p 154, Image 21
(Article accessed on Chronicling America, Library of Congress)
In 1900, the Indian Advocate ran an article about the population of people in Indian Territory. With 4 of the 5 Civilized Tribes, they included a breakdown with number of Freedmen enumerated in the 1900 Federal Census.
Excluding the Seminole Freedmen, there were 4000 Cherokee Freedmen, 5000 Creek Freedmen, 4150 Choctaw Freedmen, and 4500 Chickasaw Freedmen. This is a total of 17,650 Freedmen from all of the Five Tribes. With Choctaw and Chickasaw Freedmen, there were 8,650 in the two nations combined. Eight thousand people are a significant population to study. In addition, the two populations from both tribes often had strong inter-connected families, through marriage, and by accident of geography.
Choctaw and Chickasaw Freedmen, also joined together to become advocates for their rights in the Territory, and for their respective rights to remain in the nation of their birth. Theirs is a story that deserves to be studied in depth from multiple perspectives, and within multiple disciplines. Historians, anthropologists, sociologists, public policy specialists and independent scholars are needed to devote some time to these two nations, in depth.
The people of both Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations, formed a community of advocates as early as 1866 when Richard Brashears formed the first Freedman gathering in the northern Choctaw Nation in Skullyville. By the 1890s, the Choctaw-Chickasaw Freedmen's Association was active and had an important conference at Dawes Academy, to organize and to bring forth their voices on behalf of the Freedmen.
We are at a critical time, when the memory and legacy of Freedmen from both nations could be forgotten. Initiatives on multiple levels are therefore needed. There are those whose goals are enrollment. That should not however, be the only goal of descendants. Preservation of historic landmarks, towns, cemeteries can be done without tribal support. Research focusing on historical accomplishments, biographies of notable leaders, educators and scholars is sorely needed.
People who numbered in the thousands have a legacy and it is ours to honor, and preserve. Over 8000 Freedmen today have hundreds of thousands of descendants after a century. Therefore, a commitment from the community of descendants is needed. Some have already begun projects, but the time to bring them to light, and to share with the larger community is now.
If you are among those quiet warriors, now is the time to share your work, your passion and your commitment. We cannot let this legacy die.
Share them with the Freedmen community! Honor the ancestors, for it is upon their shoulders that we stand.
I second that emotion! I seriously agree and offer full support to the premise(s) you have advanced. I am a descendant of the Creek Freedmen couple, Harry and Jane Sells. I have been inspired to start a freedmen group in the Kansas City area, Descendant Freedmen Alliance of Kansas City or DFAKC, (which is what we're seeking, da facts). We meet every third Saturday and our mission is to raise the level of awareness and education about the freedmen culture.We serve freedmen from all 5 tribes. Our meetings for 2019 will be less organizational focus and more educational focused. We are calling them monthly XPO instead of meetings. We have collected a few artifacts which we pot on exhibit (and always looking for more) and each month will highlight a historical event or personality. January XPO was to delve into the Dawes Act but the weather has not helped us so far. We have also held an 1866 Treaty Signing observance for the past three and plan an even bigger and better one this August. Angela, I have been inspired by you and several other Freedmen descendants around the country as I've learned alot, starting from scratch, over the past 3 years. Thank you. I am excited about our group and the possibilities if we all banded together. I'm hopeful, but will not wait around for the tribes to verify and dignify the lives and legacies of my ancestors. They deserve just as much respect as anyone else's ancestors. Sorry to be this long, but I wanted to register my support of the Freedmen movement. I'd like to help.
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