On this first full wintery weekend, I began the New Year season of podcasts with Terry Ligon. We are both immersed in a number of projects and Terry shared some of his projects with me.
We are both preparing for MAAGI the Midwest African-American Genealogy Institute, in July, because we will have a brand new track on the Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes.
Terry also shared a major writing initiative called Vignettes of Indian Territory. This will consist of a series of family stories of Freedman families long with photos of those who were enrolled on the Dawes Roll from the Five Tribes out of Oklahoma. His goal is to bring 10-15 family stories to light. He has initiated a Call for Papers in a the Choctaw-Chickasaw Freedmen Facebook groups and is now seeking permissions to use photos that have been shared and tweaking the submission that he already has. And of course with so much documentation on the history of the Freedmen there is a need for so many more publications.
Terry mentioned several leaders, James Coody Johnson, Charles Cohee, Sallie Walton (my Sallie), who led me to my research on the Freedmen. At the present time, Terry will be creating an E-book about the Freedman families, and he is the process of cleaning up the narratives. So this is a first volume. For those who would like to contribute to the effort, he is seeking the following: 1) 500 word biography of a Freedman ancestor, 2) a photo of the ancestor, 3) permission to use the submissions, 4) the Dawes card number. The deadline to tie it all together is February 15th 2019.
Terry and I discussed why such a project is so significant. In addition, it is greatly needed, because the history of Oklahoma Freedmen is so important yet undertold, and it is imperative that we make an effort to tell our own stories. I point out to him that if we don’t tell our history, then someone else will, and they will most likely, might get it wrong. And then we get mad because they got it wrong. Terry pointed out that in addition to some getting it wrong, we frequently run into the people who will distort the history, and who have the need to quickly put on feathers, or start to create fake tribes that never existed, and who really derail the truth in many ways.
As the younger folks say—Freedmen descendants “have the receipts”, meaning– we have the records. Both he and I both attended that incredible conference at the conference at Dartmouth back in 2000. For many of us, it is hard to forget. The event was called “Eating from the Same Pot”, an event looking at African and Native American people at the crossroads. But both of us saw it close hand, and it was clear that many had no realy knowledge of their own history. He recalled the self-proclaimed chief with full headdress, and another self-ordained chief of of a group of folks from California, and a woman decked out in buckskin and feathered fan, and all. Speaking with her the following day, she “felt” that she was Seminole, but knew little to nothing of her past. And so many in attendance had no real knowledge of their history.
That event was so sad, as we (Terry and I) were the only IT Freedmen in attendance, or who identified as Oklahoma Freedmen openly. Neither of us had a need to come in unnecessary regalia, but so much of it was there. There were others who were scholars in attendance, but to my knowledge we were the only Five Tribe Freedmen descendants there.
Discussing our research it we discussed so many people who were activists in Chickasaw and Choctaw Freedmen communities. Their leaders were amazing–several dynamic activists who went to Congress to plead their case. They left a trail that we can still follow and study. From the Congressional record–going back to the records of the Civil War we have amazing footprints to follow.
Terry discussed the value of the Congressional Records for Freedman research. He noted how as he started to study these records, he began to find the voices of people in the Chickasaw communities of Freedmen. Terry’s family is extensive in the Chickasaw Nation. Many people think that Terry’s work is only on Bettie Ligon and Equity 7071 case, but his work has expanded to include Watson Brown, Charles Cohee, Isaac Alexander, Watson Brown and so many more. People need to learn this history and they are missing so much if they continue to only look at their own family.
We have to tell the larger story. There is more to the story of Chickasaw Freedmen being disenfranchised from the tribe. Yes, they wanted to ship freedmen to the Leased District, but when you tell the story of the community—you find activists, you find King Blue, Isaac Alexander, Civil War soldiers—people who were leaders in their communities—-they built institutions, churches, schools, and they were educators, masons, community leaders—these are the stories that we must tell. The legacy of Chickasaw Freedmen is not one where there is the sad lamentation–“oh they didn’t treat us right”, because we treated ourselves right and we are obligated to tell those stories. Those are the stories that empower us.
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Terry pointed out how so many of the families are so connected–related by not only family, but figthing for each other. They are there from Berwyn, Armdore, Idabel. And we need to hear from people from Idabel. John Hope Franklin’s father comes from the Chickasaw Nation, yet so few people know much about this, it is a story of omission of this rich history.
To reach Terry, contact him at Estelusti@aol.com. Be sure to put something in the subject line. The deadline to be included in Terry’s project is February 15th.
Thanks Terry Ligon for joining me for this New Year’s “fireside” chat.
Everything we do and say comes out of the whole concept of community. Otherwise, we would not know about those who traveled on “the long walk” of Africans on the Trail of Tears.
Remember to keep researching and keep documenting and keep sharing what you find.
