Poarch Band of Creek Indians facts for kids
Flag of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians
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|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2,340 (2006) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States ( Alabama) |
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| Languages | |
| English, Muscogee | |
| Religion | |
| Protestant, traditional Creek beliefs | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Muscogee Creek tribes, Alabama Creole people |
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians (pronounced PORCH) is a Native American tribe. They are officially recognized by the United States government. Their home is on reservation lands in southern Alabama. These people are also known as Mvskoke. They speak the Muscogee language. Long ago, they were called the Creek Nation East of the Mississippi. The Poarch Band is a self-governing nation. They have strong family ties to the lands of the Southeast United States.
Most members of the Poarch Band live in Escambia County. Some also live in parts of Florida. Since the late 1900s, they have opened three gaming casinos. They also run a hotel on their lands. These businesses help them earn money. This money supports the tribe members and their families.
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History of the Poarch Creek Indians
The Poarch Band members are descendants of the Muscogee Creek people. These were Indigenous people from the Upper and Lower Towns. Some of their ancestors married Scottish and Irish traders. The Mvskoke people followed a matrilineal system. This means family lines were traced through mothers. Land and property were passed down through women.
In the early 1800s, many things caused problems within the Creek Nation. There were changes in world politics. People started to rely more on European trade. There were also disagreements within the Creek Nation itself. More British, Spanish, and U.S. forces were moving into their lands.
The Creek War and Relocation
A group of traditional Creeks, called the Red Sticks, rebelled. They were against Creeks who had adopted European ways. This led to the U.S. government getting involved. This conflict is known as the Creek War of 1813-1814. The Red Sticks worried that adopting European-American practices was weakening their nation. They felt that becoming Christian and having a central government would make them lose control of their lands.
The rebelling Creeks were defeated by Andrew Jackson's army. Some Poarch ancestors, like the Weatherford and Woods families, fought with the Red Sticks. Other Mvskoke ancestors fought alongside the U.S. forces. Because of these conflicts, ancestors of the Poarch Band moved. They went to lands in the southwest of Creek Nation territory. This was near the Tensaw River in the early 1800s.
Many of these Creek families stayed in Alabama. This was despite the Indian Removal Act of 1830. This act forced most of the tribe to give up their land. They were then moved to Indian Territory, west of the Mississippi River. However, some Poarch ancestors did march to Oklahoma.
Establishing a Community in Alabama
Under a treaty called the Treaty of Fort Jackson, Poarch Creek ancestors chose four sections of land. These lands became the heart of the Poarch Band of Creek Indian community. These lands were set aside for them by the government. One important piece of land was the "McGhee Reserve." It was 240 acres, chosen by Lynn McGhee. This became a central place for the Creek community.
After the Civil War, more Creeks settled near the McGhee Reserve. They formed a community near Poarch, Alabama. They kept their family and cultural ties strong. They often married within their own Creek community.
Challenges and Resilience
The Poarch Band faced great poverty in the 1800s. Most were small farmers. They grew just enough food to feed their families. They also worked as sharecroppers. Like their Mvskoke relatives, they grew corn, beans, and squash. These are known as the "three sisters." They also ate traditional Creek foods like sofke (a corn drink) and corn mush. They hunted game and fished from nearby public lands.
When railroads arrived in the late 1800s, so did the lumber and turpentine industries. Large companies bought public lands. This stopped the Creeks from hunting and fishing there. Many Creeks became day laborers to earn money. They also took jobs in the lumber and turpentine industries.
Jim Crow laws and other forms of racism limited their chances to get ahead. Because they had stayed in Alabama, they did not get federal help. They were not recognized as an Indigenous tribe at the national level. Poarch families got through these hard times by relying on their strong family and community bonds. These ties helped them keep their language and traditions. These traditions include the busk (a harvest festival), stompdance, and chinaberry beading.
Seeking Recognition and Rights
In the early 1900s, local governments set up separate schools for Creek Indian children. Because of Jim Crow laws, Creek Indians were not allowed in many businesses. Or they had to use separate facilities in schools, theaters, and doctor's offices.
In the 1930s, the Episcopal Church sent missionaries. They offered aid but also tried to make the Creek community adopt their ways. The Poarch people started their own school. They worked to get federal help for their community. During the Indian New Deal of the 1930s, the Bureau of Indian Affairs sent an investigator. This was in 1938. The investigator found that the Poarch Band was a clear surviving Creek group. He suggested that the community get educational aid. However, no federal Indian reservation was created for them. Due to a lack of money, no federal aid was given to the Poarch Band in the 1930s and early 1940s.
After World War II, Calvin McGhee started organizing the Creeks. He was a descendant of Lynn McGhee. He worked to get land claims and other rights for his people. Under McGhee, the group sued for equal education. They won their case. This was several years before the famous Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision in 1954.
In the late 1940s, McGhee also led an effort to file a land claim case. This was with the Indian Claims Commission. He formed a group called the Creek Nation East of the Mississippi. They sought money for lands the Creeks lost in the 1800s. The group won their case. Members started receiving payments in 1972 as a form of repair for past wrongs.
Modern Tribal Government and Federal Recognition
Through the land claims case, Bufford Rollins and Eddie Tullis became leaders. Along with Calvin McGhee, they took part in big events. These events brought more attention to Indigenous people in the 1960s and 1970s. Calvin McGhee went to the Chicago Indian Conference in 1961. This event helped start movements for Indigenous rights. McGhee was part of the group that gave the "Declaration of Indian Purpose" to President John F. Kennedy in 1961.
This conference and other pan-Indian activities led President Lyndon Johnson to create Indian programs. These were outside the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This was part of his War on Poverty after 1963. The Poarch Creeks received federal grants during this time. They started job training, Headstart, and education programs for area Creeks.
To raise money for their tribe, the Poarch community held events. One was the intertribal Thanksgiving Powwow. Even though Mvskoke people did not traditionally dance powwows, they used this event. It helped them gain more money and visibility for their Nation. The group also worked to make their government official.
In the early 1970s, McGhee, Tullis, and Rollins founded the modern government. This was for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. It was centered near Poarch, Alabama. After Calvin McGhee died, Eddie Tullis was elected leader. The Band joined the National Congress of American Indians. They were active in other eastern Indian groups. With a federal grant, the Band got money to research and write a petition. This was to get federal tribal recognition in the 1970s.
With help from an anthropologist, the Band used many records. They looked at land records, censuses, court records, and school documents. They wanted to prove they were a continuous Creek People. This would make them eligible for federal tribal status. The Bureau of Indian Affairs created rules for this in 1978. The Band succeeded in 1984. They were one of the first tribes to get federal status this way. After this, a 229-acre piece of land was set aside for them. This became a federal Indian Reservation. They also re-established their own government with a written constitution. These lands are now their tribal reservation.
Joining the Poarch Band of Creek Indians
To become a member of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, you must meet certain rules. People must be descendants of American Indians listed on one of three official lists:
- The 1870 U.S. Census of Escambia County, Alabama
- The 1900 U.S. Census of Escambia County, Alabama
- The 1900 U.S. Special Indian Census of Monroe County, Alabama
Besides having direct Mvskoke Creek heritage, they must also have a minimum of 1/4 American Indian blood. This is like having one full-blooded Creek grandparent. Also, they cannot be enrolled in any other tribe. Each federally recognized tribe has the right to make its own rules for who can be a citizen.
The Poarch Band Today
The Poarch Creek Indian Reservation is in southern Alabama. It is near the city of Atmore, Alabama. The current tribal chairwoman is Stephanie Bryan.
Gaming and Entertainment Businesses
The Poarch Band owns several casinos. They operate under a company called Wind Creek Hospitality. This company is owned by the tribe. Three of their casinos are on their tribal land in Alabama: Wind Creek Atmore, Wind Creek Montgomery, and Wind Creek Wetumpka. They have slowly grown their gaming and entertainment businesses. These are now beyond their reservation.
Outside their reservation, the tribe owns parts of other businesses. These include Mobile Greyhound Park in Alabama. They also own Pensacola Greyhound Park and Creek Entertainment Gretna in Florida. In the Caribbean, the tribe owns two hotel casinos. These are in Aruba and Curacao. They bought these in October 2017.
In Gardnerville, Nevada, the tribe helped pay for and manages the Wa She Shu Casino. This casino is owned by the Washoe Tribe. It opened in May 2016. In D'Iberville, Mississippi, Wind Creek bought land in March 2016. They plan to build a casino there.
In Pennsylvania, the tribe agreed to buy Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem for $1.3 billion in March 2018. The sale was approved in May 2019. The casino was renamed Wind Creek Bethlehem.
In 2012, the tribe announced plans to expand their gaming at Hickory Ground in Wetumpka, Alabama. Not all Poarch members supported this plan. It is still a debated topic in the community. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma sued to stop this. They argued that the expansion would disturb an old Creek burial ground.
The tribe made a deal in 2016 to buy the Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City, Louisiana. It would have been renamed a Wind Creek casino. But the sale was canceled. This was due to a disagreement over payments for the Margaritaville name.
In late 2019, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians offered Alabama a big deal. They would get the only rights to casino gambling in the state. In return, the state would get $1 billion.
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians opened the Park at OWA. This is an amusement park in Foley, Alabama. It opened on July 20, 2017. The 520-acre site was a joint project. It was between the City of Foley and the Foley Sports Tourism Complex. It was developed with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. This was part of a city plan to boost sports tourism. An indoor water park called Tropic Falls was announced in 2021. The first part of the water park opened in June 2022.
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Flag of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians
