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Which Indigenous nations were known as the Five Civilized Tribes?

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Map of the southeastern United States showing the historical locations of various Indigenous peoples, with tribal names such as Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole, Natchez, Catawba, and Calusa labeled across the region. A red outline marks the general boundary of the Southeast cultural area, extending from eastern Texas and Louisiana through the Gulf Coast, up to the Atlantic coast and into parts of the Carolinas and Virginia. Major bodies of water like the Gulf of Mexico and the Atla
Indigenous peoples of the American Southeast

The term "Five Civilized Tribes" is a historical designation used to refer to the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole nations.1

It is important to note that the label "civilized" is a misnomer rooted in the colonial perspective of the 19th century. It was applied to these Indigenous peoples of the American Southeast because they had adopted various aspects of European settler culture, such as practicing Christianity, speaking English, wearing European-style clothing, and establishing republican forms of government.1

This assimilation was used by the U.S. government to categorize these nations, though it did not protect them from the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which led to the forced relocation known as the Trail of Tears. The use of this term reflects a historical bias that equated "civilization" with the adoption of Western societal norms, disregarding the sophisticated, long-standing cultures and governance structures these nations already possessed.1