Poarch Creek Indians Celebrate ‘Indian Ice’ Poetry Collection by Dr. Deidra Dees
Members of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians gathered at the Tribe's old Fred L. McGhee School for a dinner and reading of Dr. Deidra S. Dees' new poetry collection, "Indian Ice."
ATMORE, Ala. — Members of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians gathered Tuesday evening, Oct. 6, for a dinner and poetry reading celebrating “Indian Ice,” a new collection of Indigenous poetry by Dr. Deidra S. Dees that draws on Mvskoke Creek culture and three decades of the author’s own life.
The program was held at the Tribe’s old Fred L. McGhee School and paired a shared meal with readings from the book. Dees spoke about the collection after dinner and read several excerpts, describing “Indian Ice” as an autobiographical work that spans 30 years.
Poems written for members of the Tribe
The heart of the evening was a series of readings in which participants shared poems from the book that are dedicated to people within the Tribe, turning the event into something closer to a community tribute than a typical book signing.
Amy Gantt and Toney Sells read a poem titled “Reverend Edwards,” which is dedicated to Roberta McGhee Sells. Speaking afterward, Toney Sells reflected on the generations who came before him and the role they played in building the Tribe.
“They did it because they love this people,” he said.
Other readers included Dannie King, who read “Mvskoke Feathers,” a poem written for Chairman Eddie Tullis; Thornton Sells, who read “Indian School”; and Kimberly M. Cranton, who read “White Girl.” Several other poems from the collection were also read during the evening.
The dedication of “Mvskoke Feathers” to Eddie Tullis carried particular weight. Tullis served as the Tribe’s chairman for many years, a period that included the Poarch Creek Indians’ successful effort to win federal recognition in 1984, and he remains one of the best-known figures in the Tribe’s modern history. The poem dedicated to Roberta McGhee Sells likewise honors a member of the McGhee family, a name closely associated with the Tribe’s leadership and its long push for recognition and equal treatment.
Having members of the community read poems written for their own elders and leaders gave the event a personal quality. Many in the audience knew the people being honored, and the readings connected the book’s written words to the families and history of the Poarch community.
About “Indian Ice”
“Indian Ice” is a collection of Indigenous poetry that incorporates elements of Mvskoke Creek culture. Mvskoke, also spelled Muscogee, is the name the Creek people use for themselves and their language, and the spelling reflects the language’s own writing system. Using it in the book’s poem titles, such as “Mvskoke Feathers,” places the collection firmly within the cultural tradition of the Creek people.
Because the book is autobiographical and covers roughly 30 years, its poems move through different stages of the author’s life while also reaching outward to the people and places that shaped it. The dedications to tribal members heard at the reading suggest a collection that is as much about community and memory as it is about one individual’s story.
Mvskoke is still spoken today, though like many Indigenous languages it has far fewer fluent speakers than in past generations. Tribes and Creek communities in Alabama and Oklahoma have worked to teach the language to younger members, and literature that weaves in Mvskoke words and themes is one more way of keeping it visible.
Poetry has long been an important form of expression for Native American writers, offering a way to carry language, history and family stories forward and to speak about identity in their own terms. Readings like this one, held in a tribal setting and voiced by tribal members, also help pass those stories to younger generations.
A gathering at a historic tribal site
Holding the reading at the old Fred L. McGhee School added another layer of meaning. The McGhee name is closely tied to Poarch Creek history, and gatherings at older community buildings like the former school help keep those places part of the Tribe’s present-day life. The setting was especially fitting for the reading of “Indian School,” one of the poems shared that evening.
About the Poarch Band of Creek Indians
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is the only federally recognized Native American tribe in Alabama. The Tribe’s reservation lands are centered in the Poarch community near Atmore in Escambia County, about 55 miles northeast of Mobile.
Poarch Creek members are descendants of Creek people who were not removed from their homelands during the forced relocations of the 1830s and who remained in southwest Alabama along the Alabama-Florida line. The Tribe received federal recognition from the U.S. government in 1984, which established a formal government-to-government relationship with the United States.
Today the Tribe operates its own government, provides services to its members and plays a significant role in the economy of Escambia County and the surrounding region. It also works to preserve and share Creek language, culture and history through cultural programs and community events, and its annual Thanksgiving Day Pow Wow draws visitors from across the Southeast.
Events like the “Indian Ice” reading reflect that cultural work on a smaller, more personal scale, bringing tribal members together to honor elders and leaders through the words of one of their own.
Learn more
Information about the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, including its history, cultural programs and upcoming community events, is available on the Tribe’s official website, pci-nsn.gov. Readers interested in “Indian Ice” can look for the collection through booksellers and libraries.
