Chikamaka Band

Chikamaka Band
Regions with significant populations
United States United States (Tennessee Tennessee) (Alabama Alabama) (Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia)
Related ethnic groups
Chikamaka (Chikamauka)

The Chikamaka Band is an organization based in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, are American Indians descended from Chickamaugas who inhabited the Tennessee River valley area near Nickajack in the 1790s and early 1800s, then retreated from the river bottom land and migrated up to the Cumberland Plateau in and around Tracy City, Tennessee.[1]

Members

The members of the Chikamaka Band descend from American Indians, who came together resisting the encroachments of European-descended settlers of what became the United States of America.[2] Their alliance, known as the Chickamauga Confederacy, was largely made up of people from the following American Indian groups: Chikamaka, Catawba, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Itsate Creek, Creek, Delaware, Mohawk, Natchez, Saponi, and Shawnee.[2] It also included allied groups of Tories, many of whom were of Scottish, Irish, or German origin.[2]

Territory

The principal territory of the Chikamaka Band is Tennessee, North Western Georgia and North Eastern Alabama.

Recognition status

On 19 June 2010, the Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs recognized the Chikamaka Band as a Tennessee State Indigenous American Indian Tribe;[3] however, the state attorney general's office declared that recognition "void and of no effect" on 3 September 2010.[4]

History

The term "Chikamaka" comes from the name comes from the Chickasaw town of that name, Chikamauka. People from various American Indian groups were defending their land and trade rights, along with Tories dispossessed by the American Revolution formed the Chickamauga confederacy.[5][6]

Current members of the Chikamaka Band claim descent from Chikamuaka(ga) Indians. Through intermarriage with different ethnic groups, they have a range of physical appearances, including some who have blue eyes and light skin.[2] Some such people consider themselves "Indians" or "Native Americans", regardless of their physical appearance or exact ancestry.

See also

Notes

  1. "open to persons who can trace their American Indian heritage back to 1900 and earlier to lineal ancestors." - Chikamaka literature 2008
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Who are the Chikamaka?". Chikamaka Band official web site. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  3. Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs List of State Recognized Tribes
  4. Humphrey, Tom. "6 Indian groups lose state recognition: Court order says commission violated open meetings law." Knoxville Sentinel. 3 Sept 2010 (retrieved 3 Sept 2010)
  5. "How come I have never heard of the Chikamaka before now?". Chikamaka Band official web site. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  6. "Tennessee's Indian Peoples". IMAGES From Nostalgiaville. Retrieved 24 February 2010.

References

Further reading

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/27/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.