There is probably no Indian tribe or nation in North America having a larger number of gentes than the Maskoki proper. This fact seems to point either to a long historic development of the tribe, through which so large a segmentation was brought about, or to internal dissensions, which could produce the same result. About twenty gentes are now in existence, and the memory of some extinct ones is not lost in the present generation.
The list of Creek gentes, as obtained from Judge G. W. Stidham, runs as follows:
Nokósalgi bear gens; from nokósi bear.
Itchúalgi deer gens, from ítchu deer.
Kátsalgi panther gens; kátsa panther, cougar.
Koákotsalgi wild-cat gens; kóa-kótchi wild-cat.
Kunipálgi skunk gens; kúno, kóno skunk.
Wótkalgi racoon gens; wō′tko racoon.
Yahálgi wolf gens; yáha wolf.
Tsúlalgi fox gens; tsúla fox.
Itch'hásualgi beaver gens; itch'hásua beaver.
Osánalgi otter gens; osána otter.
Hálpadalgi alligator gens; hálpada alligator.
Fúsualgi bird gens; fúswa forest bird.
Ítamalgi, Támalgi, (?) cf. támkita to fly.
Sopáktalgi toad gens; sopáktu toad.
Tákusalgi mole gens; táku mole.
Atchíalgi maize gens; átchi maize.
Ahalaχálgi sweet potato gens; áha sweet potato, long marsh-potato.
Hútalgalgi wind gens; hútali wind.
Aktäyatsálgi (signification unknown).
(-algi is the sign of collective plurality—the ókla of Cha'hta.)
The following gentes are now extinct, but still occur in war names:
Pahósalgi; occurs in names like Pahós'-hádsho.
Okílisa; cf. Killis-tamaha, p. [109].
`Lá`lo-algi fish gens; `lá`lo fish, occurs in war names like `Lá`lo yahóla, etc.
Tchukótalgi, perhaps consolidated with another gens; it stood in a close connection with the Sopáktalgi. Also pronounced Tsuχódi; Chief Chicote is named after it.
Odshísalgi hickory nut gens; ō′dshi hickory nut. Some believe this gens represented the people of Otchísi town, p. [71].
Oktchúnualgi salt gens; oktchúnua salt.
Isfánalgi; seems analogous to the Ispáni phratry and gens of the Chicasa.
Wá'hlakalgi; cf. Hú`li-wá'hli, town name.
Muχlásalgi; said to mean "people of Muklása town"; cf. Imuklásha, under Cha'hta.
The Creek phratries and their names were not fully remembered by my informants. The only points which could be gathered were, that individuals belonging to the panther and the wildcat gentes could not intermarry, nor could the Tchukótalgi with the individuals of the toad gens or Sopáktalgi. This proves that the two groups formed each a phratry, which perhaps comprised other gentes besides. It is possible that among the above totemic gentes some are in fact phratries and not gentes; and the two fires (or tútka) of the Creeks are not real phratries, but formal divisions only.
CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF THE TRIBE.
Several gentes, with their families, united into one town or settlement, live under one chief, and thus constitute a tribe. The tribe, as far as constituting a politic body governing itself, is called in Creek itálua, which could also be rendered by: community or civil district. Amitáluadshi is "my own town, where I belong," amitálua "my own country." Itálua also signifies nation. Another term, talófa, means town or village, city as a collection of houses without any reference to its inhabitants.
The executive officer of each town is the míko or chief, formerly called "king" by the whites. His duty is to superintend all public and domestic concerns, to receive public characters, to listen to their speeches, the contents of which were referred to the town, and to "deliver the talks" of his community. The town elects him for life from a certain gens. When he becomes sick or old he chooses an assistant, who is subject to the approval of the counsellors and head men. When the míko dies the next of kin in the maternal line succeeds him, usually his nephew, if he is fit for office.
Next in authority after the míko are the míkalgi and the counsellors, both of whom form the council of the town. The council appoints the Great Warrior, approves or rejects the nominations for a míko's assistant, and gives advice in law, war or peace questions.