Hitchiti facts for kids

The Hitchiti were an old Native American tribe from the southeastern United States. They used to live mainly in a town with the same name. This town was located on the east side of the Chattahoochee River in what is now western Georgia. The Hitchiti were known for being honest and hardworking.

Their own name for themselves might have been Atcik-hata. Another tribe, the Coushatta, called them At-pasha-shliha, which meant "mean people." As more European Americans moved into their lands, the Hitchiti were forced to move to Florida. Some stayed there, but others signed a treaty. This treaty made them give up their land in exchange for new lands in Indian Territory (which is now Oklahoma).

What Language Did the Hitchiti Speak?

Hitchiti was one of many Muskogean languages spoken by tribes in the Creek Confederacy. This was a group of Native American tribes that worked together. During the time when Europeans first came to America, Hitchiti was spoken in Georgia and Florida. Tribes like the Chiaha, Oconee, Sawokli, Apalochicola, and Miccosukee spoke it. Because many place names come from this language, experts think it was spoken over a very large area.

Hitchiti was part of the Muskogean language family. It was very similar to the Mikasuki language, and people who spoke one could usually understand the other. The Hitchiti and Mikasuki tribes were both part of the Creek Confederacy. The Mikasuki language became one of the main languages of the Seminole people. The Seminole formed a new group in Florida. Today, many Seminole and Miccosukee people in Florida still speak Mikasuki. However, it is no longer spoken by the Oklahoma Seminole.

Like the Creek language, Hitchiti had an old "female" way of speaking. Older people still remembered and sometimes used this special way of talking. It was also known as the 'ancient language'.

Sounds of the Language

The Hitchiti language had different sounds, just like English does. It had vowel sounds (like 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u') and consonant sounds (like 'p', 't', 'k', 'm', 'n'). Some of its sounds were similar to English, while others were unique.

Where Did the Hitchiti Live?

Location of the Hitchiti in relation to modern state boundaries.

The Hitchiti are often linked to an area in what is now Chattahoochee County, Georgia. But long ago, they lived on the lower part of the Ocmulgee River. Early English maps show their town where the city of Macon, Georgia is today.

After the year 1715, they moved to Henry County, Alabama. From there, they moved to their most famous location in Chattahoochee County. By 1839, almost all Hitchiti people were forced to move. This was part of a government plan called Indian Removal. They were sent to Native American lands in Indian Territory (which became the state of Oklahoma in 1907). There, they slowly joined with the Muscogee (Creek) and other tribes from the Creek Confederacy.

Some of their villages were Hihnje (we don't know where it was), Hitchitoochee (on the Flint River), and Tuttallosee (on a creek 20 miles west of Hitchitoochee).

How Many Hitchiti People Were There?

We don't know exactly how many Hitchiti people there were. Their numbers were often counted with other tribes in the Creek Confederacy. Usually, only the number of men was recorded.

• In 1738, there were 60 men.
• In 1750, only 15 men.
• In 1760, 50 men.
• In 1761, 40 men.
• In 1772, 90 men.

Sixty years later, in 1832, the total number of Hitchiti people, including men and women, was thought to be about 381.

History of the Hitchiti

The Hitchiti lived in the area that is now Georgia for hundreds of years before Europeans arrived. They did not move around a lot and lived in most of southern Georgia. The Hitchiti were part of the Creek Confederacy, which controlled almost two-thirds of the current state of Georgia.

Many old Native American items have been found in Jones County, Georgia. The Ocmulgee River, a favorite place of the Hitchiti tribe, forms the western border of this county. You can still find arrowheads there, and many old Native American trails are still visible.

The Hitchiti tribe is not mentioned often in old history books. They were first recorded in 1733. At that time, two Hitchiti leaders went with Lower Creek chiefs to meet Governor James Oglethorpe in Savannah, Georgia.

When a U.S. Indian agent named Benjamin Hawkins visited the Hitchiti in 1799, he wrote that they had spread into two smaller settlements. The Hitchitudshi, or Little Hitchiti, lived along the Flint River. The Tutalosi lived on a branch of Kinchafoonee Creek, 20 miles west of the Hitchitudshi.

The Hitchiti language was used beyond the tribe's own land. It was spoken in other Native American villages along the Chattahoochee River, like Chiaha and Oconee. It was also spoken by the Miccosukee tribe in Florida. We can see traces of the language in local place names across large parts of Georgia and Florida. Like the Creek language, Hitchiti had an older form called "women's talk," or female language.

Some experts think the Yamasee tribe also spoke Hitchiti, but we are not completely sure. Other evidence suggests they spoke a different language, possibly related to Guale.

The Hitchiti tribe eventually became a part of the Creek Nation. They kept much of their own language and traditions. Similarly, Mikasuki speakers who moved to Florida also kept their culture.

For many years, the Miccosukee were thought to be part of the Seminole tribe. The Seminole formed a new society from different groups of people in Florida. In the 20th century, the Miccosukee gained their own recognition from the state in 1957. In 1962, the U.S. government also recognized them as the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida.

Some records from the 1990s say that Hitchiti was still spoken then.

Most Native Americans in Georgia were officially removed from the state and forced to move to Oklahoma by 1839. Only a few remained in Georgia.

Pieces of Hitchiti culture have been found all over Georgia. A collection of Hitchiti items was found at one of their old villages. This collection included a large copper disc, trade beads (showing they traded furs with the English), ear plugs, silver circles (like those made by the Seminole), a stone pendant, and a tool for shaping stone.

See also

In Spanish: Hitchiti para niños