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The Tulsa Beacon

 

Rosemary Durham

Crossing the Mississippi River was a complicated process

Tulsa Beacon

[Why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] The movement of the southeastern woodlands Indians across the Mississippi River occurred over a century in spurts. As a new village chief became frustrated with the state-of-affairs, he would move his clan across the great river to get away from the burgeoning United States and…

Confrontation follows the loss of freedom

Tulsa Beacon

[Why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] In 1803, the Native Cherokee were one Nation since the British coercion to combine under one leader. After 1794, they had ended the American Revolution against the Americans. Many were amalgamating and moving into the American lifestyle and culture. Those who demanded greater freedom of…

The proud Cherokee Nation began as the tribes merged

Tulsa Beacon

[Why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] In the colonial period, most Native American clans were simply a village or two. Those who spoke a common language, such as Iroquois by the Cherokee, would live in the same general district and may trade, but most often did not have a centralized government…

Why did the Cherokee Tribe seem to move around so much?

Tulsa Beacon

[Why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] Where have all the Cherokees gone? For several articles we have looked at the almost constant movement of Native Americans before their forced settlement to Indian Territory about 1838. When looking through the telescope of history, we tend to think the world and people were…

What caused the first Old Settlers to escape to the West?

Tulsa Beacon

[Why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] In 1788, Chief Torquo (Turkey) moved a large contingent of southeastern Native Americans to Spanish Louisiana. After that, many Cherokee had left or were amalgamating, so the influence center of the traditional Cherokee shifted near Chickamauga River (Creek). The Chickamauga/Lower Cherokee towns were in an…

‘Gifts from the government’ stripped dignity, brought poverty

Tulsa Beacon

[Looking at why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] What is history? History is not a sequential event, but a confluence of numerous parallel ventures. The North Carolina Indians continued to migrate from the southeastern colonies and states under duress. Consequentially, the culture and people developed in multiple locations, having different leadership,…

A Bill of Rights is supposed to defend small populations

Tulsa Beacon

[Looking at why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] How does a nation balance the needs of the many against the needs of the individual or smaller populations like the Native Americans? Our Constitutional Bill of Rights is the greatest document for accomplishing that august goal. Unfortunately, the tendency of politicians and…

The multiple relocations of Indian tribes made no sense

Tulsa Beacon

[Looking at why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] Do you live where your grandparents lived? It is not likely. Throughout history people have moved for a variety of reasons. A common misconception is the Cherokee (insert whichever group you want) lived in a particular part of Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. People…

Enduring hardships, Native Americans made some moves

Tulsa Beacon

[Looking at why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] Why do people move? Multiple Native Americans wisely escaped the colonies before the coming atrocity. Virtually all of us in early Indian Territory and present Oklahoma, or any other locations are descendants of long-term residents. We all are migrants, just at a different…

How does ‘never again’ relate to the Native Americans?

Tulsa Beacon

[Looking at why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] Why do ‘Never Again’ commitments fail? When many people think of American Indians, they think Oklahoma, as they should. With thirty-nine tribes and nations, Oklahoma is only behind Alaska and California in number of tribal groups. But, most of the nations here, were…