ROBERT A. IKTKFVIEW 6360

Transcription

1 ROBERT A. IKTKFVIEW

2 - 8 - BIOGRAPHY FO5M W0*K3 PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION Indian-Pioneer History Project fojr Oklahoma Form A-(S- C <> i Leld Worker's name ISary D» forward This report made.on. (date) June Name Robert A. McKim Post Office Address Tttlsa, Oklahoma 3. Residence address (or location) 4. DATS OF 3IBTH: Month 1228 Stath Day Year Place of birth Near 3ixby, Oklahoma Name of Father '.?. McKim Place of birth Oklahoma Other inforraetion about father 7. Name of kother Texanna Adkins HcKim Place of birth Oklahoma Ot.-er isifomation about mother Part Creek > Notes or CDEiplete narrative by the field worker dealing with the life and story of the person intervipwed. Refer to Lanual for suggested subjects and ajaestions«continue on blank sheets if neces&ary and attacn fiimly to this forr.i, Nur.ber of sheets attached ^,

3 460 MO KIM, BDBSRT A. INTSH7IBJ Mary D. Dorward, Interviewer. June 3, Interview with Robert A. Me Kim, 12B8 s. Jamestown, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Robert A. McKia, son of W. A. and Texanna Ad kin 8 MoKlm, was bora in 1875 on bit father'* fann^two mile* now north of the town of Bixby,/Oklahoma. Through his mother he is part Creek Indian, her mother having bean a sister of Pleasant Porter, former principal chief of the Creeks. SCHOOL DAYS Robert attended school at Wealaka mission for taraa tarma. AV 'chat time the prinoipal was Mr. Whitehead, while Mr. Lockrldge was the preacher. The mission had a large apple orchard from which the boys used to steal apples. If caught they ware given a black mark and, after receiving a certain number of black marks, would be whipped. But it was no ordinary whipping they were given. It was administered

4 461 MO KIM, HDBEHT A. INTERVIEW publicly before the entire school at chapel services. The principal, who did the whipping, used a long branon from one of the app&«trees and laid it on unsparingly. Young itokim never had to be whipped but once. later, Robert attended school in Tulsa, staying with Lllah D* Lindsay, who was his teacher* CHURCHES Before there was a churoh edifice at Broken Arrow i a church services for the community were held at/ private residence. In summer camp meetings were held on the fare of the Postoaks, six miles east of where the Broken Arrow church c«w stana*. ft Ki**afe agbo^-of-jxnlflb. would be put up out of doors, under which the meetings would be conducted* later a frame building was erected for church servicte, on the site of the present Broken Arrov church south pf the town of Broken Arrow* It was used as a

5 462 Wo ELM,flDBEHT A. IKTER7IBW school also and It was in this building that Mrs. MoKla (Minnie Willbanks) conducted htr subscription school. The original building ns destroyed by a storm in th«spring of 1696, just after Mrs. McKim had dismissed school. The buildiftf was blown away but the bell fell down through to the ground and was not damaged. ' When the present building was ouilt some tins later the old bell was agpin put into service and is still in use. Until the church was rebuilt Minn it WiUbanks' conducted he>r school at Weir, a trading post and post office some distance east of the old church. ALLOTMENTS. Allotments to Creeks were filed for at uuskogee. The fact that one was living on a certain tract at the r - time of filing did not give flat one preference in filing. First corns first served was the only rule followed. McKim filed for and was given his allotmeni, part of th«old home place, then filed for his sister

6 463 ltoksf, ROBERT. INTERVIEW who was under age, expecting to be allotted another part of tha none place Tor her, only to find that a neighbor who wanted that particular tract to round out hie own holdings had already filed on it* The sister had to be satisfied with something else. TRIBAL PAYMENTS AND RATION DAYS. Creek payments were made at Okaulgee at the old Council houoe, annually, the last one being made in The amount of money was never very large at any one tine. Orciera for rations were issued at the same place. The Government Indian department would issue an order on Captain Severs 1 including clothing. store, usually for food, sometimes The order waa for a definite amount and.the Indians were not yrrmitted to go over that stipulated amount. This, together with whatever garden produce they could grow, was what the Indians had t'o live on. Garden crops were usually sweet potatoes and

7 464 BOBEBT A. INTERVIEW corn, sometlma peanuts. GAf&S Creeks used to play ball along south Cheyenne in Tulaa, between about 18th and 21st Streets. At that tin* there ROB a spring at the foot of the hill oc Cheyenne near 21st, which supplied su-inking water. No trace of the spring remains* In playing ball two groups or players competed. A pole was set up at one end of the field; on top of the pole was mounted a cow's heed. The object of the game was to hit the cow exactly in the middle of tni"fore^» head, each-strike oounting so many points. To bat the ball a pair of crossed sticks were used, each stick having the crossed end shaped like a spoon. With such crossed sticks the ball could be hit with terrific force. Players were chosen for one side or the other and

8 4G5 MCKIM, ROBE0T A. INTERVIEW after being chosen had to play with the team as long as they could play a good game, and always with the team that had originally choeen them. KEDICXNE. Stomp danoes were held by the Creeks under the tree called the old Council tree on the lawn of what is now the C. B«Peters residence at 1790 south Cheyenne, Tulsa. The stomp dance was only a part of a s#rt of cleansing ritual that lasted a week. The Indians would begin assembling on Sunday, then a day early in the week would be set for medicine* On this day no food would be taken but all would drink quantities of a medicine, concooted of roots and herbs, that had been prepared beforehand and placed in a huge iron kettle. Dippers made from gourds were used for drinking, with nothing made of metal save the kettle.

9 466 MoKlM, BDBSRT A. IOTKRVI^W After having drunk a quantity of the medicine the Indians would become sick and would then go one or two at a tin* to a little knell nearby where they would vomit. This drinking and vomiting would oon» tinue through the day, then would be followed by a three-day fast. The fast waa followed by a feast of green corn, sometimes sofka also. They would eat all day, then at night begin the dance and danoe till sun up, sleep end eat again all the following day, danoe again all night till sun up s&ndty morning, when the affair would break up and the Indians depart for their homes. The entire preaeeding was believed to insure health for the ensuing year. Expense a of the gathering were paid from collections taken among ^he participants. The narrator, Mr. McKim, when a little boy, once lost his hat at such a gathering, and had to pay fifty oents to get

10 4G7 ifeklm, ROBHHT A. INTKRVIEW it back. He got too close to the space roped off for the danoing, and a big. Indian dancing around grabbed the bat and would not give it up until the little boy's father had contributed the money to the treasury* COURTS. Trials for horse stealing and similar offenses were held at Coweta at a court called Indian Lighthorse court. If a party was found guilty the punishment was usually a whipping, the number of lashes being governed by the enormity of the crime. A date was sa»t by the court for the execution of the sentence, then the culprit was released and told to reappear on the date set. Without fail he would be there. The sans thing was true even if the crime committed waa murder and the perpetrator sentenoed to be shot* He knew that if be didn't show up there would be a band of Indians out after him and they would get him anyhow.

11 468 UOKBI, BDBKRT A.. INTERVIEW. ' GAMS. Turkey and deer used to abound, in the vicinity of Tulea* An old Indian named Tuckabatche was a greet deer hunter. He bad a pack of hounds and used to hunt deer all around the Arkansas River bottoms around Tulaa. The Tuokabatohe cabin stood where Hazel Boulevard and South Cinoinnati now intersect* FERR1SS. A ferry known as Basinger's ferry used to ply across the Arkansas north of Bixby between Basinger T s farm along the south side of the river and the Mo Kim plaoe along the north Bide, about a quarter of a mil* west of where the bridge across the Arkansas now stands on U a 'blaoksaith. The ferry was operated by Charles Sherril, i COUNCIL It is pretty well known that the Creek Council was

12 4G9 MCK2U, ROBERT A. INTERVIEW composed of two houses- the House of Kings and the House of warriors* women who were school teachers were admitted to the Council and voted the same'as the men. Lilah D. Lindsay was such a member, as was Pleasant Porter's wife, and Mota Tiger. CEMETERIES i The kckia family had no private burial ground but used what was then a public cemetery at the old Broken Arrow church, a cemetery still in existence. This aemetsry at first was a private burial ground for the Childers family, Creek Indians. Qoog Childere was the first to be buried there and. his taonuraent still stands, an old-fashioned white stone slab.