Picture
And that is a real question, I would like some insight into. I was reading Mediatakeout when I came across this post:

The nation's second-largest Indian tribe formally booted from membership thousands of descendants of black slaves who were brought to Oklahoma more than 170 years ago by Native American owners. The Cherokee nation voted after the Civil War to admit the slave descendants to the tribe.

But on Monday, the Cherokee nation Supreme Court ruled that a 2007 tribal decision to kick the so-called "Freedmen" out of the tribe was proper.

The controversy stems from a footnote in the brutal history of U.S. treatment of Native Americans. When many Indians were forced to move to what later became Oklahoma from the eastern U.S. in 1838, some who had owned plantations in the South brought along their slaves.

Wait, What!?!

Let me begin on what I do know about relationship between Native American and African during slavery: First, both were oppressed people, who were driven/captured from their homelands by mostly Europeans. In the early days of slavery, indigenous peoples of the Americas and Africans were enslaved together. Those who escaped slavery, found themselves welcomed in the Seminoles tribe, which had refused to give them up when whites came demanding the return of fugitive slaves. There were regular intermingling between Native Americans and Africans, which is why today, there are large numbers of black Americans of Native American ancestry.

Now, what I didn't know: There were actually Native American tribes, which partook in the enslavement of Blacks in America?   Needless to say that this article has sparked my interest in the topic and I certainly have some reading and research to do.  Besides the history, I am most curious of this decision by the Cherokee tribe, particularly their treatment of their Black slaves (if true) and what this expulsion means in terms of reparations to the Blacks to which they once, possibly, owned.

Got any insight to this?  Reading suggestions will be very much appreciated.

This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.
 


Comments

08/25/2011 13:33

This article looks pretty thorough.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/655380/posts

I know that some Native American tribes would take slaves of other NA's as a result of conflicts between tribes. I imagine the treatment of these slaves varied. I once read about the NA's of the great northwest who would take slaves, often woman and children during skirmishes. From what I read they were not held long and often traded for other slaves lost in the struggle. It seems all peoples who strive for the good life somehow enslave others whether on their own property or through the elaborate structure of money in far away lands. What to do about it? Not sure. I just strive to be somewhat self reliant but in a world where I do not know how to make 95% of the things I use (car, tv, clocks, gas coming right into the house, etc) I find that I too sometimes feel like my lifestyle translates into a burden for others either in location or time.

Reply
charing
08/25/2011 16:17

Thanks so Much Apuch. So far, this is a very interesting read. Oh, BTW, the cakes on your site look very yummy. Might have to make a trip soon to the Night Kitchen.

Reply
A friendly person
11/09/2011 19:41

I think that someone taking interest in Americas history beside the stuff shown in the fiction movies on television is rare.
Absolutely North American Indian tribes owned slaves. And not because of infirmity supposedly caused by white people. Most larger Indian tribes meaning over 50 thousand tribal members were more than eager to fight for the confederate rise during the civil war, but you already know this. How couldn't you? You web search. Most Native Americans are white people. Don't believe this is true? I'm white. I live on Indian land, I'm a tribal member, and I hate it here. I don't hate white people, but I hate hunters and redneck cowboys, and that type of white people, and that description is exactly what Indians are. White cowhand hunters.
Seriously. I live on Indian land in Oklahoma where most Indian Nations are, and Indians have you all blinded because you believe they are somehow pure and violated. Unbelievable.
Indians are not pure. My other blood line card of another tribe I burned after cutting it up, because I know what kind of problems I'm going to have with them, and I hate the Native American spin enjoying the white thing, while at the same time spinning the victim status. Native Americans are not victims, most helped kill other Indians with ease, and have more in wealth and privilege than you will ever see in your life maybe. Plus they are all cowboy hunters. Of course you will never know that because you are an African American female and live on the coast away from Oklahoma. We do have a few people that look like traditional Native Americans, but they are probably truthfully not of this tribe and have been given tribal membership by the white people to prep the tribe, and those people who look Indian may or may not be it's hard to tell, because Indians decide how much Indian you are going to be in the tribe. And these look like Indians enjoy it here most because it's easier living around the white Indians like bigger Indians with more privileges in the community.
I am canceling my membership with this tribe the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma because of problems from them, once that I can move away from here, because they continually pick on this house, file false complaints with their family cops who are more than happy to come to our door,, help the hillbilly animal killers bother us too whom happen to be part of their family gang connection, and have their cops visit as much as possible, and not just them, the other tribal Nation cops from other tribal Nations as well, but believe me. You should stop thinking Indians are pure. These people are white, mostly only white, and hunters, I am a vegan, and animal lover.
And I hate cowboys. And these people are bad news for the United States of America, and are bad for the future of your freedoms, because left up to them you will not have any freedom because they act when you are part of the tribe they own you. Like a slave.
They could care less about you or your freedoms or anyone else's.

I am giving you an old email because you could be friends or one of these people although you are an African American female which we don't have here, but if you come on this site and verify you are not one them, and not their friends I can give you my real email and email you some photos of the area, my tribal tags, the tribal center, my tribal card, picture of the the tribal people living on Indian land whom you probably couldn't post on the Internet, because it is probably illegal to do without their permission, and show you a sign the Eastern Shawnee posted on their property, whose system is also a police state, how that they claim they are Federal Police.
Okay friend. I will prove my word. After reading this they will know who I am, and they are dangerous, and the tribe is small, and there is only one of me who is not part of their gang family circle. Okay. Love your site.
Thank You. And take care.
Let me know.
Other wise don't worry about it.
And that will be it.
Good bye.
If you don't post this that is fine.

Reply
03/10/2013 04:26

You are living in ignorance, "Friendly Person." Native Americans, that is, the First Nation people of so-called "Amerikkka" are not white, i.e., European blood. You don't need a "card" to claim your indigenous identity. Indian people are people like anyone else, good and bad, but we were not the "savages" who spread destruction and genocide all over the world. So, don't get it confused.

And the Cherokee Tribe never owned slaves! Only a few individuals, not to be generalized as all tribes. Yes, that's actually one of the reasons they were considered "civilized," in that they lived almost identical to those of their white neighbors, even down to purchasing and owning slaves. Ironic, isn't it?

They had assimilated very well into white culture, wore typical clothing, lived in houses, ran farms and businesses, and now you want to fault them because they were doing EXACTLY what their white neighbors were doing?

(There was also the phenomena of free blacks owning slaves, but not exploiting each other as the whites did. It's a complex issue.)

btw, none of this mattered when it came time to force their removal so their nice homes, farms and shops and businesses could be taken over by whites. They all got shoved down the trail of tears with only the clothes on their backs.

Wealth and privilege? Yeah, when's the last time you've seen an Indian CEO? You haven't. You'll find us in the ghettos and reservations. Keep telling those lies. You must love to look like a fool

Reply
01/05/2012 18:59

Heck, yeah! My people have been in the southeast for ages. One of my ancestors was the first cherokee woman to own black slaves. The cherokees were particularly brutal, from what i've read, much worse than white owners. Also their laws were VERY strict. NO having sex with a slave. 1/2 kids are ALL black (Ok that bit there does sound familiar from the south.) I read more but would have to find that for you.

One amazing book I'd recommend - not really related to indian/black stuff but still great - is 1491.

The whole idea we grew up with - the noble savage at one with the land - is...wrong. A very pretty story. There were likely far more indians that we were told about in grade school, & they managed the land & had very complex societies. They were not necessarily kindly. They considered blacks as useful & there is no reason to think they were benevolent overlords. Also they were very prejudiced against the spaniards, who had darker skin, so the indians ranked them as less human.

Reply
03/10/2013 04:33

Heck, yeah! My people have been in the southeast for ages. One of my ancestors was the first cherokee woman to own black slaves. "The cherokees were particularly brutal, from what i've read, much worse than white owners. Also their laws were VERY strict. NO having sex with a slave. 1/2 kids are ALL black (Ok that bit there does sound familiar from the south.) I read more but would have to find that for you."

You don't say. Show me all the proof you don't have. You know all those history books are not written by us, right? They are writen by the very people who have demonized us to justify killing us off? We had thousands of tribes before the European invaders. Now, we have about 500. Doesn't that say anything to you?

Reply
David Michael Dunbar
07/23/2012 11:04

Charing,

Most of what we know about US history amounts to a little slice of the pie. Even African slavery didn't just "happen"; it happened because of something. Long before the Portuguese began purchasing African slaves from Africa, Africans were engaged in internal slavery. According to Kwayme Nkrumah of Ghana, "The truth remains, however, that before colonisation, which became widespread in Africa only in the nineteenth century, Africans were prepared to sell, often for no more than thirty pieces of silver, fellow tribesmen and even members of the same “extended family” and clan (Nkrumah).”
Most of what we've been taught about slavery is for a political objective; it is certainly not scientifically objective.
Friedrich Engels perpetuated the fable of American Indians not owning land or keeping slaves in Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State. In fact, American Indians owned land, stole land, kept slaves, and (in principle) even practiced the Dawes Act.
In "This Land Was Theirs" 6th Edition Oswalt and Neely write of the women of the Iroquois, "...the lands, fields and all their harvest belong to them; they are the soul of the councils, the arbiters of peace and war; they hold the taxes and the public treasure; it is to them that the SLAVES are entrusted... (p.417)." (You horrible, horrible women! Snicker). Oswalt and Neely also described of the Tlingit Indians, "To gain prestige one man might kill a number of slaves; his rival would be obligated to kill a greater number, and so it went until one contestant had no more slaves (p.268)." Yes, the American Indians did keep slaves and some even engaged in slave-killing contests. (By the way, if you read Engels Origins of the Family, Private Property, and the State III. Iroquois Gens you'll read, "When, about the year 1651, the Iroquois had conquered the Eries and the “Neutral Nation,” they offered to accept them into the confederacy on equal terms; it was only after the defeated tribes had refused that they were driven from their territory (Engels)." In other words, the Iroquois stole the land of the Eries and Neutral Nation. Laughably, Engels in the previous sentence writes, "There is no place yet for slaves, nor, as a rule, for the subjugation of other tribes (Engels)." The Thesaurus tells us that conquer and subjugate are interchangeable synonyms so all Engels has done is changed synonyms to constitute real change.
Conquer [kong-ker]
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: defeat, overcome
Synonyms: beat, bring to knees, checkmate, circumvent, clobber, control, cream*, crush, discomfit, drub, foil, frustrate, get the better of, humble, lick, master, outwit, overmaster, overpower, override, overthrow, prevail, quell, reduce, rout, shut down, subdue, subjugate, succeed, surmount, throw, thwart, total*, trample underfoot, trash, triumph, vanquish, whip, wipe off map, worst, zap.

In 1949 Aldous Huxley wrote, "Within the next generation I believe that the world's rulers will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into LOVING THEIR SERVITUDE as by flogging and kicking them into obedience (Huxley)."
Now, pretend that I'm a fat old white man in a white suit with a white hat wearing white suspenders with a southern drawl saying, "Why Miss Charing Ball, I'm going to suggest you into loving your servitude..."
Yeeha! Nothing changes, Charing.
In Africa, it was the black man wearing a black suit with a black hat and black suspenders.
In pre-Columbian North America it was the "red man."
The only thing Huxley does is use a euphemism for slavery. The words change; the axiom doesn't.
When you add all these things up and see the same behavior in every race you can deduce that we have a human nature and it isn't good.

Reply
m mills
08/01/2012 19:16

stop the bull the real indians was black with long hair owning people

Reply
11/09/2012 13:23

Oh yeah? Do you have any prove outside of the stereotyped cinema? Any historical or scholastic proof to back up your claims? All you have offered so far is a horribly grammatically incorrect sentence. So to thee I say, thou needs to either put up or shut up.

Reply
11/27/2012 12:06

It can be confusing if you try to put one thought on it and try to make it fit... Such is the way with human interactions. There was not one script written and all nations followed it. In other words different Tribal Nations treated others differently. There are examples across the Americas where human interaction created different results.
Example:
In New Orleans and in Louisiana Blacks revere Indian Culture and it is held in high esteem. Yet next door in Texas the interaction can run the gambit of turmoil and strife to cooperation and peace. It just depends on the circumstances of the environment. However, the caveat is that if there is ample resources in the particular environment usually the the more peaceful the interaction.

Reply
gina
02/02/2013 07:11

As I see everyone wants to put blame on people who were forced out of there land forced to give up there religion and hurt by people of color also many people are taken as slaves at diffent times My family os cheroke and they say this is untrue made up storie s9o have fun

Reply
02/09/2013 21:01

The massive amount of skaves taken from Africa by the Arab states is nevr mnentioned. Saudi Arabia only banned slavery in 1962. The majority of slaves to the America,s went to the Portugese and Spanish possessions. Brazil has the biggest population of decendents of slaves. Lincoln didnt care about slaves, only maintaining the Union and said so.

Reply
02/09/2013 21:10

The politically correct berks insist on 'Native American' But the native people interviewed on a tourist documetary about a canyon veiw site,call themselves: "INDIANS." "Happy Holidays" is bad enought for Christanities holiest day. Whats their plans for Ramadan & Dewali ?

Reply
02/21/2013 08:56

There is not as large a native american and black mix as you think. Most African Americans who have some of the "light skin" "straight hair" features are in fact mixed with whites (most as a result of slavery). Yes Cherokee owned slaves. Study the Revolt of 1842.

Reply
zicwitit
02/21/2013 09:14

http://www.theroot.com/views/exactly-how-black-black-america?page=0%2C0

Reply
Bikerchick
04/18/2013 10:47

That is true! I am Southern and have Cherokee ancestors, but, the truth is what it is. Everyone has an ugly past.

Reply



Leave a Reply