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Creek

Posted by ESC on November 17, 2003

In Reply to: Beware of Creeks bearing gifts posted by Li Yar Spo Ta on November 17, 2003

: : : : : : : Hello-

: : : : : : : My Great Grandmother says this all the time. It's become sort of her catch phrase, and while we can all understand what it means, she herself doesn't know where it came from, her mother used to say it. We're old Virginians, I don't know if this is regional, but it has puzzled me for years. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

: : : : : : : Thank you.

: : : : : : I am from southern West Virginia, near Beckley, and we said it too. If there was a flood and the creek rose, you couldn't wade across. Or jump across. (Near my home is a community called "Jumping Branch" where people did just that.) There weren't many bridges of any substance. So nobody could go to town or visit friends.

: : : : : I had family from eastern Kentucky who used the expression even though two generations earlier they had moved west to where a creek was quite rare. I don't recall anyone ever discussing the meaning of the many such sayings.

: : : : : Look in the archive (back in 2000) where there is quite a discussion of "God willing and the creek don't rise"

: : : There is quite a bit of redundant stuff but I can't find anything profound in the archives. Can someone give us a useful link?

: : From what I remember of my American History. The saying "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Came from those traveling west in the OLD DAYS. The Creek were a tribe of Native Americans (indians) who would ambush people who were traveling West. So the saying came about like we'll be there...God willing and the Creek(indians) don't rise....to stop us.

: That is almost funny - even as an European, I know that the tribe were the Cree, not the 'creek'.

: It's one of those "Pray to God and pass the ammunition" type of sayings - taking into account the practical as well as the spiritual.

: "God is not on the side of the biggest battallions, but of the best shots." as some Monsieur posited.

Nope. It doesn't have anything to do with Indians -- Creek, Cree or otherwise.

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