The Creeks Today

The Creeks Today. . Today there are federally recognized Creek tribal groups in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama. The largest, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is based in the state of Oklahoma. The nation is comprised of the descendants of the Creeks who were removed from this area to Indian Territory in the 1830s. The Nation is governed by a Principal Chief and a legislative branch called the National Council, located in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. The Nation operates its own court system, police department health system, economic development offices, casinos, and a tribal college. It also operates museum and cultural preservation programs, whose missions are to preserve and interpret tribal history., Creeks today are a people proud of their heritage who hold strongly to traditions and maintain a deep interest in their ancestral homeland. Many frequently visit this area and help advise local cultural institutions, including the Historic Chattahoochee Commission and the Chattahoochee Indian Heritage Association, in developing programs and projects that interpret their past., [Photo Captions] , {Top left} , Seal of the Muscogee Creek Nation , Courtesy of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, {Middle left} , The Mound Building, which houses the Creek National Council Offices and Judicial Offices , Courtesy of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, {Bottom left} , The seat of Creek government was originally a two-story log cabin. The Creek Council House was built in 1878 on the foundation of that earlier structure, and served as the Creek National Capitol in 1906. Today the Council House is owned and managed by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and is a National Historic Landmark. , Courtesy of Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, {Right side Map} , The majority of the enrollment of approximately 75,000 people in the Creek Nation lives in nine counties in east-central Oklahoma. An additional 10,000 members of the tribe live outside of this area. , Map showing boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, {Bottom right insert and photos} , The Poarch Creek Indians are descendants of a segment of the original Creek Nation. Unlike many eastern Indian tribes, the Poarch Creeks were not removed from their tribal lands and have lived together for almost 200 years in and around the reservation in Poarch, Alabama. The reservation is located eight miles northwest of Atmore, Alabama in rural Escambia County, and about sixty miles northeast of Mobile. There are approximately 2,500 members of the Poarch Band, over 1,000 of whom live in the vicinity of the town of Poarch. , As of 2013, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians is the only federally recognized Indian Tribe in the state of Alabama. It is sovereign nation with its own system of government. The Tribe operates a variety of economic enterprises, including gaming facilities.