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N0KFQ > TODAY 28.04.16 16:27l 56 Lines 2445 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 91989_N0KFQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Apr 28
Path: IW8PGT<CX2SA<HG8LXL<N0KFQ
Sent: 160428/1421Z 91989@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.65
1897
Chickasaw and Choctaw abandon communal lands
The Chickasaw and Choctaw, two of the Five Civilized Tribes,
become the first to agree to abolish tribal government and
communal ownership of land. The other tribes soon followed,
finally throwing open all of Indian Territory to white
settlement.
Representatives of the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes had been
negotiating the future of their people with the Dawes Commission
since 1893. President Grover Cleveland created the Dawes
Commission to realize the goals of the 1887 Dawes Severalty Act.
Backers of the Dawes Severalty Act believed Indians would be
better able to integrate into mainstream society if they
abandoned tribal governments and communal ownership of land.
Instead, every male Indian received a plot of land to own
privately. Any tribal land that remained-which in most cases was
a substantial amount-would be open to settlement by
Anglo-Americans.
Most Native American tribes were forced to abide by the Dawes
Severalty Act regardless of their wishes. However, a treaty from
1830 promised the Five Civilized Tribes living in Oklahoma Indian
Territory their land for "as long as the grass grows and water
runs," and the Dawes Act did not apply to them. Instead, the
Dawes Commission was formed to convince them to adopt its
principles voluntarily.
At the same time, Congress also threatened to make it harder for
the Five Civilized Tribes to maintain their traditional ways of
life. The Curtis Act, for example, invalidated the authority of
all tribal courts. Recognizing that they had little hope of
maintaining their old ways, in 1897, the Choctaws and Chickasaws
became the first to agree voluntarily to abandon tribal
government and land ownership. By 1902, the other three
tribes-the Cherokees, Seminoles, and Creeks-had followed suit.
Despite the sincere humanitarian goals of the Dawes Act and
Commission, the ultimate effect was to deprive Indians of most of
their landholdings. Fraud was rampant, and some Indians either
did not know they needed to apply for their private acreage or
refused to do so in protest. From 1887 to 1934, Indian
landholdings declined from 138 million to 47 million acres. Since
the Dawes Act was rescinded in 1934, however, tribal ownership
and government have again become legal.
73 - K.O., n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-Mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
Message timed: 09:19 on Apr 28, 2016
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