In this Native ChocTalk story-time, Author and Major James D. Brewer (retired), shares about his historical fiction book, “Blood on the Crossties: The Florida Chautauqua Murders (A Choctaw Parker Mystery/Adventure)”.

In this episode, you’ll learn about the emergence of the railroad and its history, the days of cowboys and gambling (and the game of Faro). Culminating alongside the expansion of the railroad, were the effects of politics, the Freedman, war, and the north and the south as various races began to intermingle.

Discover fascinating real-life historical characters and hear about the fictional character, Choctaw Jimmy Lee Parker, a Railroad Detective, hired to solve the mystery of stolen money, rifles and more.

This episode and book are great for book clubs, homeschool families, and road trips (and the book is now out on audio)!

You can find “Blood on the Crossties” on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Crossties-Florida-Chautauqua-Adventure/dp/1956851720, as well as other places where you buy your books.

Now on audio as well: https://www.audible.com/pd/Blood-on-the-Crossties-Audiobook/B0CRZDG83D

Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast

All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/

“When all the tribes find their languages and their culture, that’s when all the healing will begin. And then all the generations will be in a better place.” - Solomon Little Owl (Crow)

Listeners, I’m proud to present to you, my friend, Solomon Little Owl who shares fascinating stories about his family, the Crow people, and his own incredible journey!

In this 2-part episode, you’ll learn about:

• The story of the “Fightin’ Whites” (trust me, you’ll want to hear this!)

• How buffalo hunts aided Native students

• The Crow’s clan system

• Who were the enemies and who were the allies of the Crow?

• Crow dances such as the bear dance, sun dance and war dance

• Were the Crow tall people?

• The 3 New Years of the Crow

• What did various tribes call the Crow?

• The Crow fair

Solomon asks for prayers for his tribe. And if you’re ever in the area, please consider supporting Crow businesses: http://www.crow-nsn.gov/tribal-businesses.html

Ahóoh, Solomon! And prayers going up for the Crow people.

Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast

All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/

“When all the tribes find their languages and their culture, that’s when all the healing will begin. And then all the generations will be in a better place.” - Solomon Little Owl (Crow)

Listeners, I’m proud to present to you, my friend, Solomon Little Owl who shares fascinating stories about his family, the Crow people, and his own incredible journey!

In this 2-part episode, you’ll learn about:

• The story of the “Fightin’ Whites” (trust me, you’ll want to hear this!)

• How buffalo hunts aided Native students

• The Crow’s clan system

• Who were the enemies and who were the allies of the Crow?

• Crow dances such as the bear dance, sun dance and war dance

• Were the Crow tall people?

• The 3 New Years of the Crow

• What did various tribes call the Crow?

• The Crow fair

Solomon asks for prayers for his tribe. And if you’re ever in the area, please consider supporting Crow businesses: http://www.crow-nsn.gov/tribal-businesses.html

Ahóoh, Solomon! And prayers going up for the Crow people.

Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast

All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/

History may be in the past, but there are many women today who are truly history in the making! In the spirit of Women’s History Month, my guest, Erin Pendleton and I wanted to share a bit of inspiration.

Not only is Erin building her career as a post-producer for Amazon Brand Social, she’s also shedding light on the topic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. And as a rape advocate, she uses her own story to fuel her fire to help other women.

Today we’ll hear Erin’s story, the amazing work she does in production, about her documentary, and the stories of her grandmother – the Choctaw woman who inspired her.

Be sure to follow Erin here:

• Instagram.com/erinaberra

• Tiktok: @erinaberra

• Twitter/X: @erinaberra

And if you’re looking for a top notch producer, contact her at [email protected].

Yakoke, Erin!

Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast

All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/

I hope you’ll enjoy the final episode of this 5-part series on the most requested topic from my listeners – The Code Talkers.

Meet scholar and Anthropologist, Dr. William Meadows, Professor at Missouri State University who shares about the groundbreaking research detailed in his book, “The First Code Talkers, Native American Communicators of World War I”. Get ready to experience a mix of oral history, individual soldiers’ accounts and newspapers, truly bringing these heroes’ stories to life.

You can find Dr. Meadows’ book here and in many online and retail shops: http://tinyurl.com/bdfwp2kb

In episode 5 you’ll hear about:

• Our Osage, Comanche, Ho-Chunk, Oklahoma Cherokee and Sioux heroes of WWI.

• The Congressional Code Talker Medals

• Quite a few stories and facts you may not have known about the Code Talkers

Yakoke to the brave Native American men and women who have served our country and all our Veterans! And many thanks to Dr. Meadows for sharing his research with us.

Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast

All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/

I hope you’ll enjoy episode 5 of this 5-part series on the most requested topic from my listeners – The Code Talkers.

Meet scholar and Anthropologist, Dr. William Meadows, Professor at Missouri State University who shares about the groundbreaking research detailed in his book, “The First Code Talkers, Native American Communicators of World War I”.

Get ready to experience a mix of oral history, individual soldiers’ accounts and newspapers, truly bringing these heroes’ stories to life.

You can find Dr. Meadows’ book here and in many online and retail shops: http://tinyurl.com/bdfwp2kb

In episode 4 you’ll learn about:

• The Choctaw Code Talkers

• The fascinating life and story of Sergeant Otis Leader!

• After you’ve read this book, be sure to purchase @sarahelisabethsaywers book on Otis Leader: https://chickasawpress.com/Books/Otis-W-Leader-The-Ideal-American-Doughboy.aspx

• How the Germans regarded the Native American soldiers in high esteem

• Some of the Military Term Choctaw Pronunciation Translations (such as “1st Battalion” was “one grain of corn” and “machine gun” was “little gun shoot fast” in Choctaw)

Yakoke to the brave Native American men and women who have served our country and all our Veterans! And many thanks to Dr. Meadows for sharing his research with us.

Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast

All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/

I hope you’ll enjoy episode 3 of this 5-part series on the most requested topic from my listeners – The Code Talkers.

Meet scholar and Anthropologist, Dr. William Meadows, Professor at Missouri State University who shares about the groundbreaking research detailed in his book, “The First Code Talkers, Native American Communicators of World War I”. Get ready to experience a mix of oral history, individual soldiers’ accounts and newspapers, truly bringing these heroes’ stories to life.

In episode 3 you’ll hear about:

• More about the Choctaw Code Talkers

• Was code talking actually classified as secret after the war and were the code talkers sworn to secrecy about their code talking?

• Choctaws, Benjamin Colbert, Victor Brown, Louis Gooding, Albert Billy, Noel Johnson,

• A deep dive into Joseph Oklahombi – his significant and heroic contributions in battle, the many misconceptions around his actions during the war, and his famous “panther cry”

• We discuss Judy Allen’s book, Joseph Oklahombi and The Panther War Cry which can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/5hf3tuty

Yakoke to the brave Native American men and women who have served our country and all our Veterans! And many thanks to Dr. Meadows for sharing his research with us.

Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast

All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/

I hope you’ll enjoy episode 2 of this 5-part series on the most requested topic from my listeners – The Code Talkers.

Meet scholar and Anthropologist, Dr. William Meadows, Professor at Missouri State University who shares about the groundbreaking research detailed in his book, “The First Code Talkers, Native American Communicators of World War I”. Get ready to experience a mix of oral history, individual soldiers’ accounts and newspapers, truly bringing these heroes’ stories to life.

In episode 2 you’ll learn about:

The Choctaw Code Talkers

How Native boarding schools prepared many Native American boys for the military.

The 36th contained nearly 600 Native Americans speaking 26 languages and dialects.

Natives in sports while serving in WW1.

Why the 36th became known as the “Millionaire Company”

The serious impacts of the Germans tapping into Americans communications.

Why being a “runner” had to have been the worst job in the WWI.

What launched the first code talking.

Yakoke to the brave Native American men and women who have served our country and all our Veterans! And many thanks to Dr. Meadows for sharing his research with us.

 

Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast 

All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/

We kick off our first episode of season 6 with a 5-part series on the most requested topic from my listeners – The Code Talkers.

Meet scholar and Anthropologist, Dr. William Meadows, Professor at Missouri State University who shares about the groundbreaking research detailed in his book, “The First Code Talkers, Native American Communicators of World War I”. Get ready to experience a mix of oral history, individual soldiers’ accounts and newspapers, truly bringing these heroes’ stories to life.

You can find Dr. Meadows’ book here and in many online and retail shops: http://tinyurl.com/bdfwp2kb

In this episode you’ll learn about:

• The importance and power of secure communications in military operations.

• How code talking dumbfounded the Germans.

• A 1919 Stars and Strips article stating attributes of Native servicemen, included being good runners, good marksmen, stoic under fire, using signals readily, their “uncanny sense of direction,” in blindfolded tests, scouting and patrol work in combat and their abilities at night.

• The term, “Indian Scout Syndrome”.

• Compared to the total population at the time, Native Americans volunteered at a rate nearly twice that of the rest of the American population.

• The Easter Band of Cherokee in WWI.

Dr. Meadows set out to discover the following in his research:

• Who were the first code talkers? Some think the Navajo, some would guess the Choctaw.

• You may be surprised at the answer!

• Was code talking actually classified as secret after the war?

• What factors led to the formation of Native-language military communicators in World War I?

• Who originated the idea to utilize the Choctaw, and how many were used in WW I?

I hope you’ll enjoy this series on our brave Native American men and women who served our country.

And yakoke for sharing your research with us, Dr. Meadows!

Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast

All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/

Last year was the 175th anniversary of the Irish gift*, in which the Choctaw people donated money to the Irish during the potato famine.

This November, we once again honor the spirit of giving, with my Choctaw guest, Sam Guerrero Stitt!

In parts 1 and 2 of this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Sam’s ancestral stories, including his ties to the Irish

• Sam’s Eternal Heart sculpture in Oklahoma will celebrate the Choctaw gift (a companion piece to the Kindred Spirits sculpture in Ireland)

• Sam’s new service, Native American Genealogy! www.natamgen.com

• Helpful tips on researching our native ancestors

• Is Brett Favre native American?

• The REAL story of David H Folsom

• The Freedmen

• The story of the bullet on the gravestone

• The “blurry” topic of Choctaw clans

• Traditional Choctaw clothing

If you’re searching for your American Indian ancestors, don’t forget to check out Native American Genealogy! www.natamgen.com I’m so excited about this!

*You can hear more about the Choctaw gift and the history of the Great Famine in Native ChocTalk’s Season 3, with Seth Fairchild, Executive Director of the Chahta Foundation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qZ8J0juWmA

Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast

All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/