 Yuchi people dancing the Big Turtle dance, 1909 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2010: 623[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United StatesToday: Oklahoma Historically: Tennessee, later Alabama and Georgia | |
| Languages | |
| English, formerly Yuchi | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (Methodist), Stomp Dance, Native American Church[2] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Muscogee people[2] |
The Yuchi people[4] are a Native American tribe based in Oklahoma, though their original homeland was in the southeastern United States.
In the 16th century, the Yuchi lived in the eastern Tennessee River valley. By the late 17th century, they had migrated south to Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, settling near the Muscogee Creek people.[2][5] Some also migrated to the Florida panhandle. After suffering heavy losses from epidemic diseases and warfare in the 18th century, the remaining Yuchi bands were forcibly relocated to Indian Territory in the 1830s, alongside their allies, the Muscogee Creek.[2]
Today, the Yuchi primarily reside in northeastern Oklahoma, where many are enrolled citizens of the federally recognized Muscogee (Creek) Nation. They continue to maintain a distinct cultural identity, with some members still speaking the Yuchi language, a linguistic isolate.[2]
- ^ "2010 Census CPH-T-6. American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2010". Census.gov. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Jackson, Jason Baird. "Yuchi (Euchee)." Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
- ^ Clark, Patricia Roberts (21 October 2009). Tribal Names of the Americas: Spelling Variants and Alternative Forms, Cross-Referenced. McFarland. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-7864-5169-2.
- ^ Or Euchee, Uchee, Achee.[3]
- ^ Jackson 416