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The
new 2006 coins issued by the Sovereign Nation of Poarch
Creek Indians honor Chiefs Tomochichi and Stee-chaco-me-co,
and commemorate the annual Pow Wow. The Chief Tomochichi
and Pow Wow 2006 Silver Dollars are each 1 oz. of .999
fine silver limited to 20,000 in Brilliant Uncirculated
quality, issued at $29 each, and 10,000 in Proof, issued
at $49 each. The Chief Stee-chaco-me-co 2006 Five Dollar
1/5 oz. .999 fine Gold Proofs are limited to 2,500 pieces,
and have an official issue price of $246. Each coin
comes in a presentation box embossed with the logo of
the Sovereign Nation of Poarch Creek Indians, and is
accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. The official
distributor Panda America is the first to offer these
new coins to collectors. Credit card orders can be placed
by calling us toll free at 800-472-6327
Monday to Friday, 9-5 PST, or click on the appropriate
items below. All coins issued by the Sovereign Nation
of Poarch Creek Indians from 2003-2006 can be seen and
purchased on www.PandaAmerica.com
by clicking
here.
Chief
Tomochichi (c. 1644-1739) is shown on the 2006 Silver
Dollar issued by the Poarch Creek Nation, along with
his nephew Toonahowi, who later became his successor.
Tomochichi contributed much to the establishment of
peaceful relations between the native Georgia population
and the new English settlers, led by General James Oglethorpe.
About 1728 Tomochichi created his own tribe of the Yamacraws
from an assortment of Creek and Yamasee Indians after
the two nations disagreed over future relations with
the English and the Spanish. His group, approximately
two hundred people, settled on the bluffs of the Savannah
River because the location was the resting place of
his ancestors and had close proximity to English traders.
When General James Oglethorpe and his fellow settlers
reached the region in February 1733, they realized the
need to negotiate fairly with the neighboring Indian
tribes or risk the success of their enterprise. Among
Oglethorpe's entourage was Mary Musgrove, daughter of
a Creek mother and an English father, who served as
interpreter between the general and the chief. Tomochichi
had had previous contact with English colonists, making
him unafraid yet cautious. The aging warrior had several
different options available, but he decided to receive
the new arrivals and to give them permission to establish
Savannah in order to take advantage of trading and diplomatic
connections.
During the first five years of English settlement, Tomochichi
provided invaluable assistance to the new colony. One
year after Oglethorpe's arrival, the Indian chief accompanied
him back to England along with a small delegation of
family and Lower Creek tribesmen. There, Tomochichi
expertly fulfilled the position as mediator for his
people during numerous meetings with important English
dignitaries. He politely followed English mannerisms
in his public appearances while pushing for recognition
and realization of the demands of his people for education
and fair trade.
Tomochichi died on October 5, 1739, when he was in his
late nineties. His contributions to the colony of Georgia
were celebrated with an English military funeral, and
the grave site was commemorated with a marker of "a
Pyramid of Stone" collected from the vicinity.
He left his wife Senauki and his nephew Toonahowi in
charge of his small tribe
The
second 2006 Poarch Creek Silver Dollar features an energetic
dancer at a Pow Wow and an Indian rider on a galloping
horse. Originally held as a homecoming for tribal members
in 1971, the Poarch Creek Indian Pow Wow has evolved
into a cultural festival attracting approximately 10,000
visitors yearly. During the 1980s, the Pow Wow was extended
to a two-day festival and now encompasses the Friday
after Thanksgiving. The present site of the gathering
is on land originally inhabited by this Native American
tribe for thousands of years. Performances of ancestral
dancers in authentic dress are at the core of the festival.
The new Five Dollar Gold piece honors Chief Steeh-tcha-kó-me-co,
also known as the Great King or Ben Perryman; he was
a tribal chief of some prominence among the Creeks in
Alabama. Ben's father was a white man who married into
the Creek tribe. An Englishman, Captain Young, wrote
about 1818 that "the Chief was Ben Perryman and
was regarded as honest and friendly towards the white
people".
The
only other known historical information is that Benjamin
moved to Fort Gibson, in Indian Territory, February
1828, with the Chilli McIntosh Party. The party consisted
of adherents of the McIntosh faction of the Creek Nation
from the Lower Creek towns along the Chattahoochee River
that divides Alabama and Georgia. They traveled by boat,
and Benjamin was accompanied by six sons and two daughters:
Samuel, Columbus, Moses, James, Lewis, Henry, Lydia,
and Mary.
Coins
were designed by award-winning sculptor Alex Shagin.
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