In a message dated 5/26/00 11:12:54 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: << I have also found evidence of good friends or good family helping both African and Native Americans "pass" for white. For anyone that anticipated the relocations, etc or later decided to remain where they were or move elsewhere but not relocate - there was advantage/need to "pass". Education, employment, rate of wages, property ownership etc. can make a difference. Some individuals and families of the Five Civilized Tribes purposely protected Freedmen by adopting them as members, into family and tribal groups. In reviewing information in censuses, it seems this was also the case with some of the non-Native families too. When there was intermarriage or "co-mingling", passing would be a reasonable choice, if possible. (I would imagine that there were a range of thoughts and feelings when the Federal government later forced them to list AA as members of tribal groups.) If caught in attempting to "pass" the consequences could be extreme for everyone involved, (especially so in Louisiana from what I've read). I believe there was high costs paid by everyone; regardless of their thoughts or the decisions they made re. relocation, etc. Alan >> My adoptive mother's family were definitely not white and stayed away as much as possible from the white community. They would call themselves "Black Dutch," which I have come to learn was a term used by many Native Americans. Carol Jean