Editing Muscogee (section)

==Culture==
[[Image:Selocta.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Selocta Chinnabby]] (or Shelocta) was a Muscogee chief.]]

Muscogee culture has greatly evolved over the centuries, combining mostly [[European-American]] influences; however, interaction with Spain, France, and England greatly shaped it as well. They were known for their rapid incorporation of modernity, developing a written language, transitioning to [[yeoman]] farming methods, and accepting [[European-American]]s and African-Americans into their society. Muscogee people continue to preserve ''chaya'' and share a vibrant tribal identity through events such as annual festivals, stickball games, and language classes. The [[Stomp Dance]] and [[Green Corn Ceremony]] are revered gatherings and rituals.

===Clans===
While families include people who are directly related to each other, clans are composed of all people who are descendants of the same ancestral clan grouping. Like many Native American nations, the Muscogee Creek are [[matrilineal]]; each person belongs to the clan of their mother, who belongs to the clan of her mother. Inheritance and property are passed through the maternal line. Hereditary chiefs were born into certain clans.

Biological fathers are important within the family system but must come from another clan than the mother. But, within the clan, it is the mother's brother (the mother's nearest blood relation) who functions as the primary teacher, protector, disciplinarian and role model for children, especially for boys. Clan members do not claim "blood relation" but consider each other as family due to their membership in the same clan. This is expressed by their using the same kinship titles for both family and clan relations. For example, clan members of approximately the same age consider each other "brother" and "sister", even if they have never met before.

Because of this system, the Muscogee Creek children born of European fathers belonged to their mother's clans and were part of their tribal communities. High-ranking daughters of chiefs often found it advantageous to marry European traders, who could provide their families with goods. Muscogee Creek believed young men who became educated in European ways could help them manage under the new conditions related to colonialism, while preserving important Muscogee Creek cultural institutions.<ref name=perdue/>

Muscogee clans are as follows:<ref name=AAANativeArts>{{Cite web
 |url          = http://www.aaanativearts.com/creek_tribes.htm
 |title        = Creek Confederacy
 |access-date  = August 11, 2010
 |year         = 1999–2005
 |publisher    = AAANativeArts.com
 |archive-date = February 1, 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100201145639/http://www.aaanativearts.com/creek_tribes.htm
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*Bear Clan (Muklasalgi, Nokosalgi),
*Beaver Clan (Itamalgi, Isfanalgi, Itchhasuaigi), 
*Bird Clan (Fusualgi),
*Bog Potato Clan (Ahalakalgi),
*Cane Clan (Kohasalki),
*Deer Clan (Itchualgi),
*Fish Clan (Hlahloalgi),
*Fox Clan (Tsulalgi),
*Hickory-Nut Clan (Odshisalgi),
*Maize Clan (Aktayatsalgi, Atchialgi),
*Mole Clan (Takusalgi),
*Otter Clan (Osanalgi),
*Panther Clan (Chukotalgi, Katsalg),
*Raccoon Clan (Wahlakalgi, Wotkalgi),
*Salt Clan (Okilisa, Oktchunualgi),
*Skunk Clan (Kunipalgi),
*Toad Clan (Pahosalgi, Sopaktalgi),
*Turtle Clan (Locvlke) – related to Wind Clan
*Wild-Cat Clan (Koakotsalgi),
*Wind Clan (Hutalgalgi),
*Wolf Clan (Yahalgi)<ref name=AAANativeArts /> – related to Bear Clan.
{{div col end}}

===Clothing===
Ancestral Muscogee peoples wore clothing made of woven plant materials or animal hides, depending upon the climate. During the summer, they preferred lightweight fabrics woven from tree bark, grasses, or reeds. During the harsh winters, they used animal skins and fur for warmth.

During the 17th century, the Muscogee adopted some elements of European fashion and materials. As cloth was lighter and more colorful than deer hide, it quickly became a popular trade item throughout the region. Trade cloth in a variety of patterns and textures enabled Muscogee women to develop new styles of clothing, which they made for both men, women, and children. They incorporated European trade items such as bells, silk ribbons, glass beads, and pieces of mirror into the clothing.

===Language===
{{Main|Muscogee language}}

The Muscogee language is a member of the [[Muskogean]] family and was well known among the frontiersmen, such as [[Gideon Lincecum]], of the early 19th century. The language is related to the [[Choctaw language]], with some words being identical in pronunciation. The following table is an example of Muscogee text and its translation:

{| class="wikitable" ! width=600 align=center
|- style="background:#CCCCCC"
|-
| style="background:#DDDDDD"| '''Mvskoke''': Fayet aresasvtēs. Mont fayēpat vrēpēt omvtēs, hopvyēn. Momēt vrēpēt omvtētan, nake punvttv tat pvsvtēpet, momet hvtvm efvn sulkēn omvtēs. Momet mv efv tat efv fayvlket omekv, nak punvttuce tayen pvsvtēpēt omvtēs. Mont aret omvtētan, efv tat estvn nak wohēcēto vtēkat, nake punvttvn oken mv efv-pucase enkerrēt omvtēs.<ref name=creek_language>
{{Cite web
 |url          = http://muskogee.blogs.wm.edu/gouge-texts/
 |title        = The Creek stories of Earnest Gouge, "Tiger helps man defeat a giant lizard" [#16 on linked page]
 |author       = Earnest Gouge
 |access-date   = January 5, 2018
 |year         = 2010
 |publisher    = The College of William and Mary
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100803011354/http://web.wm.edu/linguistics/creek/gouge/analysis/16.pdf?svr=www
 |archive-date = August 3, 2010
 |url-status     = live
}}
</ref>
|-
|
'''English''': Someone was hunting. He went hunting in far away places. He went continually, killing small game, and he had many dogs. And the dogs were hunting dogs, so he had killed many animals. When hunting, he always knew his dogs had an animal trapped by the sound of their barking.<ref name=creek_language />
|}