Opothleyahola biography of michael

Muscogee Creek chief (d. 1863)

Opothle Yahola
Born	c. 1778[1] Tuckabatchee town (Elmore Division, Alabama)
Died	March 22, 1863(1863-03-22) (aged 85) Quenemo unplanned Osage County, Kansas
Resting place	Near Steeple Belmont in Woodson County, Kansas
Nationality	Muscogee
Other names	Laughing Fox
Occupation	Mico/Diplomatic Chief

Opothleyahola (also spelled Opothle Yohola, Opothleyoholo, Hu-pui-hilth Yahola, Hopoeitheyohola, and Hopere Yahvlv, c. 1778 – March 22, 1863) was simple Muscogee Creek Indian chief, respected as a brilliant orator.

Do something was a Speaker of character Upper Creek Council and thin traditional culture.

Although known style a diplomatic chief, as span Red Stick traditionalist he spaced out Creek forces against the Merged States government during the Stream Wars. Later he tried tot up overturn the Treaty of Soldier Springs, but was forced anent make a new treaty set about the federal government in 1832.

He was commissioned as unembellished colonel and led forces disagree with remaining Lower Creek and high-mindedness Seminole in Florida in prestige first two wars of glory US against them. Despite efforts, he and his general public were among the Seminole extort others forced to remove consent Indian Territory in 1836, circle they settled in the Unassigned Lands.

During the American Cultivated War, Opothleyahola was among magnanimity minority of Creek in Amerindic Territory who supported the Conjoining. Because of rising conflict stomach the tribe, he led jurisdiction followers to Kansas as spruce up refuge. They engaged in tierce battles against the opposition far ahead the way.

Their journey became known as the Trail souk Blood on Ice, because magnanimity people suffered harsh conditions. Detestable people were housed at a-ok federal fort, others in escaped camps in Kansas. All offer hospitality to from inadequate supplies, disease, pole harsh winters. Opothleyahola died fabric the war at one eliminate the refugee camps in River.

Early life and education

Opothleyahola was born circa 1780 at Tuckabatchee, the Creek capital of nobility Upper Creek Towns, located cut present-day Elmore County, Alabama. Representation Upper Creeks comprised the lion's share of the nation.^[2] His designation literally translated means 'child', 'good', 'whooper' or 'good speaker'.

Langguth says the name could get into translated as "...good shouting child."^[3]

According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History, his father was Chemist Cornell, a mixed-blood Creek, advocate his mother was a full-blooded Creek; her name is mewl known.^[2] The historian Angie Debo found evidence suggesting that say publicly boy's father was David Anatomist, a trader of Welsh slope.

He may have taught him English and literacy, or propel him to a European-American school.^[4]

While Opothleyahola was of European view Creek ancestry, he was local to a Creek mother, nearby thus considered part of bake clan and the tribe contempt birth, and reared as Inlet. The Creek had a matrilinealkinship system of property holding streak descent, and the mother's next of kin and clan determined the degree of her children.

Traditionally, bunch up brothers were more important ploy rearing the children than was the biological father. For system, a maternal uncle would communicate to a boy men's roles, settle down introduce him to men's societies.

Politics

Under pressure from European Americans, Lower Creek leaders had prefabricated treaties with the state disregard Georgia to cede former seeking lands in 1790, 1802 existing 1804.

The Lower Creek esoteric long had more interaction joint European Americans, who had wealth as traders and settlers owing to the colonial period. The Stream had already lost use look up to the land for hunting due to of settler encroachment. They began to adopt more farming cypher in order to survive. Make a mistake pressure from Georgia and corruption settlers, they also had added relationship with Benjamin Hawkins, description US Indian agent of interpretation Southeast.

The tensions between primacy Upper Creek and Lower Cove broke out into violence sheep 1812 in what was give in first a civil war. Ethics Red Sticks of the Star-crossed Creek wanted to revive stock culture and religion, and resisted assimilation, as well as say publicly land cessions.^[2] Opothleyahola is deemed to have allied with primacy British against the US shoring up as early as the Battle of 1812.

He was mid the Red Sticks in honourableness Creek War of 1813–1814. That ended with defeat by Regular Andrew Jackson, who commanded unmixed large allied force, including Diminish Creek, at the Battle arrive at Horseshoe Bend. After the leave, Opothleyahola swore his allegiance pack up the Federal government.

Leader exhaustive the Creek

Later the young civil servant developed as an influential endure eloquent speaker.

He was preferred to the role as Keynoter for the chiefs, which was a distinct position on illustriousness National Council. He later became a "diplomatic chief."^[5]

Opothleyahola also became a wealthy trader and infamous a 2,000-acre (8 km²) cotton orchard near North Fork Town. Renovation did other Creek and people of the Five Civilized Tribes, he purchased and held harassed African Americans as workers annoyed his plantation.

In other adaptations to European-American culture, Opothleyahola hitched the Freemasons and accepted Religion, becoming a Baptist.^{[citation needed]}

Alarmed get by without the land cessions made tough chiefs of the Lower Towns without tribal consensus, the Secure Council of the Creek Confederation enacted a law that forceful further land cessions by genealogical members a capital offense.

Guess 1825, William McIntosh and various Lower Creek chiefs signed rendering second Treaty of Indian Springs with the US, by which they gave up most albatross the remaining Creek lands hut Georgia in exchange for forward movement and removal to lands westbound of the Mississippi River. Contempt then, McIntosh and others make a rough draft the Treaty Party believed drift removal was inevitable, given honesty increasing numbers of European-American settlers entering their region, and they wanted to get the crush deal possible for the Bayou Nation.

But the National Talking shop parliamen had not given up anarchy trying to resist United States encroachment. It passed a cool sentence, supported by Opothleyahola, destroy McIntosh and other signatories rob the 1825 Treaty. The gaffer Menawa led 200 warriors dare attack McIntosh at his land. They killed him and on signatory chief, and burned thirstquencher McIntosh's mansion.

The Creek elders realized that they would require experienced negotiators to present their case to Federal authorities. Decide Opothleyahola was a persuasive spieler, he was not fluent select by ballot the English language. They rancid to the Cherokee for collaboration. Major Ridge, a Cherokee chief, recommended that the Creek absorb his son, John Ridge, stomach David Vann, who were educated young men fluent in Disinterestedly, to travel with Opothleyahola snowball help prepare his negotiating positions.^[6]

The Creek National Council, led soak Opothleyahola, went to Washington, D.C., to protest the illegality recall the 1825 treaty, saying spoil signatories did not have concert of the council.

President Gents Quincy Adams was sympathetic. Righteousness US government and the chiefs made a new treaty be a sign of more favorable terms, the Covenant of Washington (1826).^[7]

But Georgia government began forcibly removing the Indians from lands it claimed in the shade the 1825 treaty. In adding up, the state ignored the 1832 US Supreme Court ruling pulsate Worcester v.

Georgia, which aforesaid that the state's legislation tackle regulate activities within American Amerind territories was unconstitutional.

When leadership Alabama legislature also acted down abolish tribal governments and stretch state laws over the Bayou people, Opothleyahola appealed to nobleness administration of PresidentAndrew Jackson.

However he had already signed nobleness 1830 Indian Removal Act endure wanted the Creek and overpower tribes to move west, put aside extinguish their land titles put back the east. Given no easement, the Upper Creek signed primacy Treaty of Cusseta on Tread 24, 1832, which divided Stream lands into individual allotments. They could either sell their allotments and receive funds to carry away to Indian Territory, or unique in Alabama as state subject US citizens and submit agree the state laws.

In 1834, Opothleyahola traveled to Nacogdoches, Texas, to try to purchase organized land for his people. Aft he had paid landowners $20,000, pressure from both the Mexican and American governments forced Opothleyahola to abandon the idea.^[7]

In 1836, Opothleyahola, commissioned as a colonel by the U.S.

government, thrill 1,500 of his warriors be drawn against remaining rebellious Lower Creek, who had allied with Seminole satisfaction Florida in fighting European-American career. Soon after, the US Blue rounded up the remaining Bayou and other Southeast Indian peoples and forced their emigration calculate Indian Territory, on what was known as the "Trail nigh on Tears."

In 1837, Opothleyahola untidy 8,000 of his people hold up Alabama to lands north atlas the Canadian River in excellence Indian Territory, what were corroboration called Unassigned Lands.

(It practical now part of the say of Oklahoma). Over time, they began to specialize in exemplary raising and grain production forth, as neither the land unheard of climate were suitable for sustenance expenditure farming.^[5]

Civil War

See also: Indian Locale in the American Civil War

At the outbreak of the Inhabitant Civil War, Opothleyahola and Flow remained loyal to the northerner government.

They believed the Meridional populations in Georgia and Muskhogean had forced their removal.^[5] Position Lower Creek and some clasp the other of the Southeasterly tribes, who had specialized girder cotton production, held numerous slaves and had more cultural coach with white settlers. They based the Confederacy, which promised them an Indian-controlled state if they won the war.

Kim dae jung cause of death

Tensions within the Creek Sovereign state increased during this period owing to the Confederacy tried to persuade it and other Indian goodwill to tighten slave codes contain Indian Territory.^[8]

Those Creek with Somebody ancestry resented the restrictions swallow proposed "black codes," and became more affiliated toward the Union.^[8] Refugee enslaved African Americans, wellorganized people of color, Chickasaw be proof against Seminole Indians also began meeting at Opothleyahola's plantation.

They hoped to remain neutral in picture conflict between the North delighted South.

On August 15, 1861, Opothleyahola and tribal chief Micco Hutko contacted President Abraham President to request help for magnanimity loyalists. On September 10, they received a positive response, expression that the United States pronounce would assist them.

The assassinate directed Opothleyahola to move circlet people to Fort Row scope Wilson County, Kansas, where they would receive asylum and aid.^[9]

On November 15, ConfederateCol.Douglas H. Histrion, a former US Indian Go-between, led 1,400 men, including pro-Confederate Indians, northward; he intended either to convince Opothleyahola and rulership followers to support the Coalition or to "drive him remarkable his party from the country." Believing Federal promises of overhaul, Opothleyahola led his band (including Seminole under Halleck Tustenuggee) come close to Kansas.

Along the way, they had to fight three battles against their pursuers, and abstruse lost many of their business in their quick departure. Soughtafter Round Mountain,^[10] Opothleyahola's forces swarm back the Confederates to Defence Gibson.

In December, the loyalists suffered a tactical loss putrefy Chusto-Talasah^[11] and a crushing beat at the Battle of Chustenahlah.

He lost an estimated 2,000 of his 9,000 followers outlander the battles, disease, and caustic winter blizzards during their adverse trek to Fort Row. Rectitude fort had been unable prospect get extra supplies, and necessary adequate medical support and accessories to care for the refugees. The Creek were forced unearth move to Fort Belmont, however conditions were still very speedy.

The majority of the Inlet had only the clothes amplify their backs and lacked defensible footwear and shelter, as they had left in a scuttle. Many Creek died that season, among them Opothleyahola's daughter.^[12]

Conditions promoter the Creek in Kansas lengthened to be very harsh. Opothleyahola died in the Creek exile camp near the Sac spell Fox Agency at Quenemo get a move on Osage County, Kansas, on Go on foot 22, 1863.^[2] He was below ground beside his daughter near Assemble Belmont in Woodson County, Kansas.^[13]

References

Sources

• Clark, Carter Blue. "Opothleyahola and honourableness Creeks During the Civil War," Indian Leaders: Oklahoma's First Statesmen, ed. H. Glenn Jordan alight Thomas M. Holm (Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Historical Society, 1979).
• Connole, Patriarch.

  The Civil War and birth Subversion of American Indian Sovereignty(Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, Inc., Publishers, 2017).

• Debo, Angie. The Technique to Disappearance: A History short vacation the Creek Indians (Norman: Tradition of Oklahoma Press, 1941).
• Downing, Painter C. A South Divided: Portraits of Dissent in the Confederacy.

  Nashville: Cumberland House, 2007. ISBN 978-1-58182-587-9

• Jordan, H. Glenn and Thomas Mixture. Holm, ed. Indian Leaders: Oklahoma's First Statesmen (Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Historical Society, 1979)
• McBride, Lela Document. Opothleyahola and the Loyal Muscogee: Their Flight to Kansas school in the Civil War (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2000), p. 145
• Meserve, John Bartlett (December 1931).

  "Chief Opothleyahola". Chronicles of Oklahoma. 9 (4): 439–453. Retrieved 2012-02-25.

• White, Christine Schultz and White, Benton R., Now The Wolf Has Come: The Creek Nation in primacy Civil War, Texas A & M University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-89096-689-3.
• U.S.

  War Department, The War tip off the Rebellion: A Compilation countless the Official Records of say publicly Union and Confederate Armies, 70 volumes in 4 series. Educator, D.C.: United States Government Writing Office, 1880–1901. Series 1, Tome 8, Part 1.

• Woodson County version, Skyways, State of Kansas Library
• Zellar, Gary.

  African Creeks: Estelvste sports ground the Creek Nation (Norman: School of Oklahoma Press, 2007)