Oklahoma Black Cherokees

by Ty Wilson (Editor), Karen Coody Cooper (Editor)

Overview

Over the generations, Cherokee citizens became a conglomerate people. Early in the nineteenth century, tribal leaders adapted their government to mirror the new American model. While accommodating institutional slavery of black people, they abandoned the Cherokee matrilineal clan structure that once determined their citizenship. The 1851 census revealed a total population nearing 18,000, which included 1,844 slaves and 64 free blacks. What it means to be Cherokee has continued to evolve over the past century, yet the histories assembled here by Ty Wilson, Karen Coody Cooper and other contributing authors reveal a meaningful story of identity and survival.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781625859952
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	08/28/2017
Series:	American Heritage
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Ty Wilson, founder of Cherokees for Black Indian History Preservation Foundation, and writer Karen Coody Cooper decided to work together on Oklahoma Black Cherokees early in 2016. Wilson was raising money to create a cultural center in the abandoned Antioch Baptist Church (active when he was a youngster growing up in the neighborhood), and Cooper was looking for another history project when she discovered that the old church was just five blocks from where she lives. Tahlequah, Oklahoma, in the Cherokee Nation, is a history mecca with several rich archives, half a dozen museums and a crowd of reliable historians, all joining in revealing compelling stories of black Cherokee people.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Introduction: One People, Proud Cherokee Karen Coody Cooper 9

Black/Cherokee Timeline 13

1 Seven Cherokee Nation Families Karen Coody Cooper 17

2 Tears on the Trail Karen Coody Cooper 23

3 Free Blacks in Indian Territory Daniel F. Littlefield Jr. Mary Ann Littlefield 28

4 Finding Freedom in Foreign Lands: Henry Bibb and the Abraham Moore Family Karen Coody Cooper 35

5 The Fortunate and Unfortunate Children of Shoe Boots Tiya Miles 40

6 Stolen Away Aiky Celia E. Naylor 52

7 115-Year-Old Part Negro-Part Cherokee Woman, with comments Karen Coody Cooper 58

8 Cherokee Slave Revolt of 1842 Art T. Burton 63

9 Murrell Home: What About the Slaves? Shirley Pettengill 69

10 Zachariah Foreman: "The Wealthiest Man…in the Cherokee Nation," Karen Coody Cooper 76

11 Black Members of the Cherokee National Council Karen Coody Cooper 84

12 Outlaw Cherokee Bill versus Lawman Ike Rogers Karen Goody Cooper 92

13 Will Rogers's Childhood Mentors Karen Coody Cooper 98

14 The Colored High School of the Cherokee Nation T.L. Ballenger 104

15 Oilman, Educator, Pamphleteer: George F. Nave Mark A. Harrison 110

16 The New Negro's Attitude Toward His Government George F. Nave, from a 1917 pamphlet 115

17 Mary Walker Elliott: Who's Your Daddy, Where's Your Mama? Karen Coody Cooper 119

18 Civil War Veteran Corporal Allen Lynch Karen Coody Cooper 126

19 Lee Street Memories: Growing Up on Depot Hill Ty Wilson 134

Appendix I Black Cemeteries in the Cherokee Nation 137

Appendix II Historic Black Baptist Churches Joe Wilson Karen Coody Cooper 143

Appendix III Race Demographics in Cherokee Nation 147

Reading List 151

Index 153

Biographical Statements of Contributors 157

How the Book Came to Be 159