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Chahta Indians coming out of exile
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Cherokee and Creek unite with the Chahta in their fight for recognition.
October 31, 2009 Queen Chief Warhorse (Ms. Elwin Green Gillum) organized a Pow Wow at 61357 Dixie Ranch Road, Slidell, Louisiana 70460; Historical Bonfouca, West Florida. The Pow Wow was preceeded by a procession taking place at 10am on Northshore Blvd in Slidell. In her invitation Warhorse says: 'We will be coming out of 201 years of exile as prisoners of war and would like to extend this invitation to you, come and share this historical event and celebration. Coming out of exile is the beginning of another level that will give me the ability to fight further to save my NATION, our BURIALS, our HISTORY, our CULTURE and our LAND from being given to other tribes.' By other tribes, Queen Chief Warhorse may be referring to the white settlers and their children who have since laid claim to St. Tammany Parish. In her efforts to gain visibility and cultivate a larger network of friends and supporters, Queen Chief Warhorse has announced 'the selection of my Ambassador of the Tchefuncta Nation, Cousin and chief aide Cyril Neville.'
Ted Quant gives the keynote address
Ms. Elwin Gillum is a Black Indian who is working with historians to document the history of the Chahta Indians -- cousins to the Choctaw. Ms. Gillum has unearthed documents from the days of the Louisiana purchase detailing the history of her people well before statehood. She is the direct descendent of the last Queen of the Tchefuncta Nation, who ruled over the nation when, as a part of the Florida Territory, they lived under treaty with Spain. Like the Seminole, who harbored Black people seeking to escape enslavement, Chahta bloodlines are now thoroughly intermixed. Because of generations of racial and ethnic admixture, the process of applying for federal recognition remains an uphill battle.
Although the Seminole nation is recognized by both the Sate and Federal governments, in order to prove their lineage, many on the tribal membership rolls were purged for being 'too Black' to be Indian. This is a precedent that has been followed by the Cherokee nation as well, who disenrolled many of the so-called 'Freedmen' from their tribe because of their African ancestry. The Cherokee freedmen are Black people (many with distinct Cherokee ancestry) who trace their roots back to Africans who were enslaved by the Cherokees. When the tribe was forcibly relocated on the Trail of Tears along with other members of the'Five Civilized Tribes' (Choctaws, Chicasaws , Creeks, and Seminoles), they took their enslaved laborers with them to the new Oklahoma Indian Territory. Although some 80 percent of Black Americans have traceable Native American heritage, many are barred from claiming citizenship in Native American tribes. For Queen Chief Warhorse to apply for recognition as a Black Indian nation guarantees she'll have a serious fight on her hands. Afterall, the Lumbees of North Carolina are not federally recognized precisely because they are seen as 'too mixed' and therefore not Indian enough to qualify for the benefits granted by the State and Federal governments. Some of these benefits include free healthcare at IHS (Indian Health Service) facilities, and gaming rights.
The procession brings visibility to the Chahtas' struggle
The Coming Out of Exile Pow Wow was an event aimed at bringing greater visibility to the regions' Black Indians. While Southern Louisiana in general (and New Orleans in particular) are known for their colorful sense of cultural expression and exotic racial mixtures, Chief Warhorse has powerfully challenged comfortable stereotypes of the dead Indians by paying homage to a living history. Should the Chahtas become federally recognized, the whole of Slidell would come under their purview; and we might begin to see a new vision for the just rebuilding of the Gulf Coast communities ravaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
For more info: You can view more photos from the event here courtesy of Ted Quant.
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