The terminology of a ‘civilized Tribe’ began back in colonial times representing those Native Indians who were willing to assimilate and adapt to European Society rather than remain “wild’ or ‘Savage’ Indians. The Five Civilized Tribes were simply the first Tribes the Europeans encountered in the Eastern U.S. who met this criterion. They are the Cherokee, the Chickasaw, the Choctaw, the Muscogee (Creek) and the Seminole.
These Tribes are all closely related and were descendants of the early Mississippian Culture that flourished in the region some 1,500 years before the Europeans ever arrived. This culture includes agriculture, trade, cities with roads, permanent houses, and buildings. Some of these cities had populations in the tens of thousands. It was a sophisticated society long before the Europeans came and decided their own perspective of who was civilized and who was not.
Generally being civilized to these new Americans meant that the Indian would need to take on the attributes of Christianity, centralized governments with written constitutions, literacy, market participation, intermarriage with whites and plantation slavery practices. They became the first Civilized Tribes because they were willing to adopt the colonist lifestyle. In the end, however, as we know now, this would not be enough to prevent their ultimate forced removal from their ancestral land. All of the Five Civilized Tribes were eventually sent to Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma, though at different times through the years.
The Cherokee is the largest of the five tribes and the second largest tribe in the U.S. with more than 300,000 members. They maintain a headquarters in Tahlequah, OK. Most of the Cherokee were forced to Oklahoma due to the Indian Removal Act of 1830 by Congress. This tribe suffered greatly during the Trail of Tears when forced to march on foot 1,000 miles in the dead of winter to Oklahoma. Several thousand Indians died in this dark chapter of U.S. History. The Cherokee at one time lived all throughout the Southeast U.S.
The Chickasaw came from lands along the Tennessee River and West of Huntsville, Alabama to Mississippi. They also were victims of the removal Act in the 1830’s however, unlike many tribes they were financially compensated for the land taken from them by the U.S. Government. They were among the first Indians to build banks, schools, and businesses in Oklahoma.
The Choctaw were from Alabama, Mississippi and spoke a Muskogean language. At the time of the forced removal, they numbered only around 20,000 and many died on the way to Oklahoma. Since that time they have made a strong recovery and their tribe now has about 200,000 members.
The Muscogee, also known as the Creek were from Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and parts of Florida. There were also, like the other tribes, forcibly removed from their land throughout the 1830’s on the trail of tears. Like the Choctaw, their members at that time were around 20,000. Oklahoma would be their new home like it, or not.
The Seminole Tribe inhabited Florida before they were forced to relocate to Oklahoma however, only after a series of wars with U.S. troops did most of them surrender. Around 500 Seminole refused to surrender and retreated deep into the Florida Everglades where their descendants remain to this day. The Seminole are believed to have developed originally from renegade and outcast Indians from other tribes as well as escaped runaway slaves. They boast the distinction of being the only Native American Tribe to have never surrendered to the U.S. Army.
So many distinctively different tribes being herded together in close proximity to each other created the immediate need to form some type of coalition to govern themselves and to protect their best interest. The Five Civilized Tribes were the first to recognize this need and formed the Inter Tribal Council in 1842. This Council mandated neutrality between the tribe’s and represented the Indians in political matters with the U.S. Government. It developed into the present day Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes (ITC). Five Chiefs come together to represent their tribe’s Interests and agendas and to make plans for the future. It continues to be a driving force for the Indians in local, state and federal government issues.
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