Creek Culture
This Muscogee-speaking confederation lived in villages along rivers and practiced a matrilineal system where clans were traced through this family line.
Who are the Creek people, and what is the matrilineal line?
The Cherokee spoke an Iroquoian language and lived primarily in the northern Georgia mountains. What language family did they belong to?
What is the Iroquoian language family?
This crop was the most important staple raised by Native groups in Georgia and formed the base of many meals.
What is corn (maize)?
This ranged weapon made from wood and string was commonly used for hunting and warfare.
What is the bow and arrow?
Many Southeastern tribes built houses with wooden frames and thatched roofs made from this plant material.
What is thatch made from grass or reed (or woven bark)?
The Creek organized into town groups and towns were often centered around this important communal feature used for meetings and ceremonies.
What is the communal square or town square (or Mound/ceremonial square)?
Cherokee society also used clans. Name one way clan membership affected daily life
What is determining marriage rules (exogamy), inheritance, or social responsibilities?
Many groups used the "Three Sisters" method of farming. Which three crops make up the Three Sisters?
What are corn, beans, and squash?
Name one tool used to grind corn into meal.
What is a mortar and pestle (or grinding stone/maize grindstone)?
Some groups built dome-shaped homes made from bent saplings and covered with bark or mats. What is one term for these homes?
What is a wattle-and-daub house or a chickee (accept descriptions: wattle and daub, bark house, or chickee depending on group)?
Creek economy included trade and agriculture; name two staple crops that supported Creek communities.
What are corn (maize) and beans? (also accept squash)
The Cherokee developed a written syllabary in the early 19th century, but before that they passed history and laws this way.
What is oral tradition (storytelling)?
Besides agriculture, name one wild food source commonly used by Georgia tribes.
What is deer (venison), fish, or wild nuts (like acorns)?
Many groups used this watercraft, carved from a single tree trunk, to travel rivers.
What is a dugout canoe?
Describe one way villages were organized (location or layout) to take advantage of resources.
What is being built near rivers for fishing and transportation, or near fertile bottomlands for farming?
This seasonal pattern — planting in spring, harvesting in fall, and hunting/fishing in other seasons — described how the Creek met food needs. Name one hunting or fishing practice used by Creek people.
What is using bows and arrows for deer hunting or fishing with nets/weirs?
Cherokee towns often had a central council house used for meetings and ceremonies. What is one activity that took place in the council house?
What is holding tribal council meetings or religious ceremonies?
Explain one way Native Georgians stored or preserved food for winter months.
What is drying/smoking meat and fish or storing dried corn in granaries?
Describe one kind of tool or weapon made from stone, bone, or shell and its use.
What is a stone knife or arrowhead used for cutting and hunting, or a bone awl used for sewing?
Many villages had defensive features and were sometimes built on raised earthworks. Name one purpose of mounds or earthworks.
What is for ceremonial platforms, burial sites, or defensive positions?
The Creek participated in a political and social system that included clans and a council of leaders for each town. Describe one role a clan or town council played in Creek society.
What is making decisions about war and peace, land use, or resolving disputes?
Explain one cultural practice or belief (religious or social) that shaped Cherokee life at contact time.
What is the importance of clan obligations and ceremonies tied to seasonal cycles and the land? (accept answers describing spiritual connection to land, ceremonies, or clan responsibilities)
Describe how seasonal movement (seasonal rounds) affected food gathering and farming schedules.
What is planting in spring, tending fields in summer, harvesting in fall, and hunting/fishing/gathering in other seasons?
Explain how European contact changed Native weapon or tool technology (one specific example).
What is the adoption of metal tools and firearms (trading for iron knives, metal pots, or guns) which changed hunting and daily tasks?
Compare how the shelters of the Creek and Cherokee differed because of their environments (one specific example).
What is Cherokee log/bark houses in mountainous areas vs. Creek thatched or wattle-and-daub houses in riverine lowlands?