PERDIDO BAY TRIBE

SOUTHEASTERN LOWER MUSCOGEE CREEK INDIANS, INC.

Native Paths Muscogee Creek Cultural Heritage and Resource Projects

Welcome ,

I'm Bobby Johns Bearheart, Chief of the Perdido Bay Tribe of the Lower Muskogee Creek Indians. I'd like to share with you some of my childhood memories and experiences growing up in rural Georgia in the 1930's and 1940's.

I have fond memories of growing up with Creek Indian parents and Tribal Elders who instilled the Indian ways into a young boy, but I also remember the need to conceal our Indian heritage because of the extreme racial prejudice of the times. The Elders believed that if the "Trail of Tears" happened once, it could happen again.

The Tribal Elders were the single most important influence in my life. They taught me the traditional ways of the Creek culture and essentials of living in the non-Indian world. During this period, I began to understand the culture, the idea of oneness, the circle of life, all things are connected to each other and you cannot change one thing without affecting another. In our jewelry and art, you will notice the circles that remind us of these relationships and the animals and plants that tie us to each other.

My life as an artisan began there in rural Georgia. First with the traditional arts and crafts that were once necessary for survival and then on to the design of more sophisticated art forms. I've been a Featured Artist at the Florida Folk Festival and in 1989-90, a Master Artist at the Florida Folk Arts Festival. Also in 1989 and 1990, I won the individual Artist Fellowship from the Florida Department of Cultural Affairs. In 1991, I was an Artist in Residence from Escambia County Schools. In 1993, I was presented with the Florida Folk Heritage award. The original designs you see in the Bearheart Gallery are my memories and interpretation of the Indian way.

The Perdido Tribe is not recognized as a Federal Tribe; we do not qualify for most of the Federal assistance afforded reservation tribes, but we will not let our culture die. We are a resourceful and talented people, proud of our heritage and eager to preserve and promote our extraordinary culture.

Today, unlike those days in rural Georgia, we stand proud as Native Americans of Creek heritage. We teach the ways of our Creek Indian ancestors. By learning more about our heritage you can participate in the preservation of the culture of a proud and honorable people.

 I enjoy teaching children the ways of the Creek Indian and when I leave them my final words are

"We must never stop dancing . . .
Keep the old ways alive with a strong voice."

Mvto (Thank You)
Fike Nakuse (Bearheart)