The large part of the Creek Indians came into Oklahoma
from their former homelands about 1836. Shortly after their arrival they
began establishing their churches. Thlewarle Indian Baptist Church was
established approximately three miles north-east of present Dustin, Oklahoma
— formerly Spokogee Township, Indian Territory.
1
It is in a rural, wooded area on church owned property. The first Thlewarle
Mekko Sapkv Coko (House of Prayer) was built in 1870. However, the Indians
of this community had been having church meetings since 1858. Before the
original church house was built, services were held under a brush arbor.
At times, an old white man in the community would invite the Creeks to
hold services in his large living room, although he was not a Christian
himself.
2
Families began building camp houses around the church as soon as it was
possible. All but three houses have since been rebuilt, yet these are
in very good condition. Several camps have been added.
Before the camp houses were built, the people would come to church in wagons
and bring tents, or walk and carry their necessities. Even during a blizzard
most of the congregation would come. They would bring a bale of hay for
the horses and another for beds. Feather beds were thrown over the hay,
and blankets were used for warmth yet some say it was never very cold
inside the tents.
At present there are eleven family camp houses that surround the church house.
These camps are equipped with electricity, stoves, cabinets, dishes, cooking
utensils, silverware, tables, benches, chairs, ice boxes or refrigerators,
sofas, beds, and other necessities. The camps resemble regular houses,
and may be lived in at any time needed. Nearly all the houses have their
own water well nearby. They were built for the convenience of the families
who lived long distances away at a time when transportation was not too
convenient. Their main purpose is for use when the church services lasted
all weekend. During the Sunday meetings the owners of the camps serve
dinner and supper to all the visitors. This food is brought and prepared
by the women of the camps. They take care of all the expenses themselves.
Some of the camps have several families within them so expenses are divided.
Sometimes as many as 36 to 40 people are fed at one meal. Most camps serve
over 50 people a day. Some of the visiting women wash a few dishes in
return for the meal, but most of the work is done by the women and girls
of the owners’ families.
In 1914, Thlewarle was rebuilt. The old church was not torn down until
1959.
3 It was built—as is traditional for all Creek
churches—facing east. It is believed that when Hesaketumese {Hesaketvmese}
(Christ) comes, he will come from the east with the sunrise. One very
different thing about Thlewarle is that there is no sign of a cross on
or inside the church house.
When Thlewarle was rebuilt, the old relics and procedures were carried
over to be used in the new church.
4
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The relics—the deacons’ staffs and the horn are of great symbolic
value to the church. Definite procedures are carried out during
all ceremonies at the church, and they are maintained by the church
leaders. The purpose of the relics and the duties of the church
leaders must be presented before the ceremonies are introduced.
When a deacon is ordained, he is a given a staff. He keeps his staff until he is removed from his duties. The staffs are never replaced, but are handed down from deacon to deacon. Three of the staffs were hand carved by their original owners. One staff, carved with a raised design on the handle, was carved by a man who walked over fifteen miles to church in order to donate it at a Sunday service. Mr. Joe Watson (1850-1914) carved a staff with a reptile design. The third was carved with the design of a monkey’s head by a man who cannot be recalled. The other four staffs resemble commercial walking canes. |
A deacon uses his staff for many duties. It may be used as a pointer during
usher duties. Also, it may be used during a baptism to assist a pastor.
After one has been lowered into the water, the deacon may place the crook
of his staff around the person’s neck and assist the pastor in lifting
him from the water. This is the way the shepherds helped their lambs in
distress. If one had fallen into a hole or a ditch out of reach, the shepherd
would reach down and hook the animal around the neck or stomach and pull
it up. To a deacon, the staff is an object of strength and consolation.
It is something to lean on if anything should wrong [
sic]. The
staff is an object of support.
A deacon may not touch a person with the tip of the staff. This could bring bodily harm, embarrassment, or could knock the breath out of the person it touches. If he does touch a person with his staff, he must do so by laying the side of his staff against the arm of the person he is touching. Nor can a deacon lay his staff flat on the ground. It must always be tilted with one end off the ground. When not in use a staff must always lean against something, even if it must be against the deacon’s foot.
When the congregation is called into church for services, a horn is always used. The one at Thlewarle is made from the horn of a long-horned steer. It was donated to the church by Mr. Joe Watson, carver of the reptile designed staff. It is not known exactly when he donated these items.
Before it is time for the services to start, the head deacon appoints one of the other deacons to blow the horn. It is used for two calls, and at each call it is blown four times. The first call is for everyone to prepare for the service. The second call is for the starting of the service. It is also blown at midnight each December 31 to welcome the New Year.
During the service, it is the custom for men to sit on the south side of the church and the women to sit on the north side. The explanation given by the members is from the Bible which says that men and women should be divided.
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On Saturday night before Communion, the women go into the woods to pray. The
class leaders talk to and advise the women who want to join the church. They
pray for Hoktuke Emathla before she makes the Communion bread. Four times they
sing and pray before they return from the woods. While they are there, no one
but the class leaders may talk.
There are seven appointed deacons in the church. They help with the Communion
service, take up collections and usher. They mainly keep order within the church.
These men are not chosen according to age as the class leaders are. They must
have a thorough knowledge of the church, and be responsible for a wide variety
of duties. Most duties of the deacons are mentioned throughout this text and
are not classified here.
The licensed minister is a novice chosen by the congregation. One day the pastor
may tell the church body that a new preacher is needed. He asks the congregation
to try to find a man suitable for this job. The people go out and fast and pray
and look for a sign in a dream or some spiritual way. One the eighth Sunday,
the pastor asks the congregation if they have found a preacher. If not, they
must go out to search again. The following eighth Sunday, he will ask again.
This is done until a preacher is found. The selection is usually made among the
deacons. When a man is found who is thought to be suitable for the job, he is
made a licensed minister.
A licensed minister is trained by the pastor. He may practice his sermons only
in his home. The pastor listens, teaches, and encourages him. When he is proficient,
he then goes to preach at his church. Other churches are notified, and he is
invited elsewhere to preach. Meanwhile, the church members determine his worth.
He must prove himself over a period of many months, and if all are satisfied,
he becomes a preacher. Although a preacher or pastor may officiate over Communion,
a licensed minister cannot. A licensed minister is the person who tells the congregation
that a lost soul is wanting to join the church. He also acts as an advisor to
the church members.
The work of the preacher is to preach for lost sinners. The church must have
a preacher at all times. If a preacher is at fault, he will be dismissed from
his duties, and a preacher from another church presides until this place can
be filled. Sometimes a preacher’s position cannot be filled for several months.
The last preacher replaced at Thlewarle had shirked his church responsibilities
and began attending stomp dances. Since stomp dances are a form for religion
themselves, they do not cohere with Christianity.
The pastor of the church is the superintendent of the spirit. He is chosen in
much the same way as a preacher. When he is chosen, he must go into the woods
and fast many days in order to become close to the spirit. One pastor fasted
for a week before returning. It is he who holds the flock in church and controls
the church. A pastor remains at this job until he dies, unless he has faults
and is removed.
The pastor and preacher are not on a payroll, nor do they retire. They are concerned
with the present, and must take care of their people. When collections are taken,
they usually receive part of the money--if they are old, sick, or disabled. If
they have jobs and are self-supporting, they get nothing. The collections are
small. The average amount given to a pastor or preacher is about five dollars.
These men will never ask for money from the congregation but will accept a gift
given from them. Pastors feel that they do not have to be paid for something
that will give them a greater reward in the end.
Church services at Thlewarle are held in the Creek language. Creek bibles
[
sic] and song books are used during the services. Usually the
preacher’s voice can be heard fairly well at a distance. When the congregation
sings, they seem to reach an ecstatic state of being, and their beautiful
songs can be heard within a radius of a mile or more. A musical instrument
is not used.
When non-Creek speaking visitors are present, the sermon is sometimes given partly
in English. This is usually difficult since many of the older preachers rarely
speak English, if at all. And when a preacher is fervently speaking on a subject
such as the destruction of Sodom, the least thing he is interested in is a well-chosen
word in English. Some people may think it odd to hear Lot’s wife referred to
as "Old Lady Lot."
Church services are not held every Sunday at Thlewarle, but in four-week cycles.
This gives the congregation an opportunity to visit other churches in the area.
The meetings are called the fourth Sunday and the eighth Sunday. The fourth Sunday
is the regular church meeting. On the eighth Sunday the Wine Drinking service
is held. During the interval between the fourth and eighth Sundays, small weekly
meetings are held.
The fourth Sunday meeting is held the fourth weekend after Communion service.
The meeting actually begins on Friday evening and continues through Saturday.
The services last until about ten or twelve o’clock each night. As day breaks
on Sunday morning, the service commences. Sunrise is an important time for the
beginning of vital ceremonies. Deacon Josiah Looney gave the reason: Christ said, “look
for me early in the morning.” When we begin our rites at sunrise, we feel much
closer to Christ." All members of the church fast until noon during the meetings.
After the morning service and before dinner is served, a collection is taken
for the three treasuries and for the sick. As many preachers as possible have
been invited to Thlewarle, and after dinner each takes his turn at the pulpit.
The afternoon session lasts until about five o’clock before the congregation
breaks for supper. After the evening meal services are held until midnight. In
the days of teams and wagons, the congregation stayed over and had services again
on Monday.
On Wednesday night of the fifth week and Thursday night of the sixth week Prayer
Meetings are held. During this time a small business meeting is held whenever
necessary. The treasury reports are given at the meetings. The Sister Treasury
is used for the needs of the women or camps. If a camp is in need of new dishes
or other items, this fund may be used in case of financial need. The Donation
Treasury is used for paying utility bills and the upkeep of the church. The Church
Treasury buys the Communion wine and other things the church needs.
The Friday night of the sixth week is Ladies Meeting. This is a day of fasting
for the women. They begin from the time they arise until after the evening service.
They fast for something that is spiritually desired, and are allowed to appoint
the preacher for the day. Since it is their day, they are able to tell the men
what to do--and they must do it. During the services the women are called upon
to lead songs and pray. Sometimes the women lead songs in couples. This is done
until all have participated, and then the men proceed to do the same. Usually,
not many men attend.
After the prayers and songs are over, the pastor reads from the scriptures and
gives the women words of encouragement and well wishing. The congregation lines
up and shakes hands in fellowship, and services are dismissed for supper. The
women prepare the food, then the preacher they have appointed for the day asks
the blessing. There are no services after supper.
On Friday of the seventh week preparations begin for the Wine Drinking ceremony.
The services last until midnight and then recess. Usually the church members
go to one of the camp house kitchens for coffee and to visit.
Services are held all day Saturday. After the preacher delivers the evening service,
he invites the backsliders and sinners to repent. This is Testimonial Night.
If a Christian who has not been faithful to his religious activities and vows
approaches to repent his sins, he must voice his wrong doings before the whole
congregations. The church leaders deliberate over his case and pray for him.
Later they have a general meeting at a designated time, and discuss whether he
should yet be admitted back into the group of Christians. Some cases take long
periods of time before there is unanimous approval from the leaders. If a person
is unable to attend Testimonial Night, he may give his testimony at the eighth
Sunday meeting. The Christians are not particularly interested in what a person
has done, but why he has done it. If a person does not give his explanations,
he does not take the wine. It will do him no good if he is unworthy.
At sunrise on the eighth Sunday, Hoktuke Emathla makes the Communion bread
in her camp house. Church services start at dawn, and the church members
fast until the noon meal. The afternoon service starts about two o’clock
and lasts a couple of hours before a recess. After the short break the
deacon blows the horn, and the congregation gathers for Wine Drinking.
6
During the Last Supper, the Communion table is placed in the center of the church
floor. Two preachers sit on the west side of the table and two deacons sit opposite
on the east side. The pastor begins the service with a prayer and a song, then
he reads from the Bible. While he takes the bread, all the Christians kneel in
prayer and the other members bow their heads. When the pastor rises, the preacher
on the left stands, breaks the bread, and hands a plate of it to each deacon.
One deacon serves the Christian men and the other serves the Christian women.
When this is finished, the preacher on the left hands the wine to the two deacons,
and they follow the same procedure.
After the wine has been served, the preacher on the left gives the people encouragement
for the religious life, and gives the pastor permission to make any announcements.
Just before dismissal, the people make a circle and begin shaking hands in fellowship.
The women shake hands first, and the men follow--all the while, they are singing.
The preacher who officiated over the wine dismisses the service with a prayer.
After dismissal and before supper the two deacons officiating gather all the
children together and let them take whatever bread and wine is left.
Thlewarle accepts any person desiring to be baptized. For a description of a
Creek baptism, a young girl is used here as an example: When a girl expresses
her desire to be baptized, the head class leader takes her outside and prays
for her. She asks the girl whom she wishes to baptize her, and when she wishes
it to be done. The girl is taken back into the church, and the class leader tells
the pastor what she has decided. The announcement is made to the congregation.
The two main deacons are designated to look for the water. If the person desires
to be baptized that day, the deacons begin looking for the water immediately.
If the ceremony is to be the next morning, they will wait until sunrise. The
water must be navel deep to the person being baptized. A stick is used to measure
the depth, and when water is found of the prescribed depth, the stick is stuck
into the creek bed as a marker. A piece of white linen is tied to the top of
the stick. At Thlewarle, the people are always baptized in creeks or rivers because
still or enclosed water will not cleanse a person’s sins. It does not make much
difference what season a person may want to be baptized. In 1965 the deacons
had to chop through two inches of ice to clear a place to baptize a fifteen-year-old
girl.
The whole congregation goes to the baptism. The creek that is generally used
is about one-fourth mile into the woods down a hilly, rocky path. The church
members walk four abreast into the woods to the water--two lines of men and two
lines of women. The congregation stands on a high bank overlooking the water.
The pastor, preachers, deacons, class leaders, and the young girl go to the lower
bank.
A short service is held before the baptism. The class leaders then dress the
girl. Four of the ladies hold up blankets to improvise a room for her. Three
of the ladies help her change her clothes. A piece of white linen is tied around
her head and waist as a symbol of purity. The class leaders then pray for the
girl and advise her before she is taken to the water.
During the baptism, one of the deacons may assist the pastor. The remaining deacons
usually are kneeling in prayer a few feet from the bank in the shallow water.
After the baptism the deacons and class leaders usually walk into the water and
shake hands with new Christian. The girl is then brought out of the water, and
the class leaders change her clothes. A prayer and a song is again given for
her, and the meeting at the water is dismissed.
Upon arrival at the church girl is seated in the center of the church (in the
location of the Communion table). She leads a song and a prayer. The pastor encourages
her, and tells her what she can do or cannot do. The class leaders advise her.
She is talked to as if she were a newborn baby starting a new life. From this
time on she will take her place with the Christian women on their side of the
church.
When a person has been baptized, the pastor will ask him in which church he desires
membership. He may take his papers to any established church but not to a mission
church. If a person wishes to have his name removed from the roll, he must come
back to the church in person, distances disregarded, and give his reasons. A
letter is never sent from Thlewarle with membership papers in it.
Services for the sick are an integral part of Thlewarle. If a person of the church
is ill, the church members designate a date to go to that person’s house. The
meeting is held no longer than necessary in consideration for the sick. It is
said that in the days when communication was not easy, people would gather at
a sick bed. If a person knew he was on his deathbed, he usually desired to have
the church members come and sing to him and pray for him. Although no one was
told of his coming death, they seemed to sense it. One by one the church members
would show up at the house of the sick person as if they knew that his death
was near. They would usually hold services all night for that person before he
died.
When a person dies, total respect is shown the dead person’s body from the time
he dies until he is in his grave house. The funeral is held the fourth day after
death. On the third day the body is brought from the funeral home to the church.
The congregation prays for the body. If the family of the deceased want to have
all night services, they do. If not, family and friends stay up with the body
all night.
During the four-day period, the family of the deceased rules the church. They
may ask for any kind of service, and the church members will never refuse them.
On the fourth day the family places small containers of the deceased’s
favorite food in the coffin. This is so that the spirit will come back,
but will not bother anyone. The deceased is not buried with his shoes
on, nor is he dressed in wool (because it is of the lamb). Bibles are
not buried with the deceased because they cannot use them--Bibles are
for the living. A grave house is built for the soul of the dead. This
is a small house that fits over the grave. It has a small window at the
head of the grave, which is the west end. The grave house is considered
to be the home of the dead, because without it he would have a home no
more. When the grave houses become rotten or broken they cannot be replaced
or repaired. The creeks [
sic] believe that the older the house
becomes, the newer it will seem to the spirit. Age is an opposite thing
in death.
One man is appointed to dig the grave and to build the grave house. He asks no
one for help, but other men of the church may donate their services. The men
have breakfast very early in the morning on the fourth day. The grave is dug
at daybreak. The men pray before they labor and when they finish. Tobacco and
cigarettes are presented to them. Young boys under twenty-one are not allowed
to assist in the grave digging or house building.
On the morning of the fourth day one woman is appointed to oversee the food preparation.
A short service is held that morning and at eleven o’clock dinner is served cafeteria
style in the utility room or out-of-doors. The food is prepared by the ladies
of the church camps, friends, and ladies of other churches. There is usually
food enough to completely cover five tables measuring three by ten feet. Many
of the dishes are Creek recipes: Sofkee, blue dumplings. grape dumplings, sour
bread, and others.
At two o’clock the funeral service commences. The relatives are seated nearest
the casket. After the eulogy has been read, a collection is taken for the family
of the deceased, and the flower girls are named. The friends of the deceased
file past the casket to view the body, and congregation rises, singing. The distant
relatives view the body next, and then the immediate family. It is understood
that everyone who ever knew the deceased is expected to attend the funeral. The
number in attendance depends on how well known the deceased was. Sometimes the
line of viewers lasts over two hours before the family of the deceased is able
to view.
When the body is taken to the family cemetery, the congregation follows for graveside
rites. The pallbearers carrying the body from the hearse to the grave change
about every twenty feet. They must be careful not to tire while carrying a dead
weight or it will make them sick. Before the casket is lowered into the grave,
it is opened again for those who were not at the church funeral. The preacher
reads a scripture, and a prayer is said for the body before the casket is closed.
A blanket is put over the casket. It is lowered into the vault box, and the top
is fastened to the box. While the casket is being lowered, the people sing "Elkv
Este," (Where Shall the Body Rest).
The grave diggers begin covering the grave after the song. They fill the grave
until it reaches the top of the box. Two men (sometimes four, according to the
number of people present) on each end of the grave then take their shovels and
fill them with fresh dirt from grave. The people file by and take a clod of dirt
from the shovel and drop it into the gave for the "last hand-shake." Sometimes
a clod lands where the dirt is spread thin and hits the vault box, and a lonely
thud breaks the silence. The grave is filled by all men and friends of the family.
The flowers are taken from the flower girls and placed on the grave. If a child
is being buried, his favorite toys are placed on the grave. The grave house is
placed over the grave, and the ceremony is ended with a song and a prayer. Everyone
stays until the grave is completely covered and the house is put onto the grave.
The body of the deceased is highly regarded until the last minute of its care.
When the graveside rites are over the pastor announces when the family "washing" will
be. The rule is that if a person has been sick for a long while, the women will
clean the house for the family and wash all the bedding clothing, and other things
used by the deceased. After this announcement the congregation returns to the
church for a light supper.
After the grave has been covered and the grave house secured over the grave,
the men in charge of the grave digging and house building take their tools to
the creek. They say a prayer then lay the tools in the creek so that the water
will run over them and cleanse death from them. Sometimes the tools are treated
with Indian medicine.
If desired, the family of the deceased may take the same medicine before the
funeral. It is sometimes given to nervous or fretful children. This is not a
regular custom now.
Although the church seems closely knit, it has had its difficulties. At one time,
many years ago, there was a falling out among the church members, and all but
three people quit coming to church. These were the Reverend and Mrs. Sunday Fife
and a very, very old woman, the Hoktuke Emathla. The three continued to come
at the designated meeting times. Reverend Fife would preach to the two women
as if the house were full. They would sing and pray together all weekend or whenever
the meeting time was. They continued to come to church and have services for
quite a while, and finally the church members began coming back to Thlewarle,
one by one, until it was again filled.
Through all the years, the church has not changed much. The people come in cars
now. One man still walks. They all assist each other wholeheartedly when they
are in need of anything--whether it is wood chopping, collections or quilting.
Prayer is still important before and after every ceremony from a quilting bee
to a baptism or to building a grave house. Some of the women still wear long
dresses, long aprons, and scarves around their heads. Some carry money tied in
the cornier of their handkerchief, and absolutely refuse to speak English in
the presence of so many people that most of their acquaintances would swear they
could not. Some of the men still wear blue overalls, work shirts, brogans, cowboy
boots, or they may wear their best suits, invariably with the vest buttoned wrong.
But these are the old people and they will stay. And the next generation and
the next generation will stay, But the younger people are moving away, and many
cannot speak Creek. Someday, too soon, the church may have only three people
in it again--or none.
Or, hopefully, it may not change much at all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Miss Sharon A. Fife is a graduate of Chilocco Indian Agricultural School in
Oklahoma (1961) and received her B.A. degree in English from Oklahoma State University
in 1965. In her study for the M.A. degree, she attended Colorado University,
and has just (1970) completed a year at Central State College, Edmond, Oklahoma,
where she researched and prepared this article on the old Thlewarle Indian Baptist
Church.
Footnotes
1.
The Thlewarle Indian Baptist Church is on the south
line in present Okfuskee County, in Sec. 35, T 10N, R 15 East. This was
formerly in the Creek Nation, Indian Territory.
2.
Mr. James and Carmen (Griffin) Fife of Dustin (Sharon’s parents) were informants
on the history of the people and the relics in the Thlewarle Indian Church.
3.
All illustrations in this article are prints of the original drawings by Jimmie
Carole Fife, a sister of Sharon, and daughter of Mr. James and Carmen (Griffin)
Fife. This young artist has her B.A. degree in Fine Arts from Oklahoma State
University (1963). She is now a teacher in the public schools in Dustin, Oklahoma.
She has continued graduate work in art and her paintings have been shown in well-known
Indian Art Exhibits in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona.
4.
The principal informant on the procedures of Thlewarle Mekko Sapkv Coko and
the symbolism of its relics was the late Josiah Barney Looney. Josiah was a veteran
of World War II. He was chosen at Arbeka Indian Church before he transferred
his membership and became a deacon at Thlewarle Indian Church. He and his wife,
Lela (daughter of the Reverend Edmund and Jeanetta (Lowe) Whitlow) had three
children, Charles, Kathleen and Barton.
5.
In 1919 this chair was donated to the church by the Reverend Sunday Fife.
6.
The ceremony is generally referred to as Wine Drinking or Last Supper instead
of Communion.
