The Freedmen Files

This episode presents the life of Rev. Wiley Homer, from the Choctaw Nation. Born enslaved in the southern part of the Choctaw Nation, the young man Wiley was driven by a burning desire to learn how to read, and write. He began by learning how to recognize cattle brands, and by practicing writing what he saw with stick in hand, in the sand. Later when given a primer and a catechism, his fervent de...

This episode describes a settlement of black people that appeared on Indian Territory maps from the 1870s till the early 20th century and that soon disappeared. Who were they? Were they tribal Freedmen? Were they migrants seeking refuge after the Civil War? Where did they go, and why did they disappear? Images of the maps reflecting this settlment are found on the August 2010 post of the African-N...

This is the story of a man who was born enslaved in the Choctaw Nation. Seizing his own freedom he began the first of three amazing careers, leaving an amazing record of bravery, dedication to justice, family and freedom on the western frontier. The three lives of Bynum Colbert are shared in this podcast.

This episode details the life and actions of Bettie Ligon, a Choctaw Freedwoman and a Chickasaw woman by blood. Her mother was once enslaved, thus the "Freedman" status, and her father was Robert H. Love, who signed the Treaty of 1866.  Hers is a story where she sought justice advocating for the equal treatment of children born with the blood of their fathers, but who were denied the rights of cit...

This is the story of Hagar Myers, who lived her entire life in the Muscogee Creek Nation. She is an unsung heroine when she exhibited remarkable bravery during a time of conflict when the peach orchards still bore green fruit. Her bravery was shown when she uttered five critical words that then led to her actionthat would bring peace to the nation during a time of conflict. She is remembered durin...

This episode tells the story recalled by Phoebe Banks about the journey that her family made to Kansas during the Civil War with hundreds of people in the Creek Nation. She was only a small girl, and she recalled the harrowing journey she and other enslaved people from the Creek Nation made during that trip. This triip made under the leadership of Chief Opotholeyahola is sometimes referre to as "T...

In this episode the story of Lucinda Davis, a Creek Freedwoman is told. She shared her memories of her early years when just a young girl, going into rich detail about her life, the culture and the history through which she lived.

This episode illustrates the saga of a man from the Cherokee Nation, who struggled for years to find freedom and who struggled to claim his identity, rights, and, as a Cherokee citizen, and to share the outcome of his and his family's struggle.

This episode shares the story of the Dunford Family that is documented in the Choctaw Nation and takes the family back in time, crossing boundaries, in the Nation and beyond. 

This story looks at a Chickasaw family in blood, language and culture, but whose status as Chickasaws by blood was denied. This story looks at the records that reflect their history.

There was a time when the voice of a slave had little or no meaning, but years later, the voice of an ex-slave became a deciding voice taken as the truth that brings a case to an end. Such is the story of Dolly Stidham, a Creek Freedwoman.

Episode 2 features details about an amazing man from the Muscogee Creek Nation. Sugar T. George was born a slave in Georgia and was brought west with Creek Indians. He spent his entire life there, obtaining his freedom, becoming a literate man who rose to prominence in the Nation. From the Civil War, to the Dawes era, this once enslaved man served in both ruling houses of the Creek Nation, became...

This introductory episode provides information about the Oklahoma Freedmen. They were people once enslaved by Five Native American tribal nations, and taken west during the years of the Indian Removal - The Trail of Tears. They endured enslavement, but also exhibited acts of resistance during their first the decades there. After the Civil War, many remained in Indian Territory which was now their...