Tuskegee (tribe)
The Tuskegee tribe was a Native American group known for their horticultural practices and warrior culture. They utilized stone tools and engaged in extensive trade with neighboring tribes, reflecting a complexity in their social and economic structures. As part of their maize-based economy, the Tuskegee participated in intricate ceremonies related to agriculture, including fertility cults and rituals for planting and harvesting. They also made use of natural resources by gathering salt and collecting ash from various organic materials.
Historically, the Tuskegee were visited by the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1540, marking an important point in their recorded history. By the late 17th century, the tribe had likely split into two distinct bands, with settlements located along the Chattahoochee River and the upper Tennessee River. With the advent of French rule in the early 18th century, the Tuskegee were ultimately absorbed into the Creek Confederacy. Over time, their population decreased, leading to their relocation to Oklahoma, where they settled in the southwestern part of Creek territories and later near Beggs. The history of the Tuskegee reflects broader themes of survival, adaptation, and cultural continuity in the face of significant changes.
Tuskegee (tribe)
Category: Tribe
Culture area: Southeast
Language group: Muskogean
Primary location: Between the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers, Alabama
Little ethnographic data exist for the Tuskegee, who were horticulturalists and warriors. They possessed stone tools, practiced extensive intertribal trade, and possessed specialized predation and war technology. As did many tribes with maize economies, they had complex ceremonies, including fertility cults and planting and harvesting rituals. They gathered salt from natural sources, and collected ash from burnt hickory, animal bones, and certain mosses. They exploited the bison for food and by-products.
It is known that Hernando de Soto visited these people in 1540. By the end of the seventeenth century they had probably divided into two bands, one settling on the Chattahoochee River near Columbus, the other on the upper Tennessee near Long Island. By 1717 French rule led to the removal of the Tuskegee (who had by that time been absorbed by the Creek); the Tuskegee formed a town in Oklahoma on the southwestern part of the Creek territories. Their greatly diminished population finally settled to the northwest near Beggs.