Greetings Eli,

I’m not all that surprised to hear your friend is unaware of the information you forwarded to him. I’m not surprised he found it astounding. I am surprised it is not taught in NDN law schools, but even that should not be too surprising.

Eli, every time I get into a conversation with someone, anyone about the Five Tribes and their history of enslaving people of “African” descent, the reaction is generally the same. People don’t know about the history, they have never heard about the history, and they are surprised about the history. If they don’t teach it in NDN law schools, this can only mean they don’t teach it in the NDN community, eh? We know they don’t teach it in the public schools, there in lays the problem.

Frankly, I would like to know what in particular is your friend flabbergasted and astounded by. After 40 years of practice, how could he not be familiar with some of these issues, especially over the past ten years when many of the descendants of the so called freedmen have been learning about the history themselves? I take that back. I believe I had the same reaction when I began my journey or enlightenment.

Where was he when the Seminole Nation “removed” the Dosar Barkus and Caesar Bruner bands from that Nation in 2000? Just what area of the law in is he practicing? I don’t mean to be harsh, but come on, though I have never studied law, the first thing I did last August when I visited the Supreme Court was to purchase a legal dictionary because I was not familiar with much of the discipline of law. I say that because I recognized that much of my research involved legal issues and though I will never be an attorney (I know, never say never) much of what affects my research requires me to at least familiarize myself on the subject. Maybe my idea of NDN law is not what it should be, but one would think an attorney in D.C., representing the nation would have a passing familiarity with some of this stuff.

Perhaps I’m being too harsh, so I will leave you with this. Next month Saturday, (February 26, 2005) I will be participating in the “Rooted in History” conference hosted by the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California, the website is:

rootedinhistory.org

My topic is “Voices of Indian Territory in the Congressional Record.” If you are not able to attend, I along with some friends plan to publish some of this material so we can kick off a series of publication on these documents later this year. It is our hope that others will find the information stimulating and worth reading (translated that means purchase), as your friend correctly assessed it is rather astounding stuff.