#muskogee

[tvstvnvkke]

Tribal Names

I don’t think many people, even some native people, are aware that the legal names of many tribes are actually not from the tribe.

Often the names came about because colonizers would ask one tribe "hey, what do you call those people over there?". then they would assign the name given to that tribe. so often the names were descriptions from unrelated tribes, or in more extreme cases, insults.

The Muscogee tribe got pretty lucky since the legal name was "creek" and it came from a different tribe going "oh, those are the people near the creek". which, is accurate enough, most creek settlements were placed along creeks. a famous one that is related to the Muscogee is the name "Cherokee". "Cherokee" is a Muscogee word meaning something along the lines of "people who don’t speak our language". Even this is pretty light compared to some names. some official tribal names translate to phrases like "dog eaters" or "lazy people".

This is why it’s not uncommon for tribes to start using older names. Muscogee comes from the term for our people "Mvskoke", and the tribe has made efforts to distance itself from the name "Creek". Although it is likely still the name you’ll hear most often.

[dailyhistoryposts]

On This Day In History

May 9th, 1951: Mvskokvlke poet Joy Harjo, a key figure in the literary Native American Renaissance, is born.

[missing-girls-and-women]

Dawn Michelle Nakedhead, 16

Last seen in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma in 1991. She was going to a friends house in Muskogee.

[federer7]

Getting ready to depart from home in Oklahoma for trip to California, near Muskogee, Oklahoma, July 1939

Photo: Russell Lee

[arthurdrakoni]

Flag of the Cherokee Confederacy

This is the flag of the Cherokee Confederacy. It comes from a world where the Spanish Armada successfully conquered England in 1588. While England did eventually regain its independence, the Spanish conquest severely stunted England’s growth as a world power, and lead to greater political instability. As a result, England never became a demographic juggernaut during the colonization of North America. The lands that would have become the Thirteen Colonies are a patchwork of nations and colonies founded by numerous European nations. There are also several independent indigenous nations, such as the Cherokee Confederacy. 

The Cherokee Confederacy also includes the Muskogee, Chickasaw, and Choctaw tribes. The Cherokee, as reflected by the name, were the founding tribe of the confederacy. The Cherokee Confederacy was one of the first indigenous nations of North America to implement westernization and industrialization programs. Today, most Cherokee dress in European-style clothing, but do wear traditional clothing on special occasions. Like most southern nations in eastern North America, the Cherokee historically practiced slavery. Slavery was formally abolished in 1885 as part of the modernization efforts. Racial divides and tensions still remain, but the Cherokee government has, in recent years, implement programs to help blacks integrate into Cherokee society. 

The Cherokee legislature, known as the Tribal Council, is organized into a semi-parliamentary democracy, with a prime minister as the Head of Government, and a president as Head of State. The Cherokee Tribal Council is closer in style to the French National Assmbly, rather than to the English Parliament. The Cherokee Confederacy is centered around what would be western North Carolina, Tennessee, and the northern bits of Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. The indigenous republics of North America, being sovereign nations, did not suffer an equivalent of the Indian Removal Act. 

Historically, the Cherokee Confederacy has been rivals with the Haudenosaunee Federation. However, in recent times the two nations have been putting their rivalries behind them. In terms of good relations, the Cherokee Confederacy has historically been an ally of New Neatherlands, which in located in Virginia. The various nations of North America have formed a European Union-style economic union, and there are hopes that this will eventually leads to a federation. There is a general spirit of good will and optimism. That said, North America still has a ways to go before its nation states become united. 

The flag contains seven gold stars in the shape of the Big Dipper, or Ursa Major, on an orange field with a green border. Ursa Major is an important constellation to several tribes within the Cherokee Confederacy. It also symbolizes how the same night sky shine over the entire Cherokee Confederacy. Blue would seem a natural color choice, but the Cherokee picked orange instead. There is some debate about why this is. Popular belief says that it symbolizes the Cherokee Confederacy’s ties to New Netherlands. However, the Cherokee actually picked orange to contrast with the blue flags several other North American nations use. The green border is to offset the orange.

Link to the original flag on my blog: https://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2022/05/flag-of-cherokee-confederacy.html?m=1

[cgclarkphoto]

Castle window -  cg photography

[unteriors]

W Martin Luther King Street, Muskogee, Oklahoma.

[20th-century-railroading]

MKT 365 - Muskogee, OK by David Hawkins KB5WK Via Flickr: DATE 05/22/1989 - no name on slide

[duranduratulsa]

Oklahoma Treasures: Oklahoma Renaissance Festival in Muskogee #oklahoma #muskogee #MuskogeeOklahoma #renaissancefair #OklahomaRenaissanceFestival #castlemuskogee

[jonathanplasencia]

Jonathan Plasencia has visited several countries thanks in part to his time in the military. Germany, among the numerous nations he has visited, continues to be a favorite due to Munich's wealth of intriguing sights and activities. Additionally, he suggests Seychelles since it provides visitors with the finest diving opportunities.

[tvstvnvkke]

Hvresse hvse teyoposkat

When the sun and moon trade places.

There are two Muscogee tales I've heard about the eclipse.

One is about a frog eating the sun when the earth is still young. Then, regurgitating it because the sun is too big.

The other is about the moon and the sun doing a friendship dance. Friendship dances are common at stomp dances.

Either way, the common wisdom is to give the sun and the moon their time together. Stay inside and stay quiet, don't eves drop by watching them.

[scrollsofhumanlife]

Joyce Ann Dotson nee Palmer (right) with a loved 1

B. October 13th 1946 in Clarksville, Oklahoma

Kansas City, Kansas

[missing-girls-and-women]

Harley M. Pollard, 16

Last seen in Muskogee, Oklahoma in 2022. She ran away from her foster home with another teenager who was located and stated she saw Harley last in Tulsa.

[federer7]

Farm Mother and Child at Pie Supper, near Muskogee, Oklahoma, 1939

Photo: Russell Lee

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“If singing will do it, Vice-president Curtis out to click for another term at the White House. Tsianina, Indian mezzo-soprano, is one of his campaigners.”

- from the Toronto Star. November 8, 1932. Page 19.

{AL: Tsianina Redfeather Blackstone is a super, super interesting figure - a singer, entertainer and activist whose life spanned almost a century. Who knew she endorsed Herbert Hoover for president in 1932?]

[cgclarkphoto]

Muskogee, Oklahoma -  cg photography