folk music legend Woody Guthrie. Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, a federally recognized Muscogee Indian tribe, is headquartered in Okemah...
, in what would become Okfuskee County
Okfuskee County, Oklahoma
Okfuskee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 11,814. Its county seat is Okemah.-Geography:...
, on lands that were originally occupied by the Osage
Osage
The Osage Nation, a Native American tribe in the United States, is the source of most other terms containing the word "osage".Osage can also refer to:*The Osage language, a Siouan language traditionally spoken by the Osage Nation...
and Quapaw
Quapaw
The Quapaw people are a tribe of Native Americans who historically resided on the west side of the Mississippi River in what is now the state of Arkansas.They are federally recognized as the Quapaw Tribe of Indians.-Government:...
. Those tribes ceded their lands to the US by 1825.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Thlopthlocco Tribal Town was briefly the headquarters of Confederate Col. Douglas H. Cooper
Douglas H. Cooper
Douglas Hancock Cooper was a politician, a soldier, an Indian Agent in what is now Oklahoma, and a Confederate general during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
. Greenleaf Town, located five miles northwest of Thlopthlocco, was the headquarters of Opothleyahola
Opothleyahola
Opothleyahola, also spelled Opothle Yohola, Opothleyoholo, Hu-pui-hilth Yahola, and Hopoeitheyohola, was a Muscogee Creek Indian chief, noted as a brilliant orator. He was a speaker of the Upper Creek Council. He led Creek forces against the United States government during the first two Seminole...
, a Muscogee leader who worked to resolve conflicts between the Creek factions during the war. He and 5000 others moved north to Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
to avoid the Civil War. After the war, the Muscogee Creek collectively signed the 1866 Treaty with the United States and freed their slaves. The treaty also called for the Creek Freedmen
Creek Freedmen
Creek Freedmen are African American people who were former slaves of Muscogee Creek tribal members before 1866; they were freed by the 1866 treaty with the United States and granted citizenship in the Creek Nation. The Creek Freedmen had lived and worked the land in Indian Territory prior to the...
to have membership in the Muscogee Nation. The freedmen settled new townships in Okfuskee County, including Boley
Boley, Oklahoma
Boley is a town in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,126 at the 2000 census. It was founded in 1903.The Boley Public School District is one of the smallest public school districts in the state of Oklahoma. For the most recent data available, it tied with Sweetwater for...
, Bookertee, Clearview
Clearview, Oklahoma
Clearview is a town in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 56 at the 2000 census. It was historically an all-black town and was platted by the Lincoln Townsite Company and designated as Lincoln.-Geography:Clearview is located at ....
, Chilesville, and Rusk.
Thlopthlocco Tribal Town retained its tribal identity despite allotments
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act, adopted by Congress in 1887, authorized the President of the United States to survey Indian tribal land and divide the land into allotments for individual Indians. The Act was named for its sponsor, Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts. The Dawes Act was amended in 1891 and again...
of land to individual households under the Dawes Commission
Dawes Commission
The American Dawes Commission, named for its first chairman Henry L. Dawes, was authorized under a rider to an Indian Office appropriation bill, March 3, 1893...
of 1896. From 1898-1906, members among the Five Civilized Tribes
Five Civilized Tribes
The Five Civilized Tribes were the five Native American nations—the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole—that were considered civilized by Anglo-European settlers during the colonial and early federal period because they adopted many of the colonists' customs and had generally good...
were registered on what have come to be known as the Dawes Rolls. After making allotments to households registered with the tribes, the US government declared other formerly tribal land as surplus and sold it to European-American settlers after 1906. This further broke up tribal communal territory.
The Thlopthlocco Tribal members organized as a distinct tribe under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act
Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act
The Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of 1936, also known as the Thomas-Rogers Act, is a United States federal law that extended the US Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. It sought to return some form of tribal government to the many tribes in former Indian Territory...
of 1936, which followed the national Indian Reorganization Act
Indian Reorganization Act
The Indian Reorganization Act of June 18, 1934 the Indian New Deal, was U.S. federal legislation that secured certain rights to Native Americans, including Alaska Natives...
of 1934. The original headquarters for the tribe was the Thlopthlocco Methodist Episcopal Church, located between Wetumka
Wetumka, Oklahoma
Wetumka is a city in Hughes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,451 at the 2000 census. It is the headquarters for two federally recognized tribes, the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town and the Kialegee Tribal Town...
and Okemah.
Today
Thlopthlocco Tribal Town is now headquartered in Clearview, OklahomaClearview, Oklahoma
Clearview is a town in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 56 at the 2000 census. It was historically an all-black town and was platted by the Lincoln Townsite Company and designated as Lincoln.-Geography:Clearview is located at ....
; it conducts business from Okemah. Tribal enrollment stands at 800, with 613 members living within the state of Oklahoma. George Scott is the elected Mekko, or Chief. He succeeded Vernon Yarholar. The tribe maintains a close relationship with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation
Muscogee (Creek) Nation
The Muscogee Nation is a federally recognized tribe of Muscogee people, also known as the Creek, based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. They are regarded as one of the historical Five Civilized Tribes and call themselves Este Mvskokvlke...
and falls under the jurisdiction of their tribal courts.
Thlopthlocco operates its own tribal housing program, smoke shop, and the Golden Pony Casino, located in Okemah.
External links
- Constitution and By-Laws of the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, Oklahoma, Thorpe College, University of Oklahoma