Some Cherokee History
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In reply to:
Re: What percent Cherokee ?
g. louer 1/09/13
Graham
No, you didn't ask the wrong question at all.
Many people have a family story about being offered land or money "because they were Indian", but that's really not how it was.
The Dawes Allotment Act was NOT some altruistic and generous offer made by the US government to "give" people land.
It was an Act designed (by Henry Dawes) to "allot" Cherokee Citizens individual portions of their own Tribal Lands, and thus destroy the Cherokee Nation.
As with the notion of blood quantum (percentage), the idea of "owning" a piece of land was an alien concept to American Indians.
We don't measure our ancestry in parts, percentages or fractions. Nor do we think about what we, or our ancestors look like.
In answer to your other message :
A Freedman was a former Slave of a Cherokee Citizen, who was still residing in the Cherokee Nation at the relevant time.
As the answer to the other questions was no, then your family story appears to be just that.
(Note : There were some dubious lawyers at the time who were running around all over the country, trying to persuade white people to "sign on the dotted line" to get "Indian Land"............for a small fee, of course.)
However, if you'd like to post some names and dates on your ancestors, it might be possible to assist you further.
It's really no trouble.
Kathy Roberts
VA
More Replies:
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Re: Some Cherokee History
g. louer 1/09/13
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Re: Some Cherokee History
Kathy Roberts 1/14/13
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Re: Some Cherokee History