Other war-titles were: holá'hta tustĕnúggi, míko tustĕnúggi, híniha, híniha `láko. Inholá'hti, plur. inholáχtagi figures in war-titles, but stands in no connection with the busk. The appellation of immíkagi comprehends all the men of that gens from which the míko in the town ceremonies, not the míko as a political office-holder, is selected. The pronoun im-, in-, i- in all these names (ihinihálgi, intastĕnaχálgi, etc.), signifies that they "belong to the míko" of the tribal ceremonies.
War-titles should be clearly distinguished from war-names and other names. Any of the nine appellations contained in the item above, and any name composed with one of them, is a war-title; all others, as Old Red Shoe, are simply names or war-names. Women and boys never had but one name, and whenever a warrior had, by successive campaigns, five or six honorific titles conferred upon him, he became generally known by one or two of these only.
These names and war-titles are highly important for the study of Creek ethnography, and have been already referred to in the chapter on gentes. A brief list of war-names of influential men is contained in Major C. Swan's Report, as follows:[99]
"Hallowing King (Kawíta); White Lieutenant (Okfuski); Mad Dog (Tukabatchi míko); Opilth míko (Big Talahássi); Dog Warrior (Náktche); Old Red Shoe (Alibamu and Koassáti). To these may be added the "dog king," Tamhuídshi, of the Hitchiti, mentioned in the prooemium of the legend, and "a war-leader, the son of the dog-king of the Huphale town."[100] The Cha'hta war-titles frequently end in -ábi, -ápi: killer; cf. the Creek term póyäs, tipóyäs I kill."
The Creeks often conferred war-titles on white men of note, and made Milfort, who became a relative of the chief McGillivray by marriage, the chief warrior of the nation. The ceremonies performed on that occasion are described at length by himself.[101]
We give a few instances of historical and recent Creek war-names and war-titles:—
Abiχkúdshi míko, Hútalg'-imá`la, Kawíta tustĕnúggi, all members of the Creek "House of Kings."
Ássi yahóla "the black drink hallooer;" Osceola, chief.
Híniha `láko hupáyi "great híniha charmer," a Creek leader in the battle at Átasi and other engagements.
Hopú-i hí`l'-míko "good child-chief."
Hopú-i hí`li yahóla "handsome child yahóla"; a Creek chief.
Hú`li 'má'hti "war-leader," a frequently occurring war-name; 'má'hti is abbreviated from homáχti.
Hutálgi míku "chief from wind gens;" is chief of Taskígi town.
Ifa hádsho, or "dog warrior"; cf. Hawkins, p. 80.
Ispahídshi, name of a headman, and usually spelt Spiechee: "whooping, brawling" while taking off the scalp.
Kátsa hádsho "tiger-hádsho," a Seminole chief, erroneously called Tigertail.
Kósisti, abbr. Kósti; occurs in Kósti fíksiko, etc. The signification is lost, but we may compare the town Acostehe, visited by de Soto's army in coming south from the Cheroki country.
`Lawaχaíki "lying in ambush; creeping up clandestinely."
Míko imá`la "chief leader."
Núkusi íli tchápko "long-footed bear," war-name of S. B. Callahan, Creek delegate to the United States Government.
Sutak'háχki "men fighting in a line."
Tálua fíksiko "heartless town;" presently judge of the Wiwúχka district, I. T.
Tassikáya míku "chief warrior;" president House of Kings.
Uχtáha-sasi hádsho "sandy-place hádsho;" chief.
Wáksi, Cha'hta term referring to the drawing up of the prepuce. Occurs in Wáksi holá'hta and other Creek titles, perhaps also in the tribal name of the Waxsaws on Santee river, S. C., and in Waxahatchi, town in Alabama. The name conveyed the idea of a low, unmanly behavior, but had no obscene meaning. Other nations regard epithets like these (ὰπελλαι, verpi) as highly injurious, and load their enemies with them, as the Tchiglit-Inuit do the Tinné Indians of the interior: taordshioit, ortcho-todsho-eitut.[102]
WAR-CUSTOMS AND TACTICS.
A few notes on the war-customs of the Creeks, which resembled those of most Southern tribes, may be useful for shedding light on the early migrations of the people and upon the tactics observed in their campaigns.