Chitto Harjo facts for kids
Chitto Harjo (also known as Crazy Snake) was an important leader and speaker for the traditional people of the Muscogee Nation (Creek Nation) in what was then called Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) around the early 1900s. He strongly disagreed with changes the U.S. government and local leaders wanted to make. These changes were meant to help the area become a U.S. state.
The changes included ending tribal governments and breaking up shared tribal lands into smaller pieces for individual families. The U.S. government then planned to sell any "extra" land to new settlers. Chitto Harjo led a group that resisted these changes. He is famous for leading the Crazy Snake Rebellion in 1909, which some people at the time called the last "Indian uprising."
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Early Life and Beliefs
Chitto Harjo was born in the Muscogee Creek Nation after his people were moved from Alabama in the 1830s. His Creek name, Chitto Harjo, means "Crazy Snake." Chitto means "snake," and Harjo means "brave without caring for one's own safety" or "crazy brave."
He was a traditionalist, meaning he wanted to keep the old ways and traditions of his people. During the American Civil War, he and a small group of his tribe stayed loyal to the Union (the North), even though many other Creek people sided with the Confederacy (the South).
Later, Chitto Harjo and other traditionalists worked hard to bring back their tribal government, which was set up in 1867. They also wanted the U.S. government to keep its promises from old treaties. They were against the idea of ending tribal governments and dividing up their shared lands.
Standing Up for His People
When he was young, Chitto Harjo joined forces with leaders who supported the Union during the Civil War. Many Creek men, including Chitto Harjo, joined the Union Army. He later said that he believed fighting in this war, which was between white men and didn't directly involve Native Americans, would help make sure the U.S. government kept its promises to his people.
In the late 1800s, the U.S. government put a lot of pressure on the Muscogee Creek and other Native American tribes in Indian Territory. This was partly because many European-American settlers wanted the territory to become a state. The government passed laws to end tribal governments and divide communal lands into individual plots. In 1896, the Dawes Commission was created to carry out this land division for the Five Civilized Tribes. The Dawes Rolls were lists of tribal members who could receive land.
The Four Mothers Society
Chitto Harjo became a leader in the Four Mothers Society, a group that included different tribes. This group wanted to bring back traditional ways and strengthen the bonds between tribes that had been moved to Oklahoma. In 1900, a meeting at Harjo's special grounds declared that the current chief, Pleasant Porter, was no longer in charge because he had worked with the government on the land division. They chose Chitto Harjo as the new main chief of the Creek. They even started their own police force, called Lighthorse, and tried to convince Creek people not to accept the land allotments.
From 1900 to 1909, Chitto Harjo led the Creek people's resistance to these changes. He and his followers even set up a separate government for a while.
The Crazy Snake Rebellion
Chitto Harjo and others were arrested and briefly put in jail by the U.S. court, but they were later released. Over the next five years, most of the tribe accepted the changes and received their individual land plots as Oklahoma prepared to become a state. However, Chitto Harjo and his followers, often called the "Snakes," refused to choose their land.
In 1906, a special U.S. Senate committee visited Indian Territory to understand why some Muscogee Creek people were resisting. Harjo, as a respected leader, spoke to the senators for a long time. His speech is famous for the phrase, "as long as the grass grows," which he used to talk about how long U.S. treaties with Native Americans were supposed to last.
In 1909, after Oklahoma became a state and passed unfair laws similar to Jim Crow laws in other states, a group of African Americans came to Harjo's area seeking safety. They had faced unfair treatment elsewhere in Oklahoma. During a meeting of the Four Mothers Society, a conflict started between local European-Americans and the group. A fight broke out, and people were hurt.
White groups then gathered weapons, wanting to break up the Native American and African American camp and arrest Chitto Harjo. When they went to his house, a gunfight happened. Two white deputies were killed, and others were injured. Harjo and his followers escaped to the old Choctaw Nation, helped by other members of the Four Mothers Society. This event became known as the "Crazy Snake Rebellion."
The governor of Oklahoma, Charles N. Haskell, sent a militia to find the Creek traditionalists. The commanding officer found that white groups were causing most of the trouble and made them stop. Chitto Harjo found safety with Daniel Bob, a Choctaw leader. Chitto Harjo died in 1911, and was never seen again by white law enforcement.
Chitto Harjo's Speech to the U.S. Senate
In 1906, Chitto Harjo, also known as Eufala Harjo, spoke to a special Senate committee. He and other tribal representatives strongly opposed breaking up tribal lands. Harjo told the committee, "I will never stop asking for this treaty, the old treaty that our fathers made with the Government which gave us this land forever... as long as the grass grows, water runs, and the sun rises."
He explained the long history between Native Americans and the U.S. government. He reminded them that his ancestors were the first people in this country. He spoke about the promises made when Europeans first arrived, saying that the land was given to his people forever and that they would be protected. He said, "He told me that as long as the sun shone and the sky is up yonder these agreements shall be kept."
Harjo also talked about how his people were forced to leave their homes in Alabama in 1832 and move to Indian Territory. He said they were promised this new land forever. He explained that during the Civil War, his people joined the Union Army to honor their treaties, believing they would get their land back.
He expressed his confusion and sadness that the government was now dividing up his people's land without their consent. He also questioned why land was being given to African Americans, who had come as slaves, when he believed the land belonged to his people based on treaties.
Chitto Harjo ended his powerful speech by asking the senators to honor the old agreements and treaties. He begged them to fix the problems his people faced and ensure the promises were kept. When asked if he was a farmer, he replied, "Oh, yes, I am a farmer. I have a farm and a home there on it. I used to have horses and hogs and cattle but I have precious few left now. The white people have run all through me and over me and around me and committed all kinds of depredations and what I have left is precious few. I am here and stand before you today, my fathers, as a man of misery. I am here appealing to you to have the laws carried out."
The interpreter, Mr. Hodge, confirmed that Chitto Harjo was "as honest and straight forward and sincere in his statements as a living man can be."
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