The Road to Disappearance: A history of the Creek Indians was written by Angie Debo, a native of Oklahoma. She had curiosity of the life and history of the “creek Indians’ which is also known as the ‘Muskigees’. These people are later on named as ‘Creek Indians’ because they thrive on the Creek areas or besides rivers and canals. This book was written in 1941, a part of many books about Creek Indians that was written by the author as she was teaching history in the University of Oklahoma.
Basically, the book gives the reader the story of the ‘Creek history’. It covers the years from 1725 up until 1906. It tackles the experiences of the Creeks as a nation and their interaction and relationship with the Washington government as well as with the states that they occupy namely, Alabama, Georgia and Kansas. Throughout the book, the author kept on presenting data and facts that serves as evidence of her arguments regarding the fast paced obliteration of the ‘Creek Nation’.
She also cited accounts of the attempts and struggles made by the Creeks as the State and Federal government draft laws that somehow keep these people marginalized and controlled. The first chapters in the book cover the discussion of the Creek Nation’s history, which, as Debo pronounced was ‘lost in legend’. There are those which talks about coming from the ‘huge mountains…a migration toward sunrise… the crossing of a great and muddy river and the occupation and conquest of their eastern home’.
The Essay on Defining History American Indian
In the document, 'Indians: Textualism, Morality, and The Problem of History,' Jane Tompkins examines the conflicts between the English settlers and the American Indians. After examining several primary sources, Tompkins found that different history books have different perspectives. It wasn't that the history books took different angles that was troubling, but the viewpoints contradicted one ...
These chapters also talks about the Creeks relation with other Indians and some of their customs, beliefs and practices. The third chapter offers the beginning of the destruction of the ‘Nation’ that was followed by conquers and the war with these conquerors. Chapter VI shows that after devastation, the ‘Creeks forms a nation again’, nonetheless the proceeding chapters shows and discuss rivalries and conflicts inside the ‘Nation’ itself.
In chapter IX there was a moment of peace, nonetheless it does not stand for long as what Debo believes to be happening right now is the ending of the tribe. The book was well written and provides a good overview of the history of Indian Americans in general and Creek Nation in particular. It helps the readers understand what was the life that these people has to endure and the history that they have along with their distinct culture, beliefs and traditions that were slowly being eroded by modernization and ethno racism.
The book was obviously in favor and in support of helping the Creek Indians get the rights, respect and recognition that they properly deserved. The author has successfully point out the different period in history that the Creeks have been oppressed and how the government policies are hurting and demeaning the Indian population. The author has successfully laid the foundation and evidence that will make the reader question the legitimacy of the laws and policies that the government has made in the past and today.
It somehow expands the horizon of what I know about American Indians. Moreover it helps me understand their situation. The author made me feel how wrongly the Creek Indians are treated. Along with illustrations, the book successfully captures sympathy and understanding from its readers. This I think is the main purpose of the book aside from being informative. There are a lot of things that I have learned from the book aside from the different Indian tribes and the way they live. I also found about how they are treated and what their history in connection to my own is.
The Essay on The Creek Indians
Location and Background The early English traders gave the Creek native Americans their name because they usually built their villages on or near creeks or rivers. If they were to still have their villages it would include areas of Northern Florida and Eastern Louisiana and Southern Tennessee. The majority of the villages were located along the banks of the Coosa, Tallaposa, Flint, Ocmulgee, and ...
Understanding the difference between us (the Creek Indians and me) and the fact that we are living in the same country, give me a higher regards and respect for their abilities and their being the real owners of the lands in which we (Americans) thrive. To further understand the book and to find the topics more easily, there an index at the end that can make reading easier especially when looking back and looking for terms in relation to other topics in the book. The book also contains maps aside from illustrations.
These maps are important to help the reader’s picture in their mind the length and area that the Creek’s covers. There is also a page that contains other works created by Angie Debo which are also related to the ‘Creek Indians’. I definitely recommend this book for people who would like to know about the Creek’s life. It is thorough and it refers to the problems of the Creek in a straightforward manner. Although it is somehow bias, it delivers a good stance in regards to the life and the rights of the Creek people.
The readers would enjoy the way the book is written eventhough it talks about history. The author has the ability to look at the subject matter in an inclusive perspective, such that the reader will feel as though they are pat of the history that they are reading. This is a must read for enthusiast and non enthusiast alike and I recommend it for a deeper understanding of the culture and the people that once been the sole owners and cultivators of the American land. Work Cited: Debo, A. The Road to Disappearance: A History of the Creek Indians. Norman. 1941, 1967.
