In the 1,000s all the way up to contact we lived in communities and interacted with our cousins from other Mound Builder Tribes. During that time, we were all traditionalistic in that we held to the teachings of the Mound Culture and the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex Religion (SCCR). That sounds more imposing than it should, but it is imposing none the less.
The SCCR was the religion and the government wrapped up into one. The females of the Grandmother’s Council and the Clan Mothers oversaw the rule of the government. Since the men went out hunting for months at a time, the women were charged with teaching the traditions and religion to the children and holding everyone accountable within the community. This type of structure worked for thousands of years and was highly effective in maintaining the cultural and religious morays of the Mound Builders.
Even during times of minor skirmishes with our Mound Building cousins, the maternal led government held the social fabric together with the continuation the traditional ways of life which had existed for millennia. It was only in times of actual war did the government of the SCCR transition to being run by males. At this time, the females voted to transition the government to the males and the males set out to make war and end hostilities as soon as possible to return the government back to the females. Warring was not the desire of most Chickamauga, but when it became a necessity, we were highly efficient.
The educational aspect of the women cannot ever be overlooked. It was the traditional teachings of the culture and religion which separated the Chickamauga from almost all their Mound Building Culture cousins. We know the cultural and religious aspect of the Chickamauga carried far into the 19th century simply because of the ways the men reacted in specific situations when confronted with cultural and religious issues in dealing with the United States, France, Spain, Mexico, and other Tribes. The men and women stood on the principles of the ancient ways and would not compromise their beliefs even if it meant certain death. This no compromise adherence to articles of faith and culture is what separated the Chickamauga from their Mound Building cousins. These behaviors are easily discernable since the Chickamauga were keepers of the Laws of the Mound Culture.
The basis of the SCCR laws was a basic set of four principles: No Murder, No Gossip, No Treason, and No Witchcraft. These four simple basic laws cover a lot of territory when you look at the implications of each one. Historically, there have been other religious and secular sets of rules and codes of conduct, very few are so succinct. Some have Ten Commandments, some have lists of rules and codes, but the SCCR allowed the high priests, the kings, and Chiefs to govern, as well as the people know the rules to live their lives by made for a simplified system. One example is the giving away of land or selling land. It is a violation of No Treason because the land did not belong to them, it belonged to the tribe and other tribes to provide for their existence.
In the late 1700s and early 1800s the adherence to the traditional culture and religion is what led different group to push to eradicate the Chickamauga from the face of this planet. We were staunch believers in a specific set of beliefs which could never be compromised. This adherence to principles of faith is what drove the “Founding Fathers” to exasperation when it came to issues of land. The Chickamauga would not and could not sell their lands because the land was held in community with themselves and other tribes. Even in George Washington’s Fourth Annual Address to Congress you can see his exasperation because the Chickamauga were not happy with the Holsten Treaty which gave away important land possessions of the Chickamauga.
It was because of these types of Treaties that Tsiyu gansini, “Dragging Canoe,” refused to play nice and go along so everyone would be happy. His mother was a French / Natchez slave given to his father Attakullakulla who was a Nippising. His mother who was from the Mound Building Culture of the Natchez, taught him that the lands were a shared blessing from the Creator and they were never to be sold or given away because the land did not belong to a single tribe or person. This is why he eventually struck the War Pole and left the Council in the late 1770s.
In the 1750’s the South Carolina Colonial government documented the existing “Cherokee” hunting grounds in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee, specifically naming Attakullakulla being a Chief living in the lower town region. This provides demonstrable evidence that demonstrates the Tsiyu gansini, Dragging Canoe took 500 Warriors and their families with his when he is said to have joined the already existing (Tiscamogie) Chickamauga and became a war leader.
Our Culture and Religion severely conflicted with that of the French, Spanish, and British. Our civilization was built upon the communal sharing of the hunting grounds. Our deerskin maps which were presented at the Grand Council meetings, where the major tribes of the continent would gather to discuss issues facing the Tribes, are on display in the British Museum in London. These maps show each area of the hunting ground of each group of Tribes. Our maps showed the Ohio River, the Appalachian Mountains, the Gulf, and the Mississippi River as our boundaries shared in community with other Mound Building Tribes of the Southeast Woodlands area.
Ultimately, our Culture and Religion had a few basic principles for us to remember and live by as well. Live in harmony with nature because seven generations into the future must live here as well. Honor and protect The Chickamauga Nation Community for each of us in one way or another are related by blood to each other. Provide for your fellow Chickamauga, passion and compassion are things we all need from time to time. Provide for The Chickamauga Nation Community because the Nation must have funds to operate throughout the year.
Finally, the burden of the work of the Nation has typically fallen on a few people. We are committed to continuing the work to preserve our Cultural, historical, archaeological, and political identity as we continue to expand across this country. We must have every Citizen of the Nation working toward the goal of sharing the work load. It is not because we cannot do the work, but it is because there is a blessing for every person who helps carry the burden of the work of the Nation. Our culture is an example of how one generation worked to prepare the next generation to take over and prepare the next generation to take over. That is why we will never stop working for this Nation. We have dozens and dozens of places people can work. Some of the work is an hour or two a month, some is an hour or two a week, and some is three or four hours a week. We have a place for everyone who wants to take the time to honor their past generations of ancestors and their future generations of descendants. Now is the time for all Chickamauga to STAND!
(C) This document was produced at the request of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on July 18, 2019, to document the History, Anthropology, Culture, Religion, and Archaeology of The Chickamauga Nation.