Hitchiti
The Hitchiti are a Native American group historically located along the lower Ocmulgee River in present-day Georgia. They saw themselves as the original inhabitants of this region and played a significant role in the early formation of the Creek Nation, with traditions linking their origins to important sites like Ocmulgee Old Field. Culturally, the Hitchiti shared similarities with other Creek tribes but spoke a distinct language that was not mutually intelligible with Muskogee.
During the 18th century, some Hitchiti individuals migrated to Florida to escape the pressures of European settlers and the Muskhogean dominance within the Creek confederacy. These Hitchiti speakers became integral to the Seminole nation, often referred to as Miccosukees after a town near Lake Miccosukee. The forced relocations of the 1830s and 1840s led many Hitchitis to Indian Territory, although a significant number remained in Florida.
In 1962, descendants of the Hitchiti formed the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, gaining federal recognition and establishing a tribal government. Today, the tribe operates several reservation areas in Florida, with a notable focus on tourism and economic development through activities like casino gaming and eco-tourism. The tribe also maintains its own law enforcement agency, reflecting its governance and community resilience.
On this Page
Hitchiti
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Southeast
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Muskogean
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Florida, Oklahoma
- POPULATION SIZE: 640 (2024, Miccosukee Tribe)
At the time of contact with Europeans in the 1540s, the Hitchiti lived on the lower Ocmulgee River in present-day Georgia. Seeing themselves as the original inhabitants of the area, the Hitchiti regarded the other Indigenous groups who came into the Creek Nation as newcomers. (Hitchiti tradition located the founding of the confederacy at Ocmulgee Old Field, the site of present-day Macon, Georgia.) Culturally, the Hitchiti were similar to other , though their language was not intelligible to speakers of pure Muskogee.
Some Hitchiti moved into Florida during the eighteenth century to get away from White settlers and the dominance of the Muskogee within the Creek Confederacy. They became an important component of the evolving Seminole nation. Hitchiti-speaking Seminoles were often called Miccosukees after a town they settled near Lake Miccosukee in northern Florida. With other and Creeks, many Hitchiti members were removed to (modern Oklahoma) in the 1830s and 1840s. The majority of the two hundred or so Seminoles left behind in Florida were Hitchiti-speakers. In 1962, some of their descendants organized as the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida and received federal recognition as a domestic and dependent nation within the US government. The leaders of the Miccosukee Tribe then formed a general council, and the tribe was established as a corporation. In 1971, the Miccosukee Corporation, on behalf of the Indigenous nation, entered into a contract with the authorizing the corporation to provide all services and programs to the tribe previously administered by the BIA. The Miccosukee Tribe has multiple reservation areas within Florida. Each reservation area has its own police department, which was established in 1976. Members of the Miccosukee Police Department have completed all Florida certification requirements and are also commissioned by the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service as well as the National Park Service and can therefore make federal arrests. The departments have dive teams, K-9 units, school resource officers, SWAT teams, and CSI (crime scene investigation) units. By the mid-2020s, tourism had become a significant industry for the Miccosukee, with economic development through casino gaming, village tours, and everglades expeditions. In August 2024, the Miccosukee Tribe signed historic co-stewardship agreements with the National Park Service for Everglades and Biscayne National Parks. This agreement enhanced their involvement in tourism and land management.
Bibliography
Corkran, David H. The Creek Frontier, 1540–1783. Vol. 86, University of Oklahoma Press, 2016.
Curtis, Edward S., et al. The Northern American Indian: Being a Series of Volumes Picturing and Describing the Indians of the United States and Alaska. Vol. 1, Christopher Cardozo Fine Art, 2014.
Haveman, Christopher D. Rivers of Sand: Creek Indian Emigration, Relocation, and Ethnic Cleansing in the American South. University of Nebraska Press, 2016.
"Hitchiti Indian Tribe." Access Genealogy, accessgenealogy.com/native/hitchiti-indian-tribe.htm. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
"Hitchiti Tribe." Access Genealogy, accessgenealogy.com/alabama/hitchiti-tribe.htm. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
"History of the Miccosukee Tribe." Miccosukee Casino & Resort, miccosukee.com/miccosukee-tribe-history/. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
“Parks Group Lauds Historic Tribal Costewardship Agreement at Everglades National Park.” National Parks Conservation Association, 28 Aug. 2024, www.npca.org/articles/4799-parks-group-lauds-historic-tribal-costewardship-agreement-at-everglades. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
Williams, Mark. "Languages of Georgia Indians." New Georgia Encyclopedia, 2 Aug. 2016, www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/languages-of-georgia-indians/