Muscogee (Creek)
In the 1600's, the Creek Confederacy was one of the strongest political groups in North America. Their complicated social structure and highly developed lifestyle gained them membership into the Five Civilized Tribes Confederation.
Creek towns were governed by elected leaders called "Miccos" who also represented their village at the tribal council meetings. Villages were made up of a number of family compounds around a central square.
They were very fine agriculturists and often had surplus food to use for trade. The farming tradition is still celebrated today in the four-day-long "Green Corn Dance" celebration.
In the winter of 1836, the US Government moved 14,000 Creeks to Oklahoma Indian Territory. During this trip an estimated 3,500 died from the cold and starvation. The survivors call themselves the "Muscogee", using the ancestral name for their people.
About the Flag:
The sheaf of wheat represents the importance of agriculture to the Muscogee. The plow represents the biblical prophecy: "Behold the day comes, sayeth the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper..." The initials "I.T." stand for Indian Territory (Oklahoma).
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