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.
Comments
Here it is chief.
Cool photos!
coming out of exile!!!What a wonderful feeling.Change is on the way.
Im the son of Cleve great thing your doing Chief
I AM CHIEF YOUNG OF THE CHAHTA INDIANS AND I AM ON FIRE FOR MY NATION WE WILL STRIVE TO ONE DAY BE THE MIGHTY MIGHTY NATION OUR ANCESTORS FAUGHT TO PROTECT AND SERVE !!!!!!!!!! WE WILL HAVE OUR SOVERTY !!!!!!!!! THE CREATOR HAS BROUGHT US TOGETHER CHAHTAYAKNIFILAMA !!!!!!! I AM A MIGHTY CHAHTA !!!!!!!!
I LOVE MY NATION !!!!!! DA MIGHTY MIGHTY CHAHTA UNITE WE WONT BOW DOWN NOT ON THAT DIRTY GROUND !!!!!!!!!!!!
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hahaha ya'll make me laugh the people in the picture are not even wearing traditional choctaw clothing. i can say that for a fact since im a full blooded choctaw indian and who understands the choctaw culture and can speak fluently in choctaw. yakoki
How can we become federally recognized when we are wearing mardi gras indian costume? Chief Warhorse you have to do better then this! They look at us as being to black! Your going about this the wrong way!
hello i am indian. i understand u r proud to be black and indian, but come on do some research what they wear and language, cermonies etc i don't see tradional clothing. i see mardi gras. if chahta or related to the choctaw why isn't the lady wearing a choctaw dress instead of a headdress. ladies don't wear headdresses.
I know that you may feel that this wrong. But come on man let us figure this out. Whites helped blacks cross boundaries. Took a white to free the slave. So it really hurts me to see a federally recognized Indian try to put doubt in the harts of other passionate Black Indians. Oh it is just the beginning.
THX. MICHAEL
I've noticed there are more sights coming up to trying to use Chahta and Choctaw interchangeably, I heard chief warhorse say on the video (ourstory network) that she can't help they stole the wrong thing. Is this something to be concerned about? ...The fact that others are saying they a Chahta/choctaw.
I see chief warhorse as a lady wearing a headdress as a symbol of position as chief not as a gender. I also believe that people should follow the lead of the original Chahta- Chief Warhorse and others like her. From my impression it's Chief Warhorse's tribe that others should fall in line with and she could take suggestions from other tribes to see if it works for her. But I believe she is very up on her people's customs and is a great leader for this movement.
I'm so glad to see this and i would love to be apart of it... Im mississippi chahta but my blood come out of franklin la.... i live in Texas but my heart is with the Chahta nation
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