Selocta Chinnabby (c. 1765—October 15, 1834 or February 10, 1835) was a

Muscogee The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands Here they waged war again ...

and Natchez chief from present-day Talladega County,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. He allied himself with

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

in fighting the

Red Sticks Red Sticks (also Redsticks, Batons Rouges, or Red Clubs)—the name deriving from the red-painted war clubs of some Native American Creek—refers to an early 19th century traditionalist faction of Muscogee Creek people in the Southeastern Uni ...

in the

Creek War The Creek War (also the Red Stick War or the Creek Civil War) was a regional conflict between opposing Native American factions, European powers, and the United States during the early 19th century. The Creek War began as a conflict within th ...

, which was part of the larger

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

Name

Selocta Chinnabby's name is also written as Shelocta, Se-loc-ta, Chinnabee, and Apuckshunubee)

Family

Chinnabby was possibly born in 1765 near Choccolocco Creek and was the son of a Natchez chief, Moss Micco Chinnabby, and a Muscogee mother. After the Natchez revolt, a portion of the Natchez moved to central Alabama and settled in an abandoned village near the

Coosa River The Coosa River is a tributary of the Alabama River in the U.S. states of Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The river is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ac ...

on Tallaseehatchee Creek. This new village was known as Natchee, Natchez Town, or Notchietown. Chinnabby's father accompanied

Alexander McGillivray Alexander McGillivray, also known as ''Hoboi-Hili-Miko'' (December 15, 1750February 17, 1793), was a Muscogee (Creek) leader. The son of a Muscogee mother, Sehoy II, and a Scottish father, Lachlan McGillivray, he was literate and received a ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to participate in the signing of the 1790 Treaty of New York. Chinnabby had a brother whose name was Salarta/Salarto Fixico (General Coffee).

Adult life

During the Creek War, Chinnabby sided with the United States in fighting the Red Sticks. In 1813, a defensive stockade named Fort Chinnabee was built three miles north of Chinnabby's village, which was on the north shore of Choccolocco Creek near the influx of Wolfskull Creek. Chinnabby fought in a number of battles, including the

Battle of Talladega The Battle of Talladega was fought between the Tennessee Militia (United States), Militia and the Red Stick Muscogee, Creek Indians during the Creek War, in the vicinity of the present-day county and city of Talladega, Alabama, Talladega, Alaba ...

, Battles of Emuckfaw and Enotachopo Creek, and Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Prior to the

, it was reported that Chinnabby escaped Fort Leslie covered in the skin of a

wild hog A feral pig is a pig, domestic pig which has gone feral, meaning it lives in the wild. The term feral pig has also been applied to wild boars, which can interbreed with domestic pigs. They are found mostly in the Americas and Australia. Razorb ...

and was able to warn Jackson at Fort Strother that Fort Leslie was under siege by Red Stick warriors. Prior to the Battle of Emuckfaw Creek, Chinnabby led warriors allied with the United States in an attack on a Hillabee village. Chinnabby's brother was killed in this attack. Chinnabby was present at the signing of the

Treaty of Fort Jackson The Treaty of Fort Jackson (also known as the Treaty with the Creeks, 1814) was signed on August 9, 1814 at Fort Jackson near Wetumpka, Alabama following the defeat of the Red Stick (Upper Creek) resistance by United States allied forces at ...

. He supported yielding Muscogee lands along the

Alabama River The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa River, Tallapoosa and Coosa River, Coosa rivers, which unite about north of Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery, near the town of Wetumpka, Alabama, Wetumpka. Over a co ...

in exchange for keeping land west of the Coosa River in Muscogee possession. Jackson did not agree with this arrangement, as he felt this allowed

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

a connection to supply inland Native Americans in their continued conflicts with the United States.However, Chinnabby later pleaded with Jackson that the ones who helped him should keep their land. He died just before the

Trail of Tears The Trail of Tears was the forced displacement of about 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850, and the additional thousands of Native Americans and their black slaves within that were ethnically cleansed by the U ...

. Chinnabby also fought with Jackson in the

First Seminole War The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...

. Chinnabby also controlled bands of

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

, who called him Apuckshunubee, as well as

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, United States. Their traditional territory was in northern Mississippi, northwestern and northern Alabama, western Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky. Their language is ...

that had previously been under the rule of his brother, Taski Etoka. Chinnabby signed the 1826 Treaty of Washington, along with

Opothleyahola Opothleyahola (also spelled Opothle Yohola, Opothleyoholo, Hu-pui-hilth Yahola, Hopoeitheyohola, and Hopere Yahvlv, – March 22, 1863) was a Muscogee Creek Indian chief, noted as a brilliant orator. He was a Speaker of the Upper Creek Co ...

and Menawa. After signing the treaty, he was given a

silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

by President

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...

Death and burial

An early source stated that Chinabby died after a horse race. He was intoxicated and rode headfirst into a tree. Other sources indicate Chinnabby was traveling to Mardisville on October 15, 1834 to purchase supplies prior to his death. His death has also been recorded as occurring on February 10, 1835. He was buried with his silver medal near the community of Munford, and his cabin was ceremonially burned. Chinnabby's grave marker is located at .

Legacy

Chinnabee, Alabama in Talladega County is named for Chinnabby. The Lake Chinnabee Recreation Area, located inside the

Talladega National Forest The Talladega National Forest is located in the U.S. state of Alabama and covers 392,567 acres (613.39 sq mi, or 1,588.66 km2) at the southern edge of the Appalachian Mountains. Before it was bought by the federal government in the 1930s, ...

, is named for Chinnabby. The recreation area includes the Chinnabee Silent Trail, which was constructed by a

Boy Scout A Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout or, in some countries, a Pathfinder is a participant in the Scout Movement, usually aged 10–18 years, who engage in learning scoutcraft and outdoor and other special interest activities. Some Scout organizatio ...

troop from the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind. A waterfall along the trail is named Chinaabaee.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinnabby, Selocta Chiefs of the Muscogee People of the Creek War People from Talladega County, Alabama Accidental deaths in Alabama Deaths by horse-riding accident in the United States Year of death uncertain Natchez people