Black, Native American and Fighting for Recognition in Indian Country


Olde Hornet

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Black, Native American and Fighting for Recognition in Indian Country

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/us/enslaved-people-native-americans-oklahoma.html?

Black, Native American and Fighting for Recognition in Indian Country
Enslaved people were also driven west along the Trail of Tears. After a historic Supreme Court ruling, their descendants are fighting to be counted as tribal members.

OKMULGEE, Okla. — Ron Graham never had to prove to anyone that he was Black. But he has spent more than 30 years haunting tribal offices and genealogical archives, fighting for recognition that he is also a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

“We’re African-American,” Mr. Graham, 55, said. “But we’re Native American also.”

His family history is part of a little-known saga of bondage, blood and belonging within tribal nations, one that stretches from the Trail of Tears to this summer of uprisings in America’s streets over racial injustice.

His ancestors are known as Creek Freedmen. They were among the thousands of African-Americans who were once enslaved by tribal members in the South and who migrated to Oklahoma when the tribes were forced off their homelands and marched west in the 1830s.

In treaties signed after the Civil War, they won freedom and were promised tribal citizenship and an equal stake in the tribes’ lands and fortunes. But what followed were broken promises, exclusions and painful fights over whether tens of thousands of their descendants should now be recognized as tribal members.

Some of the descendants have won lawsuits seeking inclusion in the Cherokee Nation. Some gained nominal citizenship as Seminoles, but said they could not access tribal services. Others, like Mr. Graham, have nothing.

But now, a landmark Supreme Court decision for tribal sovereignty has breathed new life into their fight.
 
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There are African Americans that have Native American blood. A DNA test will tell you, quick fast and in a hurry......LOL (slavery and tribe citizenship without the bloodline is something different though).
 
You have to love black people. The only people dying to prove, they are mixed with something.

Black women are bad that shit.

Frankly, there are very few if any African American's that aren't mixed with something. It is something that is proven every day through DNA testing. Typecasting and generalizing black people isn't a smart move. Further, it sounds ignorant because Europeans have curiosity and pay for DNA testing as well as trace their roots to become enlightened. A good program for you to watch would be Dr. Skip Gates' show, Finding Your Roots on PBS to find out how intriguing some of this can be and educate yourself. Black people should not be limited to doing this type of research at the whim of radicals that attempt to suppress our people in yet another way (intellectual curiosity suppression).
 
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Frankly, there are very few if any African American's that aren't mixed with something. It is something that is proven every day through DNA testing. Typecasting and generalizing black people isn't a smart move. Further, it sounds ignorant because Europeans have curiosity and pay for DNA testing as well as trace their roots to become enlightened. A good program for you to watch would be Dr. Skip Gates' show, Finding Your Roots on PBS to find out how intriguing some of this can be and educate yourself. Black people should not be limited to doing this type of research at the whim of radicals that attempt to suppress our people in yet another way (intellectual curiosity suppression).

Thanks. But, what that's ONE-Percent rule in America? Man, why black people are still trying to do anything to assimilate/socialize with these people that don't care about them in the first place is mindboggling.
 
Thanks. But, what that's ONE-Percent rule in America? Man, why black people are still trying to do anything to assimilate/socialize with these people that don't care about them in the first place is mindboggling.

I hate to tell you but that sounds misinformed as well. Everyone knows about the "one-drop rule" in this country's racial caste system (though may not recognize the aforementioned phrase). Finding out about one's roots has nothing to do with assimilation or socializing with "these people" and really sounds like street corner talking with a couple of big words sprinkled in. The fact of the matter is most black people are predominately African and are from different parts of the continent. Anything else outside of African is a smaller percentage in most cases (not all). It will never be known from exactly where without DNA testing. When you are armed with this information, it cast out ignorance and assist in disseminating truths. Some black people are doing this type of testing to find out where and making decisions on visiting these places, others for personal edification. I firmly believe most African Americans could care less about being someone they are not. There is always a small group of radicals that believe "black people" are monolithic and must conform to their warped mindset. The group of people in this article are fighting for economic benefits they believe due to them from either a portion of heritage (bloodline) or enslavement. Opposing their fight or typecasting them is asinine at best.
 
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I hate to tell you but that sounds misinformed as well. Everyone knows about the "one-drop rule" in this country's racial caste system (though may not recognize the aforementioned phrase). Finding out about one's roots has nothing to do with assimilation or socializing with "these people" and really sounds like street corner talking with a couple of big words sprinkled in. The fact of the matter is most black people are predominately African and are from different parts of the continent. Anything else outside of African is a smaller percentage in most cases (not all). It will never be known from exactly where without DNA testing. When you are armed with this information, it cast out ignorance and assist in disseminating truths. Some black people are doing this type of testing to find out where and making decisions on visiting these places, others for personal edification. I firmly believe most African Americans could care less about being someone they are not. There is always a small group of radicals that believe "black people" are monolithic and must conform to their warped mindset. The group of people in this article are fighting for economic benefits they believe due to them from either a portion of heritage (bloodline) or enslavement. Opposing their fight or typecasting them is asinine at best.
My daughter bought us all kits. Turns out I'm 52% Nigerian. We thought we had some Creek in the family but 0%. I did have a small percent of english, welsh (slavery) and south asian. Overall... 88% African.
 
My daughter bought us all kits. Turns out I'm 52% Nigerian. We thought we had some Creek in the family but 0%. I did have a small percent of english, welsh (slavery) and south asian. Overall... 88% African.

I saw Don Cheadle the actor thought for sure he had Native American heritage when he was on Skip Gate's show. His test came back as 0% as well. That was a nice gift from your daughter though.
 
I saw Don Cheadle the actor thought for sure he had Native American heritage when he was on Skip Gate's show. His test came back as 0% as well. That was a nice gift from your daughter though.
I went to my folks like, Okay... one of y'all is from Nigeria and not Birmingham like you told me. Now the interesting thing is that plenty of people getting found out because the website shows everyone you might have a relation to. Plenty of secret kids being found out. lol. they also caught the golden gate killer in alabama b/c someone in his family got their dna done & the popo has access to all the dna databases even for commercial companies.
 
The Southern University School of Law has an extensive and vibrant Trival Law Division. Several Native American tribes have engaged the law center to assist them with various issues. Might not be a bad idea to reach out!
 
I went to my folks like, Okay... one of y'all is from Nigeria and not Birmingham like you told me. Now the interesting thing is that plenty of people getting found out because the website shows everyone you might have a relation to. Plenty of secret kids being found out. lol. they also caught the golden gate killer in alabama b/c someone in his family got their dna done & the popo has access to all the dna databases even for commercial companies.

What is interesting in most cases (not all), the African American family tree is limited to a specific generation due to slavery when one begins researching. If it wasn't for DNA testing, blacks would never have any idea from what part of the African Continent they came from (in most cases). Since we were enslaved with numerous African Tribes and re-created, that is why our DNA in many instances, has multiple African ethnic DNA and why you see different percentages of Africans across the continent in your test (interesting stuff). I got a chance to see a church in Savanah that sits above the underground railroad. What was interesting about that visit was viewing Africans writing/scribblings in different languages in the church. So despite what some may believe or never considered, when they arrived, in many instances, they were not illiterate. I also got a chance to view an actual slave grave yard as well on that tour.
 
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Thanks. But, what that's ONE-Percent rule in America? Man, why black people are still trying to do anything to assimilate/socialize with these people that don't care about them in the first place is mindboggling.

I’m with you 100% on this. The ONLY thing I needed to know of my lineage is that my people traced our lineage and we are direct maternal descendants of the man called Nat Turner. The passionate hatred we have for wrong encoded in our dna makes us who we are. That’s all I care to know of my past, not the history of the evil white adult batch who raped my then 13 y/o paternal great-grandmother on a sugar cane plantation near Deridder, La.

All must forever remember that blacks in total are NOT monolithic. For that, I am truly happy. I would never want to be near a “weak” link who is still mentally happy being on a plantation, subservient. lol “I could have freed a thousand more slaves if they only knew they were sl...” (c. Harriet Tubman) She probably had more black enemies than white enemies lol.
 
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I am not sure who listens to the Black Eagle in the morning (Joe Madison). He had Dr. Skip Gates on this morning. From what I hear, his show, Finding Your Roots, should be pretty interesting tonight (normally can be found on PBS).
 
These are on the Treaty of 1866.


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ARTICLE 4.

All the Cherokees and freed persons who were formerly slaves to any Cherokee, and all free negroes not having been such slaves, who resided in the Cherokee Nation prior to June first, eighteen hundred and sixty-one, who may within two years elect not to reside northeast of the Arkansas River and southeast of Grand River, shall have the right to settle in and occupy the Canadian district southwest of the Arkansas River, and also all that tract of country lying northwest of Grand River, and bounded on the southeast by Grand River and west by the Creek reservation to the northeast corner thereof; from thence west on the north line of the Creek reservation to the ninety-sixth degree of west longitude; and thence north on said line of longitude so far that a line due east to Grand River will include a quantity of land equal to one hundred and sixty acres for each person who may so elect to reside in the territory above-described in this article: Provided, That that part of said district north of the Arkansas River shall not be set apart until it shall be found that the Canadian district is not sufficiently large to allow one hundred and sixty acres to each person desiring to obtain settlement under the provisions of this article.

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Concessions were made by all of the tribes. The first was to abolish slavery and give the freedmen tribal rights. The Cherokee, Creek, and Seminole treaties gave the freedmen unqualified rights, but the Choctaw and Chickasaw treaty gave them the choice of being adopted into their nations or being removed by the federal government and settled elsewhere. The second compromise was to establish an intertribal council. Each tribe would have one representative, with an additional representative for each one thousand tribal members. The superintendent of Indian affairs would serve as the council's chief executive. The third concession was the agreement that all the tribes would give up land in their various domains for rights-of-way for railroad construction through I.T.

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http://www.african-nativeamerican.com/treaty66.htm

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ARTICLE 2.

The Choctaws and Chickasaws hereby covenant and agree that henceforth neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, otherwise than in punishment of crime whereof the parties shall have been duly convicted, in accordance with laws applicable to all members of the particular nation, shall ever exist in said nations.

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In the case of The Cherokee Nation V. Nash, et.al. Judge Hogan looked at whether an 1866 Treaty — which stated that people who had been emancipated by the Cherokee would, along with their descendants, “have all the rights of native Cherokees” — ensured continuing citizenship rights for the people whose ancestors were freedmen included on the Dawes Roll (the U.S. government’s official list of tribal citizens) between 1898 and 1914. In the case, the Cherokee Nation had held that their revised constitution, which had expelled the Freedmen from the tribe in 1983 on the premise that they were not “blood” Cherokee (though many of them are of Black-Cherokee ancestry), held more legal weight than the 1866 treaty. However, the judge ruled that the constitution does not negate the Freedmen’s treaty rights granted to their forebears at the end of the Civil War. In other words, Cherokee Freedmen are Cherokee.

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I am not sure who listens to the Black Eagle in the morning (Joe Madison). He had Dr. Skip Gates on this morning. From what I hear, his show, Finding Your Roots, should be pretty interesting tonight (normally can be found on PBS).

Skip gates almost had an orgasm when he found out about his own non-Black ancestors
 
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