New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-04-07

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children, one clear-skinned, freckled, blue
eyed Celt, the other dark enough to pass toi
"White Cherokee"
ats singular how it will come back in
this country" he explained. ave known
'em to have regular Injun children after
two generations of nearly white, and chill
dren of pure white people born here are
| KEGS married, that you couldn't tell either
of EN- from a regular white person, and
| they've a whole family of nearly fall blOOds.
Old IniunS say it comes back on 'em some
times after people have done forgot they
had any In;nn blood in EN-" THIS state
ment has been confirmed by all the white
Cherohees" l have talked with on the sub
ject.
A mile further on was overtaher by a
Mr. Parks and family and accepteda ride
! with them to the church Like the more in
telligent citizens Of the Nation" he was
| quite communicative, and, learning my
| business, insisted on my spending the day,
after church, at his house. He was native OF
East Tennessee. his father white man and
his mother half Cherokee, who refused to
| come with the main body of the tribe in
the spring OF 1899. He fought through the
war on the Southern side, then came out
and claimed his citizenship in the Nation"
| to which he was admitted by the Supreme
| Court Tor principal chiefs, after proving
| his ancestry. lie showed not the slightest
| trace of Indian blood, but his little boy
| looked like a haIf-breed. His youngest
| daughter had the rolling black eye aud sad
expression of the Cherokee with fair skin,
while the older ones misses OF eighteen or
twenty, were both fair and beautiful. Both
were dressed very richly with black silk
dresses and mantillas. Rich dresses were
numerous at church, particularly of corn
color silk this and black and red being the
prevailing colors. Many Of these people
were quite wealthy before the war, and
remnants of their wealth remain in costly
shawls and iewelry, which seem oddly out
Of place amid the general poverty.
The place of worship was Il rude log
schoolhOuse, perhaps twenty-five feet
square, the cracks covered with clapboards,
and the congregation consisted OF tifty-two
persons-noJ full-blooded Indian among
them.
And, by the way. 1 have been in the
Indian Territory four days and have seen
just four full bIoods, two OF them merchants
in this city. Most of that color live east of
Grand river, / am told, and this is consid-
cred rather a community OF hali-bioOds.
The school teacher, with whom | conversed
after service, was as white woman as
ever saw, with blue eyes and light brown
hair : yet she is considered a Cherokee,
and traces her ancestry from pure bloods.
Rev. Mr.. Valentine, who preached to us, is
also considered "a citizen OF the Nation
and, though Of pure white blood, was born
and reared among the Cherokees. just as,
before the war, we called every man a
''nigger" VINO had the faintest trace of
negro blood, though it were but a sixteenth,
drop of Cherokee blood. The phrase white
Cherokee is generally applied 10 those Of
less than halt Indian blood
The services were conducted in the order
of the Baptist church, to which sect the
minister belongs. as do majority of the
Cherokee Christians. The Moravians,
Methodists and Episcopalians MINT Der many
converts among the other nations, and some
among the Cherohees. while the Presbyte
rians are quite numerous among the Della
wares and Shawnees and farther west
The Indians seem to be naturally prone
TO fatalism. and their theology, even when
Christian. is of a singularlv cold and melan-
chOly character; not So bad. however, as
the California Chinese. which is the most
gloomy, chilling and repellant Of all ethnic
religions, bat enough like it TO point to a
kinship OF race. The Senecas alone of ali
the tribes 4 this vicinity they live Just east
of Grand river) retain their aboriginal hea-
thenisn. Sacrifices, incantations and
separate priesthood are still maintained,
and once year they burn a certain num-
Der o.. dogs to propitiate the spirit.of evil.
y
sons. and ny host informed Inc that when
last he visited them they had one child only
IN the tribe Their decay has been rapid.
Strange! y enough nearly all the more intel
ligent admit the steady decay of the pure
bloods. and, though there is j slight in
crease at present i'll the Cherokee Nation at
large. Vet in the pure bloods there is de-
crease. l have only given. thus far, a few
points CLEANED from my conversation with
the = white CEerOkees, but our talk at din |
ner assumed a more personal anu political |
turn. NJ. Parks had invited some of the
older citizens to dine with us. and. as at a |
Sunday dinner i'll the country districts of
Ohio. politics came up for discussion.
''"h hat will you do with us - was the gist |
OF the first question. "Wil the government |
give halt our lands to railroads. and let the |
whites come in on Us 10 try for the other |
half
The government will not establish a |
Territory here, and throw It open To white |
settlers. unless the Indians are willing; but |
why are you not willing, if you can nave a |
farm secured first to each citizen Of tie Ma
ton -
because our more ignorant people and |
tull-boods can't live with the Yankees set
tied al among them. Some tel Us We can't |
hold our land in common the way we do.
Why can't WEI If we cant, then let it be
allotted. SO much to each family. and the
rest common pasturage. These tuil-bloou
Cherokees are the most sim pie minded. hon
est people in the world. They don't know
anything about trading or scheming with
white folks. But you know It is the nature
OF white people to be graSping. Let them
settle here and they would take all advau-
tage in trades and the Indians could not
live here"
The principal talker. and aged white
Cherokee, continued at some length and in
good language to argue against the bill TO
estab llsh the Territory of Ocklahoma. OF
which he produced a copy and read aX-
tracts. He related, with increasing pathos.
the principal facts in the history OF the
Cherohees their first genera, war with the
whites. many years before the revolution:
their removal to the hill country Of Geor-
ya, Carolina and Alabama; their second
move to Arkansas and a band to Texas
their expulsion from all other places and
here.
As he progressed a growing sadness
showed on every face. He concluded and |.
an oppressive silence settled upon the com
Dany-so profound that | could feel the |
reproach which seemed thus cast upon my
nation. The melancholy gravity natural to
he Cherokee countenance seemed to deepen |
TO the intensity of fixed despair; young
and old had the same solemn quiet, and
wen the rosy little girl bowed her head al
most to the table and her sweet sad face
,eemed Swallowed with the wrongs Of three
of her race. But these were
are specimens of the nation The full |
floods seem but little capable of forming
,r expressing an opinion upon the issue
,ither way. To question about the wishes |
If that class, the speaker replied: We'll,
he full blood won't take any vigorous ac-
ion. They are an Indifferent sort of peo-
lie: They just say. Let it alone. If tue
ytn.S fArE i i.