Black Indians

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/wiki/I mage: Ambo x_style .png Afro-Nati e Americans

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/wiki/Image:J+Jones.'pg ,otable $lack In)ians: $essie "oleman - Jimi (en)rix - James +arl Jones Total population !e"ions #ith si"nificant populations .nite) /tates 0especially the /outhern .nite) /tates or in locations populate) by /outhern )escen)ants1. $an"ua"e%s& American +nglish !eli"ion%s& 2arious !elated ethnic "roups A!rican Americans - In)ians in the .nite) /tates - 3ree)men - 4ambos - "a!u5os Black Indians is a term generally use) to )escribe Americans who have signi!icant traces o! both sub#/aharan A!rican an) ,ative American or In)igenous American ancestry. 6he term may also inclu)e A!rican Americans who, !or a long time, were seamlessly embe))e) within ,ative American tribes an) i)entities throughout the Americas. /ubse7uently, although no longer having social, cultural or linguistic ties to ,ative peoples, many A!ricans Americans have ,ative American ancestry.

'ontents
8hi)e9 & :verview * (istory *.& ,ative American slave ownership *.* "herokee 3ree)men ; <enealogy = ,otable $lack In)ians > ?e!erences @ /ee also A +xternal links B 3urther rea)ing

(edit) * er ie#
A!rican slaves brought to the .nite) /tates an) their )escen)ants have ha) a history o! cultural exchange an) notably intermarriage with ,ative Americans an) other A!rican slaves who possesse) ,ative American ancestry 0largely in the American /outh1. 6his cultural mixing is also believe) to be the reason why certain phenotypes 0physical characteristics1 common within ,ative peoples also occur in the A!rican American population, inclu)ing longer an)/or less kinky hair texture than commonly appears in people o! sub#/aharan A!rican origin 0sometimes calle) Cin)ian hairC by !ellow blacks1, slante) eyes 0many times with an epicanthal !ol) also common among many ,ative people as well as Asians1 sometimes wi)ely space) apart, an a7uiline nose or hooknose, an) skin coloration which can range !rom light brown/tan to re))ish. ,ative American groups have ha) both positive an) straine) relationships with the A!ricans an) A!rican Americans they encountere). /ome groups were more accepting o! A!ricans than others an) welcome) them as !ull members o! their respective cultures an) communities. /ome ,ative Americans, especially as they became more assimilate) into the )ominant American culture 0ai)e) in large part by Dhite intermarriage with ,atives1, came to treat A!rican Americans with contempt, as )i) much o! the Dhite population. 6here were )isagreements among ,ative peoples concerning the role o! A!rican people in their communitiesE some tribal !actions 0notably the Feetoowah /ociety o! the "herokee1 were oppose) to slavery 8&9 while others were in support o! itE this was part o! a wi)er split among ,ative people who were either !or or against assimilation into the increasingly )ominant Dhite American culture o! the early#to#mi) &Gth century. /ome A!rican Americans participate) in war!are against ,ative Americans, especially in the Destern !rontier states as members o! military units such as the $u!!alo /ol)iers. :n the other han), many ,ative Americans an) A!rican# )escen)e) people !ought alongsi)e one another in arme) struggles o! resistance against ../. expansion into ,ative territories, as well as resistance against slavery an) racism. 6here are e!!orts currently un)erway to promote greater cooperation an) un)erstan)ing among both mo)ern A!rican American an) ,ative American tribal groups. /ome intermarriage still occurs between these groupsE some A!rican Americans who )escen) !rom or who i)enti!y as $lack In)ians i)enti!y strongly with the ,ative cultural tra)itions that they were raise) with.

(edit) +istory
6he earliest recor)e) example o! A!rican slaves escaping !rom +uropean colonists an) being absorbe) by American In)ians occurre) as !ar back as &>*@. In June o! that year, Hucas 2as7ue5 )e Ayllon establishe) a /panish colony near the mouth o! the ee Iee ?iver in what is now eastern /outh "arolina. 6he /panish settlement was name) /an Ji7uel )e <ua)alupe. Amongst the settlement were &%% enslave) A!ricans. In &>*@, the !irst A!rican slaves !le) the colony an) were taken in by the local ,ative Americans8*9 In &@** the +uropean colony o! Jamestown was overrun by ,ative Americans. 6he A!rican slaves )i) not share the same !ate as the +uropeans who were kille), but were instea) taken an) integrate) into the ,ative American communities. /everal colonial a)vertisements ma)e )irect re!erence to the integration o! A!rican Americans into the ,ative American communities. 3or example ...ran off with his Indian wife... had kin among the Indians...part Indian and speaks their language good.8;9 In /outh "arolina, colonists became so concerne) about the possible threat pose) by the mixe) A!rican an) In)ian population that was arising as runaway A!ricans escape) to the In)ians that they passe) a new law in &A*>. 6his law stipulate) a !ine o! *%% poun)s on anyone who brought a slave to the !rontier regions o! the colony. In &A>& the

colony o! /outh "arolina !oun) it necessary to issue another law, warning that having A!ricans in proximity to In)ians was )eeme) )etrimental to the security o! the colony. In &A*@ the $ritish governor o! colonial ,ew Kork exacte) a promise !rom the Iro7uois In)ians to return all runaway slaves who ha) 'oine) up with them. 6his same promise was extracte) !rom the (uron In)ians in &A@= an) !rom the Ielaware In)ians in &A@>. Iespite their promises, no esacape) slaves were ever returne) by these tribes, who continue) to provi)e a sa!e an) secure home !or escape) slaves. An &B;> census o! the "herokee showe) that !ully &%L were o! A!rican )escent.8;9

(edit) Nati e American sla e o#nership

/lavery existe) among ,ative Americans be!ore it was intro)uce) by the +uropeans, although unlike the chattel slavery that was intro)uce). In oral tra)ition, !or instance, "herokees saw slavery as the result o! !ailure in war!are, an) as a temporary status pen)ing a)option or release.8=9 As the ./ "onstitution an) the laws o! several states permitte) slavery, ,ative Americans were legally allowe) to continue owning slaves, inclu)ing those brought !rom A!rica by +uropeans. 6he "herokee tribe ha) the most members who hel) black slaves more than any ,ative American tribe.8>9 ?ecor)s !rom the time perio) show several cases o! brutal treatment o! black slaves by mixe)# bloo), assimilate) ,ative American an) intermarrie) white masters. Jany A!rican#)escen)e) people were hel) as slaves by members o! ,ative groups, an) some later recounte) their lives !or a D A oral history pro'ect in the &G;%s.8@9

(edit) 'herokee Freedmen

ain article! "herokee #reedmen "ontro$ers%
6he "herokee ,ation, in a tribal /upreme "ourt ruling, reinstate) about &,%%% A!rican American members into their community in Jarch *%%@ a!ter )enying them membership in the mi)#&GA%s. In response, there was a movement among many in the "herokee ,ation to !orce a re!eren)um re7uiring "herokee bloo) !or citi5enship in the tribe, which woul) e!!ectively reverse the )ecisionE the )ecision was in)ee) revoke) in Jarch *%%A ami) much controversy8A9. 6he argument is that the A!rican American )escen)ants hol) no ,ative bloo) an) there!ore shoul) not 7uali!y !or membership, an) voting rights, in the "herokee ,ation.8B9 An a)vocacy group representing the A!rican American members claims that they are entitle) to membership as they are in)ee) part "herokee by bloo), even though this is not imme)iately evi)ent !rom the existing historical recor)s 0most notably the highly controversial Iawes "ommission enrollment recor)s, which ten)e) to exclu)e those o! A!rican )escent !rom being o!!icially consi)ere) CIn)ianC !or the purposes o! tribal enrollment, even i! they also clearly possesse) ,ative ancestry an) testi!ie) as such1.8G98&%9 $e!ore the Iawes "ommission was establishe), C0t1he ma'ority o! the people with A!rican bloo) living in the "herokee nation prior to the "ivil war live) there as slaves o! "herokee citi5ens or as !ree black non citi5ens, usually the )escen)ants o! "herokee men an) women with A!rican bloo)...In &B@;, the "herokee government outlawe) slavery through acts o! the tribal council. In &B@@, a treaty was signe) with the ./ government in which the "herokee government agree) to give citi5enship to those people with A!rican bloo) living in the "herokee nations who were not alrea)y citi5ens. A!rican "herokee people participate) as !ull citi5ens o! that nation, hol)ing o!!ice, voting, running businesses, etc.8&&9 A!ter the Iawes "ommission, those A!rican American C!ree)menC o! the "herokee an) the other 3ive "ivili5e) 6ribes were o!ten treate) as harshly as any other A!rican American. Iegrees o! continue) acceptance into tribal structures were very low throughout the ensuing )eca)es, with some tribes restricting membership to those with a )ocumente) ,ative ancestor on the Iawes "ommission listings. $ecause o! the apparent )eliberate exclusion o! most people with A!rican bloo) on these Cbloo) rollsC, it was )i!!icult !or $lack In)ians to establish o!!icial ties with those ,ative groups they genetically belonge) to. Jany o! the !ree)men !eel that their continue) exclusion !rom tribal membership, an) the continue) resistance to their e!!orts to gain recognition, is racially motivate).8&*9 8&;9

(edit) ,enealo"y
Jany mo)ern A!rican Americans have taken an interest in genealogy, an) learning about the ,ative heritage within their in)ivi)ual !amilies. /ome A!rican Americans have knowle)ge o! ,ative ancestry through oral history resi)ent in the !amily !or generations, an) try to con!irm these anec)otal stories o! ,ative ancestry through genealogical research an) I,A testing. /ome have petitione) to be members o! ,ative American tribes an) have met with some resistance. (owever, in part because o! continue) recent intermarriage between A!rican#Americans an) ,ative people, an) also )ue to increase) awareness o! $lack In)ians in general, it has been !airly easy !or younger generations o! mixe) A!rican/,ative people to become more easily recogni5e) in their respective ethnic groups. It is even )ebate) that

$lack people have more noticeable ,ative heritage than many whites claim 0a ma'or !actor in the "herokee !ree)men controversy1. +ven among ,ative peoples themselves, some o! these physical !eatures have been con!use) with being /ub#/aharan A!rican )ue to the negative in!luence o! the one#)rop rule.8&=9

(edit) Nota-le Black Indians

Aaliyah, gran)mother is ,ative American. 8&>9 Jonica CJonicaC Arnol), is part ,ative American 8&@9 "hristopher CHu)acrisC $ri)ges, is part ,ative American 8&A9 $essie "oleman, part "herokee8&B9 2ivica A. 3ox, is part ,ative American 8&G9 8*%9 ?e)) 3oxx, is part /eminole8*&9 Jeagan <oo), is part ,ative American 8**9 8*;9 ?egina (all, is part ,ative American 8*=9 "iara C"iaraC (arris, is part ,ative American 8*>9 Jimi (en)rix, part "herokee8*@9 /har Jackson, is part "herokee 8*A9 Illinois Jac7uet, Jother was /ioux an) !ather "reole.8*B9 James +arl Jones, part "herokee an) "hoctaw8*G98;%9 Fimberly CHilM FimC Jones, is part ,ative American, 8;&9 "hristopher Ju)ge, part "herokee +artha Fitt, part "herokee /anaa Hathan, is part ,ative American 8;*9 +)monia Hewis, part :'ibwa8;;9 Amber Hittle'ohn, part "herokee Hisa?aye Jc"oy, is part ,ative American 8;=9 "hrisette Jichele, is part ,ative American ?osa arks, part "herokee#"reek8;>9 :scar etti!or), Jother was "hoctaw an) !ather part "herokee.8;@98;A9 Jartha ?e)bone, ,ative American Jusic Awar) winning /oul music o! /hawnee, "hoctaw, an) A!rican American heritage.8;B9 Iella ?eese, part "herokee8;G9 Den)y ?a7uel ?obinson, is part ,ative American 8=%9 Iiana ?oss, is part "herokee 8=&9 Al /harpton, is part "herokee 8=*9 Ja)a inkett /mith, part "herokee 8=;9 Dill /mith, is part ,ative American 8==9 ?o5on)a .'hilli. 6homas, mother is part ,ative American 8=>9 6ina 6urner, part "herokee an) ,ava'o8=@9 6ionne C6#$o5C Datkins, is part ,ative American. 8=A9 Hynn Dhit!iel), is part "herokee 8=B9 Jykelti Dilliamson, part $lack!eet8=G9 Feke Dyatt, is part "herokee 8>%9