netmgr@coax.net
The historical relationship between Native Americans and African-Americans has been called, "one of the longest unwritten chapters in the history of the United States." Unlike the commonly held perception that slavery in America consisted only of white people owning black people, the reality was much more complex. There were many whites who were enslaved or indentured, many blacks who were free, and many Indians who owned African Slaves.
Not all White-Indian relations were hostile and a number of tribes, in particular the Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, and the Seminoles, or the "Five Civilized Tribes" as they became known, adopted European ways, including agriculture and black slaves to work their new farms.
In 1907, the Indian Territory became the State of Oklahoma. To
qualify for the payments and land allotments set aside for the
Five Civilized Tribes, the former slaves of these nations had to
apply for official enrollment, thus producing testimonies of
immense value to today's genealogists. The book shows where to
find and how to use the Indian Freedman Records, discusses Black
Indians and Tri-Racial groups from the Upper South, and has added
two lists of family names: Freedman Surnames from the Final Rolls
of the Five Civilized Tribes, and Surnames of Tri-Racial families
of the South. Copyright 1993, 180 pages, illustrated,
bibliography, index, paperback. $18.50 plus $4.00 postage and
handling. Order Number - W047.
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