Oklahoma, Writers‘ Project	~ 55



George, but I dontt know. • Dey big people in de Creek, and. with de white folks took ~Y mammy name was Serena and. she belong . to some of d.e Gouge family. Dey was big people in de Upper Creek, and. one de biggest men of the G‘ouge was naine Hopoethleyoholo for his Creek name. He was a big man and. went to de North in de War and. died.:up Ifl ~C~flS9,S, I thiflk. Dey say when he was a little boy he was called Hopoethli, which mean “good little boy“, and when he git grown he make big speeches e~id dey stick on de “yoholo.“ Dat mean “loud whooper.“

	Dat de way de Creek made de name for young boys when I was a little ~girl. When de boy gît old. enough de big men in de town give him a ame, aiid sometime later on when he git to going round wid. de grown men dey stick on corne more name, If he a good talker dey sonietime stick on ~ ~n~3 1ff en he make lots of jokes dey call hIm UHadjo.tt If he is a good leader dey call him “Iinala~ and if he kind. of mean dey sometime call him “fixigo.~

	My~ mammy and pappy belong to two masters, but dey live together on a place. Dat de way de Cree1~ slaves do lots of times. Dey work patches and. gi7e de masters most all dey make, but dey have some for deinselves. Dey didn~t have to stay on de master~s place and work like I hear de slaves of de white people and de Cherokee an.d Choctaw people say dey had to do.

	Maybé my pappy and. mataniy r~m off and git free, or maybeso dey buy deinselves out, but ~ anyway dey move away some time and. my ‚ mamm~r1 ~ master sell ‘ne to old man Tuskaya-‘hlnlha when I was jest a little gal. All I have to do is stay at de house and mind. de baby.

	Master had. a good. log house and a bresh shelter out in front like all de houses had. Like a gallery, only it h~d de dirt for de flot and bresh for de roof. Dey cook everything out in de yard. in big pots, and. dey eat out in de yard. too.
D~t was shot~ good stuff to eat, and it make you fat too! Roast de