Thlopthlocco Tribal Town is both a federally recognized Native American tribe and a traditional township of Muscogee Creek Indians, based in

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. The tribe's native language is

Mvskoke The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands

History

The Muscogee Creek confederacy was composed of autonomous tribal towns, governed by their own elected leadership. The Creek originated in the Southeastern United States, in what is now Alabama and Georgia. They were collectively removed from the southeast to Indian Territory under the United States' Indian Removal Policy of the 1830s. Before 1832, the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town split from a larger town. It was removed to Indian Territory in 1835.Moore, John H
"Thlopthlocco Tribal Town."
''Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture'' (retrieved 8 April 2009) The members of the town settled in an area south of Okemah, Oklahoma, in what would become

Okfuskee County Okfuskee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, its population was 12,191. Its county seat is Okemah. The county is named for a former Muscogee town in present Cleburne County, Alabama, that in turn w ...

, on lands that were originally occupied by the

Osage The Osage Nation, a Native American tribe in the United States, is the source of most other terms containing the word "osage". Osage can also refer to: * Osage language, a Dhaegin language traditionally spoken by the Osage Nation * Osage (Unicode b ...

and Quapaw. Those tribes ceded their lands to the US by 1825.Wilson, Linda D
"Okfuskee County"
''Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.'' (retrieved 20 July 2011) During the American Civil War, Thlopthlocco Tribal Town was briefly the headquarters of Confederate Col.

Douglas H. Cooper Douglas Hancock Cooper (November 1, 1815 – April 29, 1879) was an American politician, soldier, Indian Agent in what is now Oklahoma, and Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War. Early life and career Cooper ...

. Greenleaf Town, located five miles northwest of Thlopthlocco, was the headquarters of '' Opothleyahola'', a Muscogee leader who worked to resolve conflicts between the Creek factions during the war. He and 5000 others moved north to Kansas to avoid the Civil War. After the war, the Muscogee Creek collectively signed the 1866 Treaty with the United States and freed their slaves. The treaty also called for the Creek Freedmen to have membership in the Muscogee Nation. The freedmen settled new townships in Okfuskee County, including

Boley Boley may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Bruno A. Boley (1924–2017), longtime Dean of Engineering at Northwestern University * Donna Boley (born 1935), American politician * George Boley (born 1949), Liberian politician and former rebel leader * Jo ...

, Bookertee, Clearview, Chilesville, and Rusk. Thlopthlocco Tribal Town retained its tribal identity despite allotments of land to individual households under the Dawes Commission of 1896. From 1898 to 1906, members among the Five Civilized Tribes were registered on what have come to be known as the Dawes Rolls. After making allotments to households registered with the tribes, the US government declared other formerly tribal land as surplus and sold it to European-American settlers after 1906. This further broke up tribal communal territory. The Thlopthlocco Tribal members organized as a distinct tribe under the

Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act The Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of 1936 (also known as the Thomas-Rogers Act) is a United States federal law that extended the 1934 Wheeler-Howard or Indian Reorganization Act to include those tribes within the boundaries of the state of Oklahoma. ...

of 1936, which followed the national

Indian Reorganization Act The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of June 18, 1934, or the Wheeler–Howard Act, was U.S. federal legislation that dealt with the status of American Indians in the United States. It was the centerpiece of what has been often called the "Indian ...

of 1934. The original headquarters for the tribe was the Thlopthlocco Methodist Episcopal Church, located between

Wetumka Wetumka is a city in northern Hughes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,282 at the 2010 census, a decline of 11.7 percent from the figure of 1,451 recorded in 2000. First settled by the Muscogee Creek after removal in the 1830s ...

and

Okemah Okemah ( or ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the birthplace of folk music legend Woody Guthrie. Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, a federally recognized Muscogee Indian tribe, is headquartered ...

. In August 2012, National Indian Gaming Commission gave a notice to Thlopthlocco Tribal Town for their violation of Indian Gaming Regulatory Act by allowing two casinos without a management contract. In August 2014, Thlopthlocco Tribal Town received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of their partnership with Euchee Butterfly Farm to expand butterfly farming.

Government

Thlopthlocco Tribal Town is now headquartered in

and Clearview, Oklahoma. Tribal enrollment is 845, with 728 members living within the state of Oklahoma, and is based on lineal descent. Ryan Morrow is the elected Mekko, or Town King.2011 Oklahoma Indian Nations Pocket Pictorial Directory.
''Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission.'' 2011: 35. Retrieved 8 Feb 2012. He succeeded Vernon Yarholar. The tribal jurisdictional area of Thlopthlocco is within

Creek A creek in North America and elsewhere, such as Australia, is a stream that is usually smaller than a river. In the British Isles it is a small tidal inlet. Creek may also refer to: People * Creek people, also known as Muscogee, Native Americans ...

Hughes Hughes may refer to: People * Hughes (surname) * Hughes (given name) Places Antarctica * Hughes Range (Antarctica), Ross Dependency * Mount Hughes, Oates Land * Hughes Basin, Oates Land * Hughes Bay, Graham Land * Hughes Bluff, Victoria La ...

Mayes Mayes is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Adrian Mayes (born 1980), American football player * Alan Mayes (born 1953), English footballer * Bernard Mayes (1929–2014), British-American lecturer and author * Clifford Mayes (bo ...

, McIntosh, Muskogee,

Okfuskee Okfuskee are a Muscogee tribe. Alternative spellings include the traditional Mvskoke spelling "Akfvske", referring to the tribal town in Alabama, and the comparable spelling Oakfuskee. They formed part of the former Creek (Muscogee) Confederacy in ...

, Okmulgee,

Rogers Rogers may refer to: Places Canada *Rogers Pass (British Columbia) *Rogers Island (Nunavut) United States * Rogers, Arkansas, a city * Rogers, alternate name of Muroc, California, a former settlement * Rogers, Indiana, an unincorporated community ...

, Seminole, Tulsa, and Wagoner Counties. The tribe maintains a close relationship with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and falls under the jurisdiction of their tribal courts.

Economic development

Thlopthlocco operates its own tribal housing program, smoke shop, and the Golden Pony Casino, located in Okemah. The tribe's economic impact for 2011 was $12,500,000. Two Atlanta, Georgia-based companies, named Titan Network LLC and Mercury Gaming Group LLC, operate casinos in the town, including Golden Pony Casino.Hylton, Susan. ''Tulsa World''. "Tribal town hit with federal violation." Retrieved February 16, 201

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Notes

External links

Tlopthlocco Tribal Town
official website

Thorpe College, University of Oklahoma {{DEFAULTSORT:Thlopthlocco Tribal Town Native American tribes in Oklahoma Muscogee tribal towns Federally recognized tribes in the United States