GRADY COUNTY, GA
NATIVE AMERICANS
The Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe
Tama Creek Tribal Town
107 Lone Pine Drive
Whigham, GA 31797
(229) 762-3165
Principal Chief Vonnie Mc Cormick
All of us should be grateful for the hard
work done by the folks at Tama in preserving Georgia's native heritage...it
is a heritage that we all can be proud of. The truth is that a huge percentage
of citizens in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi have some Creek, Cherokee or
Choctaw blood in them. Many Native Americans in the south intermarried with
caucasians and african americans. Many of these mixed heritage folks did not
go west, but were protected by their white relatives. Southern cuisine derived
directly from Creek-Choctaw foods. Brunswick stew, barbeque, hush puppies, corn
fritters, grits, hominy, beans, venison, frog legs, succatash, squash, pumpkins...even
catfish deep-fat fried in corn meal were mainstays of the Creek diet.
ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY
In February 1973, a meeting was held for
various local groups of Creeks at the Indian school in Atmore, Alabama. This
was to form an Eastern Creek Unity Confederacy. The groups recognized Houston
McGhee as leader of the entire Creek Nation east of the Mississippi and acknowledged
Poarch as the center of Eastern Creek Affairs.
Chief McGhee appointed Wesley
Thombley chief of the Pensacola area, and Neal McCormick of Cairo, GA as Chief
of the Creeks in Georgia. To encourage mutual support and cooperation, the three
Chiefs and their councils selected an Annual Fourth of July Pow Wow in Cairo,
GA and Labor Day Pow Wow in Pensacola, retaining the Thanksgiving Pow Wow in
Atmore as a climax of the Pow Wow cycle.
Many trips were made to
Oklahoma to talk with Chief Cox, and tribal towns in the 70's were still a part
of the nation, and were awaiting tribal town status for Georgia, Florida, and
Alabama Creeks. However, the Alabama Creeks did not wish for this to occur.
They pulled away from the Tri-State Council and went on their own.
A Resolution was given recognizing the Lower Creek
Tribe on March 16, 1973. It reads:
.....NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that this body hereby recognizes
the Muskogee-Creek Indian Tribe East of the Mississippi River in the State of
Georgia as a tribe of people...
The Georgia Commission of Indian Affairs was formed
by Executive Order on May 9, 1977. The Order provided for the appointment of
the members of the Commission, and recognized the Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe-East
of the Mississippi, Inc. as a legal entity.
Proclamations were made by recent Georgia Governors
recognizing the Creeks as a tribe. Governor Jimmy Carter(March 15, 1973)...
"I do hereby officially recognize the Muskogee-Creek Indian Tribe East of the
Mississippi River in the state of Georgia as a tribe of people..." Governor
George Busbee (November 12, 1976)"..I do hereby recognize the Muskogee-Creek
Indian Tribe East of the Mississippi River, in the State of Georgia, as a tribe
of people, and I proclaim "Tama Reservation" as an Indian reservation so long
as it is held and used for that purpose.." Governor Joe Frank Harris )Oct. 17,
l988) "...The same Indian Tribe is still in existence today, over 150 years
after the 1833 Treaty between our two nations, having survived the Indian Removal;and
whereas the Lower Creek Muskogee Tribe retains a Democratic form of Government
at its Tribal Headquarters, at TAMA, near Whigham, GA...The Lower Creek Muscogee
Tribe of Georgia has been recognized as a ligal entity in the state through
Executive Orders and acts of the general assembly....I hereby commend the Lower
Creeek Muskogee Tribe of Georgia, its Tribal Leaders and Tibal council for their
outstanding efforts toward preserving Creek Indian Culture.."; and the most
recent Proclamtion by current Governor, The Honorable Zell Miller: WHEREAS;
The Lower Creek Muscogee Tribe has been recognized as leagal entity in the state
through Executive Order and acts of the Genereal Assembley; now WHEREAS: I,
Zell Miller, Governor of the State of Georgia, do hereby recognize the "Lower
Muskogee Creek Tribe" in this state in honor of the many contributions Georgia
Indians have made...
House Bill 457, which was
signed into law April 16, 1992, is a bill which regulates and monitors excavation
and archeological research done on burial grounds. In this bill the Creek Indians
are identified as indigenous to this state. (HB 457, Article 7, part 1, section
1, p.11) Section 44-12-300 of Georgia law, effective April 28, 1993, states
that the State of Georgia officially recognizes as a legitimate American Indian
tribe the Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe of Whigham, Georgia.
Today, the Lower Muskogee
Creek Tribe operates with a constitution and tribal government. The current
elected Principal Chief is Marian S. (Vonnie) McCormick, daughter-in-law to
Neal McCormick. Chief McCormick serves on the Minority Advisory Committee for
the Georgia Department of Labor. She also has ongoing dealings with the Georgia
Department of Natural Resources and Office of the Governor.
**Preceeding information contributed by Winnette
Stinson
c/o Historic Preservation Division
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
254 Washington Street SW, Ground Floor, Atlanta,
GA 30334
Telephone: 404-651-8630 - Fax: 404-657-1368
Links of interest:
Among the Creeks
Native American Nations
Creek Treaties Related
to Georgia
American Indians
in Georgia
Creek Indians in Georgia
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