Rev. Harry Long, 83, with his wife,stand in front of the church arbor. Long has been a minster for 50 years, his father Thomas Long was one of the early ministers of the church.

*Although many Indian people today attend either the church or the ceremonial grounds exclusively. Long has seen how the two have coexisted in times past. “My grandfather had duel activities, when he got to where he couldn’t get around too much, he took the medicine and fasted. Some of the other preachers came out of that stomp religion and they didn’t have a problem with it. It didn’t make a difference, they complemented each other and I believe that too. However, when the missionaries came along, they said you got to put away the songs, and dances, and medicines and your old Indian ways if you are going to be a Christian, but a lot of the older ones didn’t put it away. However, it was the younger ones that got brainwashed and some of the younger preachers after that were really hard on downgrading the stomp religion, the ceremonial ways.”

Long, whose clan is Wotko says he is still called to officiate at weddings, funerals, and revivals from time to time. He says one important philosophy has always helped and recommends it to anyone considering entering the ministry — “love the people — always love the people.”

* excerpt from Muscogee Nation News, Feb.2002,

Image copyright Tom Fields 2002