Mondo's NAT #291 - Lochapoka Traditional Cache
Mondo's NAT #291 - Lochapoka
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Native American Tribes series.
Lochapoka
The Creek Council Tree, a mature burr oak, marks the traditional "busk ground" chosen in 1836 by the Lochapoka clan of Creek Indians. In late 1834, they had begun their involuntary migration from Alabama under the control of the U.S. Government. It was a slow and painful trek which has become known as the Trail of Tears; of the original group of 630, 161 died in route. Their 1836 arrival was marked with a solemn and traditional ceremony. A "busk" site was chosen on a low hill overlooking the Arkansas River. Here, according to their traditions, they deposited ashes brought over the trail from their last fires in Alabama. The Tulsa-Lochapoka, a political division of the Creek Nation, established their "town." As late as 1896, the Lochapoka gathered here for ceremonies, feasts, and games. The site was probably not used by the Indians after the turn of the century. Gradually it became a solid residential area for the growing city of Tulsa. The Creek Council Tree itself, however, survived. The oak, standing in its small, well-landscaped city park, serves as a meaningful memorial to the proud Indian tribe that brought law and order to a new homeland nearly 156 years ago. The Creek Council Tree was placed under Historic Preservation Zoning in January of 1992.
The Civil War brought disaster to the Lochapoka Creeks. Unlike the majority of the tribes in Indian Territory who supported the Confederacy, the Lochapokas remained faithful to the Union. The ceremonial grounds surrounding the Council Oak were destroyed by the Cherokee Confederate cavalry in hostilities associated with the Battle of Round Mountain. In addition to the Lochapokas killed ouright in battle, the clan's numbers were severely diminished by disease and starvation in the refugee camps of Baxter Springs, Kansas, where they had fled seeking safety.
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