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Y’all may have already read this letter from Thomas Jefferson to William Henry about his plans on how to get (steal) the Indian lands.
It shows the actual letter, but you can click on links which take to you a transcription.
The Letter contains “Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826–Views on Indians; Indians of North America–Cultural assimilation; Indians of North America–Government relations–1789-1869; Indians, Treatment of–North America; United States–Politics and government–1789-1815; Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841–Relations with Indians”
Thought I’d share the site with you just in case some have not read this. If you click on where it says ‘view’ and then click on ‘page and text’ you get the transcription which is way easier than trying to read the old document.
http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/dc007&CISOPTR=76&REC=15
And here is Tecumseh’s speech to Gov. Harrison.
http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/dc007&CISOPTR=19&REC=14
Y’all may have already read this letter from Thomas Jefferson to William Henry about his plans on how to get (steal) the Indian lands.
It shows the actual letter, but you can click on links which take to you a transcription.
The Letter contains “Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826–Views on Indians; Indians of North America–Cultural assimilation; Indians of North America–Government relations–1789-1869; Indians, Treatment of–North America; United States–Politics and government–1789-1815; Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841–Relations with Indians”
He suceeded. And here we are today. Obviously, we have a variety of ancestors to choose from, as to whose line we will continue. I choose the Indian, as I think this forum was designed for.
Thanks for that bit of history, Dovelady.
Regards
Lynne
Hi Lynne,
Yes, unfortunately, he did. I embrace my whole heritage, but feel sad and angry about what the gov’t did to our NA ancestors.
dovelady wrote: Hi Lynne,
Yes, unfortunately, he did. I embrace my whole heritage, but feel sad and angry about what the gov’t did to our NA ancestors.
Me:
Heh. I still don’t think I’ve figured out this “quote” business……this is a nice new format, with a lot of options, but I still mess up.
I look at it this way, my sister, if I can call you that; there is a lot of bad stuff in the past…but whatever the final draw, we are here. I am glad to be alive. I also embrace my entire heritage…for to do otherwise would be involving yourself in a falsehood. Yet our Indian ancestors did adopt into tribes other people, whites, blacks, and other tribal groups, because they had the determination to survive as Indians. I feel that everytime we choose to be what we are, and claim ourselves to be Indian, we honor the sacrifices that our Indian ancestors made. They never wanted things to become the way they did…but they held on. Every story that gets passed down in families, every ancestor( whether identified as a grandparent or otherwise) who was Indian, has the gist of that will to go on that our Indian ancestors had. They didn’t want to be wiped out. They had no ideal of blood quontum, they just wanted to survive as a people. They did! They achieved their goal. Our very existence is proof of that….and we should glory in their triumph because we are here!
Now Jefferson had his triumph as well. I look at his goal of mingling blood as a practical solution….a practical solution without any kind of larger vision. He certainly didn’t seem concerned about the purity of blood…at least I can kind of respect him for that….and we know from history, that our own Indian ancestors took in all kinds of people ( that they deemed worthy) to keep their numbers up. In a way, the result is the same. Here we are. We have the chance now to keep our Indian ancestors alive….their values, their way of life. Its up to us now. I am glad you posted that letter. On the east coast……Indians did get out “alive”, because we are their descendents. We don’t fight the fact that we are mixed….and neither did they. Their goals are within our grasp.
Fondly,
Lynne
In my family, our Indian heritage has always been a source of pride and has always been a main focus for us – even though we were not connected to any reservation and couldn’t prove what our ancestors had passed down to us orally.
I am just sorry that I did not know about taking a DNA test before my father died last year. 🙁 If we had, he could have taken a DNA test and I know he would have been so thrilled to have been been able to see the ‘scientific’ results of his life long quest.
This quest for more information on our Indian heritage is what started me on this long long genealogy journey. My father asked me to look into it about 20 years ago or so and asked me to try to prove it and find the tribe we belonged to. His mother told him Cherokee, but she told his sister Blackfoot. Well, I still haven’t found a ‘proper’ paper trail, but all the time the proof was right there flowing in our blood. We knew – that we knew – that we knew it was true but could not prove it.
Now that we have scientific proof, I and my siblings are going to go to his grave and present the paper to him. It is a ”paper’ proof. Not the one he was looking for, but proof none the less. 🙂 I know he is not there where his bones are, but it is a place of a point of contact for his children. We will, at the same time honor him and our heritage.
Please forgive me for being so personal, but perhaps I also speak for others who are in the same position as my family has been for many years. And perhaps someone else can relate to what I say here.
Presidents and history be damned! As you said, we are what we are and proud of it!
In my family, our Indian heritage has always been a source of pride and has always been a main focus for us – even though we were not connected to any reservation and couldn’t prove what our ancestors had passed down to us orally.
Me: Its odd, isn’t it, that in our day and age, we are asked to prove what came so naturally? My Dad knew what he was and where he came from, but for most of his life, the Haliwa were not recognized as a tribe. It was a story, and then, *poof*, they were validated. I’m glad about this, but it still does something to my own head to contemplate it.
Dovelady:
I am just sorry that I did not know about taking a DNA test before my father died last year. 🙁 If we had, he could have taken a DNA test and I know he would have been so thrilled to have been been able to see the ‘scientific’ results of his life long quest.
Me:
I am sorry to hear of your father’s passing. My father died in 2000. It would have been wonderful to have him tested as well.
Dovelady:
This quest for more information on our Indian heritage is what started me on this long long genealogy journey. My father asked me to look into it about 20 years ago or so and asked me to try to prove it and find the tribe we belonged to. His mother told him Cherokee, but she told his sister Blackfoot. Well, I still haven’t found a ‘proper’ paper trail, but all the time the proof was right there flowing in our blood. We knew – that we knew – that we knew it was true but could not prove it.
Me:
You know, I’ve never known anyone who was not Indian, who claimed to be Indian. That was one of the heartening things about what Linda’s Lakota friend said. Perhaps she has had this same experience? And perhaps so many southeatern Indians arrive at the word Cherokee, because they were for the longest time, the only tribe hereabouts that weren’t officially extinct; and because they are numerous, and most likely have married other people with Indian blood along the centuries. I have known many eastern Cherokees, they are likable people without a lot of prejudice, in my experience.
Dovelady:
Now that we have scientific proof, I and my siblings are going to go to his grave and present the paper to him. It is a ”paper’ proof. Not the one he was looking for, but proof none the less. 🙂 I know he is not there where his bones are, but it is a place of a point of contact for his children. We will, at the same time honor him and our heritage.
Me:
Wonderful. It sounds very fitting.
Dovelady:
Please forgive me for being so personal, but perhaps I also speak for others who are in the same position as my family has been for many years. And perhaps someone else can relate to what I say here.
Me:
Speaking for myself, I find these personal stories both illuminating and touching. Its not really strange, afterall, how so many of them have elements in common.
Dovelady:
Presidents and history be damned! As you said, we are what we are and proud of it!
Me:
Too right! You know, when I feel surrounded, outnumbered, and the verge of defeat…..I think about my ancestors and their grit. I am thankful for their sacrifices, their cunning, their will to live, and I pick myself back up and try harder, or try something new and better. And then I am thankful, all over again, that I can tell my children about how their ancestors used their brains and strength to survive, and pass along this story, and tell them that “all of that is within you too”….and that we are still here….no matter what the agenda may be of persons unknown. We are still here, and here we will remain.
Good talking to you,
Lynne
I have told this story before here, but my father remembered a word that my Grandmother used to shout at him when she was annoyed with him.
I told Tom about it and he explained to me that this word means, “Long Briar’..and then he went on to explain that it ‘more likely sounds very ‘Tugalo’. This is from an old letter Tom wrote me years ago. He may have newer information now though.
Barb 🙂
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