[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 not originally from Indian Territory. We have heard about the Trail of Tears, but that was the almost final chapter of tribal movement.

First a clarification of terms. A clan is an extended matrilineal family. A tribe is several clans who speak a common language. Larger groups may be called a nation or confederacy.

Contrary to speculation, the size and numbers in the tribes was relatively small. In a Smithsonian report dated 1928, James Mooney determined the total number of Indians in Virginia was about 17,000 during 1607. Why 1607? That is when the British first encountered and numbered the people. Of this, 9,000 were the Powhattan Confederacy consisting of 28 tribes according to the first-hand account of Captain John Smith. North Carolina Museum of History determined the total number in the Cherokee Nation at 8,000. The Cherokee favorite annual war opponent, the Tuscarora, numbered about 4,500. A typical tribe was about 300-400, occupying a village or two.

Now consider a problem. The Cherokee occupied western Virginia, western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and northern Georgia. The Tuscarora occupied central Virginia and central North Carolina. The Powhattan occupied the eastern third of Virginia. How is that a problem?

We are looking at 1607, before the British had settled and brought their diseases and conflict. Simply put, our Native American grandfathers were killing each other. To the British arriving from congested cities in England, the amount of land occupied by the Indians was just untenable.

Developing a policy to leave the American Indians with their culture, while allowing the newcomers to also share in the bounty of the land was a difficult chore. Some malcontents such as Nathaniel Bacon provoked war resulting in the Powhattan Treaty which left only 2,000 original inhabitants in Virginia. Both sides mercilessly killed the other, justifying their actions on some perceived slight.

Inertia invariably wins. By 1700, 58,600 Europeans were in Virginia. Compared to today, that is a pittance. Compared to the number of American Indians, there was no going back.

What happened to the Powhattan? One group, like Pocahontas, married into the British, Christianized and amalgamated. A second group became Christianized, but moved for a while with the Tuscarora in Bertie, North

Carolina before moving to Bladen, North Carolina and amalgamating with the local tribes, including Cherokee. We have definitively tracked Pamunkey, Chowan, and others who did this. The third, militant group disappeared from history.

The Tuscarora tried to fight a losing battle against numbers and technology like guns, wagons, and iron tools. The surviving, defeated incalcitrants moved to New York with their similar language Iroquois relatives. The friendlies moved to Bertie before Bladen, like the Powhattan.

What did the Cherokee do? The Virginia cohort moved south to Carolina and Tennessee.

In 1715 a diligent estimate had the total number of Cherokee at 11,210, with 2100 in Lower group, 6350 in Middle and 2760 in Upper. How were there more now than a few years before? Three things happened. One, there was less inter-tribal killing; two, smaller tribes merged with them; and three, Indian-White marriage was increasing. Simply stated, the arrival of the British, while disrupting lifestyle, culture, and land location contributed to the survival of the Nations which learned how to rule their own people as tributaries under the King’s Crown.

Although this observation counters popular legends, the statistics are what they are. Look how the Nations continued to thrive. By 1838, over 17,000 Cherokees occupied the southeast.

A story for another day is the many others who wisely escaped before the coming atrocity.

In one of the greatest acts of brutality against the people, Andrew Jackson forcibly removed 17,000 Cherokee to Indian Territory causing about 6,000 to die on the brutal journey. Many other Nations, Tribes, and Clans were subjected to the same unbelievable hostility of a despot leader running the country amok, with the implied consent of too many.

A couple of observations come from this.

When the Ancient Hebrew Nation was forced into exile in Babylon, their seer Jeremiah counseled them on how to survive and flourish. “Seek the welfare of the city to which I have caused you to go in exile, and pray to Adonai on its behalf; for your welfare is bound up in its welfare.” Jeremiah 29:7, CJB.

Similarly, the intellectual scholar Paul wrote a letter advising a group of countrymen, who were foreigners in Greece, to keep your head down, do not stir up trouble, and work diligently. “Also, make it your ambition to live quietly, to mind your own business and to earn your living by your own efforts – just as we told you.” I Thessalonians 4:11 CJB.

First, you can thrive in a hostile environment, as the prudent Native Americans did. Live life.

Second, be aware of Ben Franklin’s suggestion for a national motto, which Jefferson used on his personal seal. “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.”

Unfortunately, our country has repeatedly made commitments to protect and never let atrocities happen again, only to be circumvented by a new leader without an understanding of history. How is the Nuremberg Code of ‘Never Again’ relevant, even today?

Think about the balance.

How do we balance freedom and rights for individuals or groups of individuals, against the constant pressure to take from them for someone else?

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Excerpts from our book:

No Man’s Land Pioneers, Louisiana’s Wild, Wild West, ISBN: 9781694632128. Motto proposed by Ben Franklin, public domain.