Date published: 1922-01-01
Source: Early History of the Creek Indians and Their Neighbors (ID121)
Author: Swanton, John (ID85)
Primary doc? 0
Published in:
Race described: Indian
Full text? 1
Online link:
Content id: 3250
Filename received:
Filename assigned:
1732-01-01 - 1732-12-31

There was a Wetumpka tribe at Coweta Tallahassee and a different one at Alabamaedit

Associated with the Koasati we find an Upper Creek town called Wetumpka, which means in Muskogee "tumbling or falling water." It must not be confounded with a Lower Creek settlement of the same name, an outvillage of Coweta Tallahassee. It is also claimed that Wiwohka (q. v.) was originally so called. The Wetumpka with which we have to deal was on the east bank of Coosa River, in Elmore County, Alabama, near the falls. At one time there were two towns here, known as Big Wetumpka and Little Wetumpka respectively, the former on the site of the modern town of Wetumpka, the latter above the falls in Coosa River.1 Possibly this tribe may be identical with the Tononpa or Thomapa, which appears on French maps at the western end of the falls. (See map of De l'lsle, 1732, and DeCrenay, 1733. )2 It is probably represented by the "Welonkees" of the enumeration of 1761, classed with a town which appears to have been the principal town of the Alabama.3 It is noted by Bartram as one of those speaking the "Stinkard" language—i. e., something other than Muskogee.4 He places it beside that of the Koasati, and it would seem likely that this indicates the true position of its people, for when the Koasati moved to Tombigbee River Wetumpka accompanied them. On January 16, 1772, Romans passed "the remains of the old Weetumpkee settlement," 7 miles above a point which Hamilton identifies as Carneys Bluff,5 on the Tombigbee River. The removal was probably recent, because on April 4 of the same year Taitt visited their town "about one mile E.S.E. from this [Koasati], up theTallapuse River," and found them engaged in building a new hot house.1 Presumably this was the first to be erected after their return from the Tombigbee. Swan's reference, 1792, is the last we hear of the tribe.2 They probably united with the Koasati or the Alabama. (Swanton)

Cross references

No cross references.