This writing and your hypothesis makes sense to me. Although I am new at gathering any kind of information about my Creek ancestors, I have some observations that in turn has lead to some questions. A ways back I looked for pictures of Creeks....men and women...to get a feel of the old ways. One thing that stands out more than anything is where did they come up with the turbans and short hair......shorter than the typical Indian impressions I've seen in various tribes. However, mentally looking back some 30-40 years ago with some pictures I saw of various tribes in Mexico and on down to South America, including the recent discovery of a "lost tribe", the hair style of Creeks and those others seem somewhat similar. I spent some time in the Middle East as well and the Far East. Seeing the turbans on my ancestors was a shock causing immediate wonderment. I couldn't see how the Arab nation's people or the East Indians of India could have inspired the wearing of a turban on one particular group of people in the South East United States....of course there may be others I am unaware of. Richard, your ideas may fit so well with me because I'm ignorant about any other possibilities that could make sense......don't know. They sure didn't get the habit from surrounding indigenous Indians, did they? TT ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2008 8:03 AM Subject: [CREEK-SOUTHEAST] More on political organization - similarity of Creeks with Chichen Itza > One of the most fascinating deductive reasonings I have come with in the > past year involves the similarities between the government of the Maya > city of > Chichen Itza in the northern Yucatan Peninsula, and the subsequent > organization of Creek ancestral towns during our "Golden Era." > > There is substantial evidence that Ocmulgee was founded by non-elite > refugees from the Maya city of Waka in Guatemala - or at least the > children of those > refugees. Waka was mostly abandoned by 880 AD after the city had been > razed > and its entire elite executed by an enemy city. Ocmulgee was founded > about > 20 years later. However, Ocmulgee seems to have been more of a massive > regional trade conurbation, where many cultures blended, not the capital > of a > new state. > > Chichen Itza had a government very different than most Maya cities. Its > Great Sun was not a hereditary king, but a symbolic head of state and > administrator elected by a legislative body composed entirely of the > elite. Therefore, > its government was almost identical to that of the Old Roman Republic > prior > to Emperor Augustus. Commoners evidently had little or no say in the > management of the city state. Slaves certainly had no rights at all. > > Stellae from neighboring cities in Yucatan tell of a massive rebellion by > the commoners or slaves around Chichen Itza in response to droughts and > famines. > After the rebellion, few people lived in Chichen Itza and it was no longer > a > powerful influence on the region. Archaeologists long thought the virtual > abandonment of Chichen Itza occurred around 1200 AD. Recently, more > accurate > radiocarbon dating has placed the period of the rebellion and abandonment > to > be in the late 900s AD. > > This date is important, because around 1000 AD, many, many new towns > suddenly appeared in the Creek Motherland - the founding of famous places > such as > Ochesee and Etalwa are definitely from that period. I have a theory that > waves > of illiterate Maya commoners arrived in the Southeast immediately after > the > abandonment of Chichen Itza. They set themselves up as the elite among > Muskogeans, who were disunited by centuries of clan vengeance warfare, > and tried to > recreate the world they had known in the Yucatan, but also incorporated > the > clan system as a democratic counterbalance to the abuses of the elite in > the > Maya world. > > In fact, Creek tradition remembers a time when there was much misery > because of constant vengeance warfare between clans. Sun Man and Sun Woman > appeared > on the scene and brought peace, civilization and advanced agriculture to > the > people. The descendants of Sun Man and Sun Woman became the new elite. > > The seeds of this theory go back to many moons ago when I was 20 years old > and sitting in awe in the office of the world famous archaeologist, Dr. > Roman > Pina-Chan. Pina-Chan was director of the Museo Nacional de Anthropologia > in > Mexico City, and the coordinator of my fellowship. Pina-Chan was also a > Maya, > and had a humility and open-mindedness about him that is often missing in > contemporary anthropologists. > > I had just given him a Smithsonian book on the Indians of the Southeast. > After first glancing at the photos of the artifacts from Etowah Mounds, > he > canceled his next appointment and spent another hour with me. His most > poignant > observation occurred after seeing the photos of the famous statues from > Etowah Mounds. "Ricardo, why did your Indios make statues of slaves? The > turbans > they wear were the mark of a slave, farmer or laborer among the Maya. > They > still are. Were your people once slaves of the Mayas?" > > Then, fast forward to the year, 2007. I am watching the movie, > "Apocalypto" and see the slaves and laborers of the fictional Maya city > all wearing > white turbans. "Oh my God! Dr. Pina-Chan was right!" > > Of course, this theory flies in the face of everything that Este-hatka > archaeologists are taught these days. They are already shunning my books > and me > for merely mentioning it. It will take a lot more research to back up > the > theory. First, I must dig out of the financial disaster caused by the > Fernbank > Museum when I almost lost my house and car in April. However, every > known > archaeological fact I read, is backing up the theory. At least, I have > something to keep me busy for several years! > > Richard T. > > > > > > **************Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your > budget? > Read reviews on AOL Autos. > (http://autos.aol.com/cars-BMW-128-2008/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00050000000017 > ) > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >