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What became of the Hilibi

Source: Early History of the Creek Indians and Their Neighbors #121

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On the De Crenay map the [Hilibi] name is spelled "Ilape," which suggests the form given by Ranjel.2 The p form is used by the Lower Creeks. It appears in the census lists of 1738 and 1750 as "Ylapfi,"1 and in those of 1760 2 and 1761.a In the third of these there is also a "Little Hilibi."a In 1761 it was assigned, along with its outsettlements, to Crook & Co.3 Bartram places it among the Coosa towns,4 and Swan gives it as one of the towns "central, inland, in the high country, between the Coosa and Tallapoosee Rivers, in the district called the Hillabees."8

The town and its branches are thus described by Hawkins: 
"Hill-au-bee; on Col-luf-fa-dee [kalofti=" bluff "], which joins Hill-au-bee Creek, on the right side, one mile below the town. Hill-au-bee joins the Tallapoosa on its right bank, eight miles below New-yau-cau. One chief only, Ene-hau-thluc-co Hau-jo [Heniha lako Hadjo], resides in the town; the people are settled out in the four following villages:

"1st. Thla-noo-che au-bau-lau; from thlenne [Hni], a mountain, oo-che [utci], little, and au-bau-lau [abiila], over. The name is expressive of its position. It is situated over a little mountain, fifteen miles above the town, on the northwest branch of Hillau-bee Creek; the town house of this village is on the left side of the creek.

"2nd. Au-net-te chap-co; from au-net-te, a swamp, and chapco, long [Note: Au-net-te really means a grassy thicket that one can hardly get through; a swamp is pilofa. A battle was fought here on Jan. 24, 1814.]. It is situated on Choo-f un-tau-lau-hat-che [tcufi italwa hatci. Rabbit Town Creek], which joins Hill-au-bee Creek three miles north from the town: the village is ten miles above the town.

"3d; E-chuse-is-li-gau (where a young thing was found). A young child was found here, and that circumstance gives it the name. This village is four miles below the town, on the left side of Hill-au-bee Creek.

"4th. Ook-tau-hau-zau-see; from ook-tau-hau [oktaha], sand, and zau-see [sasi], a great deal. It is two miles from the town, on a creek of that name, a branch of Hillau-bee, which it joins a quarter of a mile below Col-luf-fa-dee, at a great shoal.

"The land on these creeks, within the scope of the four villages, is broken and stoney, with coarse gravel; the bottoms and small bends of the creeks and branches are rich. The upland is generally stiff, rich, and fit for culture. Post oak, black oak, pine, and hickory, all small, are the growth. The whole abounds in veins of reeds and reedy branches. They call this the winter reed, as it clusters like the cane.

"The villages are badly fenced, the Indians are attentive to their traders, and several of them are careful of stock and have cattle and hogs, and some few have horses. Four half-breeds have fine stocks of cattle. Thomas has one hundred and thirty cattle and ten horses. Au-wil-lau-gee [Note: Awalgi, "they came out."], the wife of O-pi-o-che-tus-tun-nug-gee [Note: Abohiyutcl tastanagi, " Putting-something-down warrior."], has seventy [Note: The published edition has "seven."] cattle. These Indians promised the agent, in 1799, to begin and fence their fields; they have one hundred and seventy gunmen in the four villages.

"Robert Grierson [Note: in notes taken in 1797 Hawkins adds that " David Hay was his hireling," and that another white man in Hilibi, evidently a trader, was "Stephen Hawkins, an active man of weak mind; fond of drink, and much of a savage when drunk." Robert Grierson was the direct ancestor of the late G. W. Grayson, chief of the Creek Nation.], the trader, a native of Scotland, has, by a steady conduct, contributed to mend the manners of these people. He has five children, half breeds, and governs them as Indians, and makes them and his whole family respect him, and is the only man who does so in the Upper Creeks. He has three hundred cattle and thirty horses; he has, on the recommendation of the agent for Indian affairs, set up a manufactury of cotton cloth; he plants the green-seed cotton, it being too cold for the blackseed. He has raised a quantity for market, but finds it more profitable to manufacture it; he has employed an active girl of Georgia, Rachael Spillard, who was in the Cherokee department, to superintend, and allows her two hundred dollars per annum. He employs eleven hands, red, white, and black, in spinning and weaving, and the other part of his family in raising and preparing the cotton for them. His wife, an Indian woman, spins, and is fond of it; and he has a little daughter who spins well. He employs the Indian women to gather in the cotton from the fields, and has expectations of prevailing on them to take an active part in spinning.

"Hill-au-bee creek has a rocky bottom, covered in many places with moss. In the spring of the year the cattle of the villages crowd after it, and are fond of it. From thence they are collected together by their owners, to mark and brand the young ones.

"The climate is mild; the water seldom freezes; they have mast every other year, and peaches for the three last years. The range is a good one for stock. The owners of horses have a place called a stomp. They select a place of good food, cut down a tree or two, and make salt logs. Here the horses gather of themselves in the fly season. They have in the village a few thriving peach trees, and there is much gravelly land, which would be fine for them."1

A battle was fought near Hilibi town on November 18, 1813.

Another village which separated from Hilibi was known as Kitcopataki, "a wooden mortar spread out," perhaps referring to an old rotten mortar. It may have originated after Hawkins's time, since it is first mentioned in the census rolls of 1832.2 It is the only branch clearly remembered at the present day. Of the older villages the most prominent was Oktahasasi, which appears to have maintained a separate existence for a considerable period. It is not to be confused with a modern settlement known as Oktaha, "Sand town," composed of families which had fled from the other villages to avoid being involved in the Creek-American war.

After their removal to Oklahoma the latter lived for a time upon the Verdigris River, but subsequently appear to have separated. Kitcopataki does not have a distinct busk ground at the present time, but that of Hilibi is (1912) kept up near Hanna, Oklahoma.
(Swanton)