Creeks

Creeks, a North American people belonging to the Appalachian group, who call themselves Muscogulgi (Muskhoghi), and who form two great divisions, the Upper Creeks, or Muskhoghi proper, of the Upper Alabama, and the Lower Creeks, or Seminoles, of the Lower Alabama and Flint rivers; both originally from beyond the Mississippi. The Seminoles, who appear to be the original stock, were formerly the dominant people in Florida. where a few are still met. But the bulk of the nation are now settled in Seminole Reserve, Indian Territory. The Upper Creeks formerly occupied the present States of Georgia and Alabama, but were also removed (1836) to a reserve in Indian Territory. Here they have made considerable material and intellectual progress, and now possess numerous schools, periodicals printed in a special character, a political constitution, and two chambers, one for the "kings," and the other for the "warriors." Nevertheless, they appear to be decreasing, having fallen from 14,500 in 1866 to little over 12,000 in 1882. J. W. Powell (Linguistic Stocks of American Indians, 1891) separates Seminole from Muskhogean, and classes it with the nearly extinct Timuguanan stock language, at one time current throughout the whole of Florida.