NORMAN, Okla. – The history of the Muscogee people, and of Indigenous people in general, is one that is filled with stories of all types, whether they be reports about the cultures of various tribes, details of the various struggles that Indigenous people have had, or simply Indigenous people telling their life’s story.
At the University of Oklahoma, an effort is being made to preserve some of these stories through written transcripts of interviews and reports that have been digitally archived in two digital collections that are accessible and open to the general public. These collections, which include stories spanning from 1861 to 1936, and were collected in 1937, are known as the Indian-Pioneer Papers.
The stories include a variety of interesting tales and anecdotes, such as the story of Mary Herrod. In her interview, which was documented in the article “Life and Experiences of a Creek Indian Woman, Mrs. Mary Lewis Herrod,” a 1937 interview with Herrod, her husband Goliah Herrod, and the interviewer, Ella Robinson, the interviewer documented how Mary Herrod was Creek but grew up near the present-day location of Okay, Oklahoma, within the bounds of the Cherokee Nation’s reservation. This was because of an agreement between the Creek Nation and the Cherokee Nation that allowed citizens of both nations to live and own property in either nation’s territory.
Another interview, titled “Interview with Hon. John A. Jacob,” details the stories of John A. Jacob and his father, Frank Jacob. Frank Jacob lived near Fort Holmes, the marker for which is located about 5 miles south of Holdenville, OK, and learned how to speak English from the soldiers stationed there. Jacob would mention that just west of Fort Holmes, a battle was fought between Indigenous people from the Osage Nation and the Creek Nation on a hill that would be known as the Osage Hill. The interview, done by Nettie Cain in 1937, documented the following:
“About this time, a bunch of Osage Indians came down from Kansas and were planning to steal some of the Indians ponies, so the Creeks made charge on them, killing about twenty of them. The Hill where the battle was fought is about six or eight miles west of Ft. Holmes and is known as the Osage Hill. They would scalp the other Indians” (Paragraph 6).
Nettie Cain, the interviewer, would then go on to document John A. Jacob’s story, including how, according to OKHistory.org, the city of Holdenville, OK was surveyed on land belonging to Jacob and his father, permanently etching him and his family into the town’s history.
These interviews also help to tell the history of the Muskogee Nation, such as an interview done by Billie Byrd, documented as “The Migration To The West of the Muskogees,” which was done with Mary Hill, a Muscogee woman from Okfuskee Town (tulwa), Okemah, Oklahoma. Hill would tell the story of her grandmother, Sallie Farney, who was part of the Creek tribe that was forced from their lands and made to go on what would be known as the Trail of Tears. She would mention that the forced removal came as a shock to some, as documented by Byrd.
“Many years ago, my grandmother, Sallie Farney, who was among those that made the trip to the West from Alabama, often told of the trip as follows: … ‘The command for a removal came unexpectedly upon most of us. There was the time that we noticed that several overloaded wagons were passing our home, yet we did not grasp the meaning. However, it was not long until we found out the reason. Wagons stopped at our homes and the men in charge commanded us to gather what few belongings could be crowded into the wagons. We were to be taken away and leave our homes never to return. This was just the beginning of much weeping and heartaches” (pgs 1-2).
Another type of interview would be done by the researchers for the purpose of documenting the cultures of the various tribes, such as another interview by Billie Byrd in 1937, titled “Customs Related to Muskogee-Creek Ceremonies,” which was done with an individual identified as “Simmer” in an area located 18 miles southwest of Okemah, Oklahoma known as Fish Pond Town (tulwa). In this interview, which documented everything from games, to dances, to discussions of language, and music, Byrd would describe a game that would, according to them, turn into a battle frequently, and would be frequently betted on by women of the tribe using garments, blankets, shawls, and other items.
“This game is played between two goals which are placed about two hundred yards apart. The game is similar to basketball as the ball has to be started in the center of the designated ground between the goals. When the game is to commence, the players are at center and instructed by a man to avoid a fight but play a fair game. …
There is a man appointed to act as a score keeper. He has in his possession twenty short sticks, which he sticks (one at a time) into the ground when one side make a goal. It is the purpose of the opposing sides to hit the poles or throw the ball between the goals. When the sticks are stuck into the ground, the side having more sticks stuck into the ground for his side is the winner” (pgs 1-2).
These articles are just an example of the wide array of interviews and articles collected by the University of Oklahoma for their Indian-Pioneer Papers collections. They are an important method of collecting the history of the Muscogee Nation, and of Indigenous people in general. These types of collections must be maintained and protected.
For those who wish to see more of this collection, the link can be found here, at https://guides.ou.edu/Simon/oralhistory