Mushulatubbee facts for kids

Mushulatubbee (Choctaw AmoshuliTabi, meaning "Determined to Kill") was an important leader of the Choctaw people. He was born around 1750–1770 and passed away about 1838. Mushulatubbee was the chief of the Okla Tannap ("Lower Towns"), which was one of the three main groups of Choctaw during the early 1800s.

When the main Choctaw Chief, Greenwood LeFlore, decided to stay in Mississippi during the time of Indian Removal, Mushulatubbee was chosen to lead the tribe. He guided his people on their journey to Indian Territory, which is now part of Oklahoma.

In 1812, Mushulatubbee led his warriors to help General Andrew Jackson in a war against the Creek Red Sticks. This conflict is known as the Creek Wars. Later, in December 1824, Mushulatubbee was one of three main Choctaw chiefs who traveled to Washington, D.C. They went to ask for help because European-American settlers were moving onto their lands. The other chiefs were Pushmataha and Apuckshunubbee. Sadly, Apuckshunubbee, who was 80 years old, died before they reached Washington. Pushmataha also passed away from smallpox in the capital shortly after their meeting with the government.

On September 26, 1830, Mushulatubbee, along with Chief Greenwood LeFlore and others, signed the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. This treaty gave most of the remaining Choctaw land in Mississippi and Alabama to the U.S. government. In return, the Choctaw received land in Indian Territory. You might see his name spelled in different ways, like Mosholetvbbi, AmoshuliTvbi, Musholatubbee, Moshaleh Tubbee, and Mushulatubba.

Fighting in the Creek War

The famous Shawnee leader Tecumseh visited Mushulatubbee in 1811. Tecumseh traveled south to gather support for his large group of Native American tribes, known as Tecumseh's Confederacy. His goal was to push out the European Americans who were settling on Native lands.

Tecumseh met Mushulatubbee at his village called Mashulaville. This village was located in what is now Noxubee County, Mississippi. Mushulatubbee was the chief of the Okla Tannap (Lower Towns), which was the southern part of the three main Choctaw settlement areas. The other major Choctaw groups lived in the northeast (including part of Alabama) and the west (near Vicksburg). Mushulatubbee understood Tecumseh's concerns and his cause. However, he decided he was too old to join the confederacy and chose to remain neutral in that conflict.

Battle of New Orleans Heroics

Besides fighting with General Jackson against the Creek, Mushulatubbee also led 52 Choctaw warriors in the Battle of New Orleans in 1814. They fought bravely in the swamps and cypress trees. The Choctaw warriors were very skilled at picking off British soldiers and making them lose hope. They kept shooting down the "Red Coats" (British soldiers) because they were fighting to protect their homeland.

After the Battle of New Orleans ended, Mushulatubbee and his 52 warriors returned home. They finished their service on January 27, 1815, from Fort Stoddard.

Protecting Choctaw Lands

The Choctaw people faced constant pressure from European-American settlers and the United States government. To try and protect their lands, Mushulatubbee signed two treaties. He signed the Treaty of Choctaw Trading House on October 24, 1816. He also signed the Treaty Ground on October 18, 1820. These treaties gave some Choctaw land to the U.S. government. However, the U.S. government did not stop settlers from continuing to move onto the remaining Choctaw territory.

Journey to Washington, D.C.

In 1824, Pushmataha, Mushulatubbee, and Apuckshunubbee were the three main chiefs of the Choctaw regions. They became very worried about European Americans settling on their lands. They were also concerned that local authorities were not respecting Native American land rights. The chiefs still hoped to stop the government's plan to move them west of the Mississippi River. They decided to take their concerns directly to the U.S. government in Washington, D.C..

Pushmataha led this important group. They wanted the white settlers to be removed from lands in Arkansas that belonged to the Choctaw. If that wasn't possible, they asked for other land and money as payment for those lands. The group also included other important people like Talking Warrior, Red Fort, Nittahkachee, Colonel Robert Cole, and David Folsom. Both Cole and Folsom were of mixed Choctaw and European heritage. Captain Daniel McCurtain and Major John Pitchlynn, the U.S. Interpreter, were also part of the delegation.

The Long Trip to the Capital

Their journey was long and difficult. They planned to travel the Natchez Trace to Nashville, Tennessee. From there, they would go to Lexington, Kentucky, then to Maysville, Kentucky. They would cross the Ohio River (which the Shawnee called the Spaylaywitheepi) north to Chillicothe, Ohio. Finally, they would travel east on the "National Highway" to Washington City.

While in Washington, Mushulatubbee also met with the Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette was a French hero who had helped America during the Revolutionary War. He was visiting Washington, D.C., for the last time. Mushulatubbee greeted him as a fellow older warrior who, even though he was from another country, had become very famous for helping the American cause.

Mushulatubbee shared his feelings in a speech:

You are one of our fathers that fought in the War with Gen. George Washington. We take you here by the hand as a friend and a father. We have always walked in the white paths of peace; and in those paths we have traveled to visit you. We offer you pure hands, which have never been stained with the blood of Americans.-- We live in the south, where the sun shines hot upon us. We have been neighbors to the French, neighbors to the Spaniards, and neighbors to the English: but now our only neighbors are the Americans, in the midst of whom we live as friends and brothers.

—Mushulatubbe, The Essex Register , 2 December 1824.

Running for U.S. Congress

In 1830, Mushulatubbee made a surprising announcement. He said he would run for office in Mississippi. This news was reported in the Port Gibson Correspondent and then by the Christian Mirror and N.H. Observer on July 15, 1830.

He wrote:

To the voters of Mississippi. Fellow Citizens:-I have fought for you, I have been by your own act, made a citizen of your state; ... According to your laws I am an American citizen, ... I have always battled on the side of this republic ... I have been told by my white brethren, that the pen of history is impartial, and that in after years, our forlorn kindred will have justice and 'mercy too'.

—Mushulatubbee, Christian Mirror and N.H. Observer, July 1830.

Despite his efforts, the U.S. government forced the Choctaw to move to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Mushulatubbee was the chief of his group during this difficult move. He continued to be a leader for a time after they settled in what is now Oklahoma. The government had encouraged the Choctaw to resettle in their old group divisions. However, moving to a new place soon changed their society, and these old divisions became less important.

Mushulatubbee passed away from smallpox in 1838 in what is now Arkansas. He was buried near Cameron, Oklahoma in Le Flore County, Oklahoma.