By: Mark Francis
OKLAHOMA CITY—A group of Oklahoma Indians are on a quest to right history by conducting a parade to counter the state's celebration of the Oklahoma Land Run.
Organizers say they hope the April 12 parade here will raise awareness that Oklahoma history books are incorrect, along with history books in general, when it comes to Native Americans and the Great Land Rush of 1889.
The parade is sponsored by the Society to Preserve the Indigenous Rights and Indigenous Traditions (S.P.I.R.I.T.), made up of members of Native American tribes who support Native issues, families, personal education and human rights.
"We are looking for something to give our people to have pride in," said Brenda Golden, a Muscogee tribal member from Tulsa, Okla. "Some don't know who they are themselves, and the kids don't have anything to hold onto."
The parade, whose theme is "Honoring Our Past — Capturing Our Future," will take place the weekend before area land run re-enactments.
More than 2 million acres of land in Indian Territory were opened on April 22, 1889, for settlement during the first of five Oklahoma land runs. Up to 75,000 people surrounded the area to stake their claim for fewer than 12,000 homesteads between 1889 and 1895.
A S.P.I.R.I.T press release states that after the Civil War, tribes were forced to sell their land to the federal government for 60 cents to $1.25 an acre; the government said it would relocate other groups onto the land but never did. Many U.S. citizens regarded the lands as unassigned and, thus, public domain that should be opened for settlement.
Want to know more? Click here: http://www.reznetnews.org/article/feature-article/oklahoma-land-steal%3F
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
.JPG)
No comments:
Post a Comment