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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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