Hunting & Fishing

"The Indians do not lack for meat. They kill many deer, hens, rabbits and other game with their arrows. In this they have great skill." - Journal, DeSoto Expedition 1540

Creek men hunted and fished for much of the family’s food and other needs. Using blow guns, bow & arrows and spears, men and boys hunted deer and a variety of small game which would be a delight to all when roasted over a hickory fire -- the first Barbeque in America. While deer was the primary meat source, bear was also prized, not only for the meat, but for the fat which was used as a seasoning for food and for a variety of other purposes.

Blow guns were used primarily for bringing down small birds.  Our Chief, Bobby Johns Bearheart had many hunting and fishing experiences as a boy which were little different than those of his ancestors. He tells of going out at night in late fall during the bird migrations to hunt the tired, roosting birds. He and his brother and elders picked their way through the briar thickets around the swamps to the places where the birds were known to roost. Using blow guns to knock the birds off their perches, they gathered them into bags to take home for his mother to prepare.  

Fish and turtle were an important part of the diet also. Still today there are remnants of ancient V-shaped stone weirs along the rivers and creeks of the Deep South where the Creeks once caught fish in large woven traps.  Trapping a winter supply of fish during the annual red-horse sucker run is another experience of his Creek heritage Bearheart remembers as a boy. The Indians understood the habits of the various fish and animals and had many ways of outsmarting them. Every year at a certain time, the red-horse suckers would travel upstream to spawn much as salmon do. The point of the v-shaped weir was open so that it acted like a funnel for the fish. On the night of the migration, a group of men and boys would go to the site of the weir. They would get back away from the bank and build a large campfire, then sit around, tell stories, and wait for the fish. One person was selected to be the watcher. He would sit beside the weir and listen for the sucker's run upstream which made a loud noise. Just as the fish were about to enter the wide opening of the "V," the watcher would shout to the others, then jump in behind the fish splashing and shouting to drive them through the small opening. All the others came running and jumped in too. The largest and strongest held the large basket traps in place as the fish swam through the weir. Before long their baskets were filled and the fishermen all dashed for the warmth of the fire to shed their wet clothes and dry off.

Note: In modern times, the red-horse sucker fish has nearly reached extinction in the Southeast due to pollution and damming of rivers and streams. Strong efforts are being made to re-establish the fish in healthier conditions.

Another fishing method was ‘grappling.’  The Indians knew just where the big old catfish liked to hang out up under the banks of the creeks.   Moving ever so slowly, the fisher would lie on his belly and ease a hand back under the bank. Then with lightening skill he would grab the fish with his bare hand.  Another trick was to take a hollow log and lay it in the water. This provided an attractive hiding place for fish and turtles. Several men and boys would work together to plug the opening at each end of the log. Then they would lift the log onto the bank and dump the fish out.  Returning to these same places over and over, the Indians made many successful catches.

The Creeks were a closely bonded people.  Most of the work they did, from tending the gardens to hunting and fishing was done as a cooperative effort.  The performance of these tasks was serious work: that of providing food and other needs for the family, but in addition the shared work also served as social events which could be fun and enjoyable.