This is the story of Rebecca Williams from South McAlester in the Choctaw Nation. Her background was of Chickasaw history, culture and life, and her mother was a native woman from the Territory. Her story is significant because she chose to sepak to her truth, especially when she realized that something was being taken away from her. Hers is a story to tell and a story to be remembered.

Jake was enslaved on a plantation in Skullyville in the Choctaw Nation. He was said to have been on the estate of Joseph Hall. In the early days of the  Civil War, a slave uprising was said to have occurred, but Jake was the man who was able to bring the violence to an end, saving the life of one of the Hall family members. Nothing more was ever said about Jake, the enslaved man except that he died during the war. Could more be learned about him?  This is a story of my journey to see what I could learn about him.

James Coody John was a remarkable man who emerged as a leader in both Creek and Seminole communities. His was fluent in both Muscogee language as well as English, went on to obtain an education in the east returning to Oklahoma where he would be a man in demand by many who needed his legal skills as much as his language skills. He was active politically working for tribal Freedmen as well as blacks who emigrated to Oklahoma from other states. In addition, he  emerged as a leader as a Grand Master in the community of Masons in Oklahoma. A building erected by Johnson still stands in Wewoka Oklahoma today and a highway marker bearing his name welcomes all to the city where he lived, and died. James Coody Johnson--a name not to be forgotten in Oklahoma history.

This podcast focuses on Moses Whitmire who was elected as a Trustee for Cherokee Freedmen in response to an act from the tribal council in 1883 that planned to exclude the Freedmen from the Nation in sharing in a  percapita payment that was being allocated to the Cherokee Nation.     Moses Whitmire was elected by the Freedmen to be their trustee and to travel to Washington to negotiage on their behalf. In an effort to secure an attorney he signed an agreement with two attorneys from St. Louis Missouri, and this led to a larger issues where he had unknowingly signed an agreement to pay the attorneys almost 30% of the funds going to the Nation.  His case began a centuries long case regarding Cherokee Freedmen and their treatment as full citizens.      As a trustee lawsuits arose against him and Whitmire filed counter-suits against the Cherokee Nation and the United States.  He set precedent for Freedmen and their many trips to Washington DC that would go on for more than a century. 

This episode describes the work of Annie Keel a Chickasaw Freedwoman who lived in the Choctaw Nation. After slavery ended she was interested in the establishment of a church in her community, and in particular that of the AME Church. She did not have contacts herself, but took the initiative to contact the Chief of the Choctaw Nation for assistance. Her boldness and her tenacity paid off and the AME Church was established in the Choctaw Nation and she and her husband Billy hosted the first AME Church conference in the Territory. Hers is a remarkable story of vision, action and determination.

This episode explores the remarkable legacy of the Sango family from the Muscogee Creek Nation. From the days before the removal of Creek Indians from Georgia and Alabama, to Indian Territory in the west, the Sangos have left their mark on the soil of Oklahoma. Beginning with Scipio Sango to his son Alexander known better as A.G.W. Sango, this is a story of a strong father and son, who left their mark on Oklahoma. Theirs are names that should never be forgotten.

This episode focuses on the story of Zach Foreman, a Cherokee Freedman who managed to create a small town named after himself. From humble beginnings as a slave, to become a wealthy cattleman, and town leader, his story is one to remember. He became a man of prominence and fortune, though today he is largely forgotten and seldom mentioned among Freedmen leaders from Indian Territory.

There are many stories of freedom and how it came to enslaved people. Those of us who have ties to Indian Territory also have stories of freedom. Some seized their own freedom, and some were told of their freedom. Regardless, though slavery was not abolished till 1866 when the treaties were signed, descendants of Oklahoma Freedmen also join the symbolic commemoration of the end of a 400 year saga of slavery. Therefore we lift our voices and sing, with the harmony of liberty! This episode is in honor of the Freedmen of Indian Territory and their freedom from bondage in the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole Nations.

John Baldridge had an incredible life as a Cherokee slave, and emerged as a freedom fighter, then had two other lives in which his name was made as a religious leader, and also as an herbalist. This is the story of a man well known in the Cherokee Nation, who should be remembered by all who are fascinated by men of courage, intelligence, and strength!

This episode explores a family from the southern part of the Choctaw Nation whose roots extend beyond the Nation, beyond Indian Territory, and even beyond the United States. The head of the family, Zach Dunford was the son of Dock and Charity Dunford, both of whom were elders at the time of the Dawes Commission, and they had records that led to more information about the family's past.