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Creek Festivities

The cultural activities of the Creek people were held on sacred ceremonial grounds known as "stomp dance grounds." Stomp dances were held to celebrate various occasions, such as planting time, the coming of the medicine man, marriage, and hunting seasons. There were also songs and dances that served as prayers to the animals since the Creeks believed all creations and life beings were attributes from the "Master-of-Breath." To begin a stomp dance, a leader walked around the fire moving in a counter-clockwise direction. The dancers sang in a continual chant directed by the leader. The rhythm of the feet sound like a stomp on the ground. The women wore turtle shells tied together and filled with small pebbles strapped to their legs. By shuffling their feet, the women created the rhythm. The circle of dancers was made up of a man, woman, man, woman and so on. Because corn, or maize, was the most important food to the Creeks and had a great significance for the life of the tribe, it was natural that many ceremonies were connected with it. The most festive occasion for the Creeks was the Green Corn Ceremony. This was the celebration of the first ripening of the corn in summer and served as the tribe's new year. The complex rites of the Green Corn Ceremony lasted for about eight days. Songs, dances and games were played during the week. The circle and the camp sites were cleaned. A specially appointed fire-maker would arrange four logs crosswise and build a new fire. The fire was considered to have considerable sacred power. The men and women drank a black herb mixture that cleaned and purified their bodies. They then fasted before the new corn was tasted for the first time. After the purification process, preparation for the dances was made and feasting began.

Watch a short video(1,370kb) taken during Native American Day, November 15, 1999