In a message dated 8/11/2002 8:38:11 AM Central Daylight Time, Lori0602h@aol.com writes: > > This is so sad and you speak the truth. It reminds me of how I've gone to > various places to research. I find information that is so historic and > delightful. When I return, the records have been lost and never found > again. > Ufortunately, it happens more often to non-whites. It makes me wonder if > there is a concerted effort to keep us from learning and proving our > ancestry. > > Lori > Lori, I think that's part of it. Keeping people ignorant of the history is a way that those who rule can keep control of people. Look at the various totalitarian governments that the 20th century produced, specifically the Soviet Union. I think everyone of them sought to abolish all legacies of the past and only teach the history that they approved of. I think that's part of it. And it's not that every tradition of every culture, Indian or non-Indian is worth preserving and maintaining and continuing. Bone-picking is one custom I'm more than happy to see not being practiced today but even with bone-picking it is a custom that people should be aware existed in Choctaw history. I recently received three microfilm reels of the papers of Andrew Jackson from the state of Tennessee's library and in looking over them I came across a letter from a museum curator with regards to a previously unknown animal species' skeleton which had been found in a cave which had a fairly big tusk and which talked of an Indian burial mound in Tennessee which had been accidentally uncovered it seems by a farmer tilling his soil and there was a wonderful diagram of it and apparently there were bones excavated and sent to the museum. There was also a diagram of what appeared to be Mayan pyramid and I'm not certain yet if the pyramid was something that was discovered in the Yucatan or was found at the burial mound. I've heard of Indian Mounds before and one list member sent me a wonderful photo of one but I had never associated Andrew Jackson with one. And I had never heard of this one before located at a place called Bledsoe's Lick in Sumter County, Tennessee. I think that's the name of the county. It's hard to read some of these letters. But again this touches on the point you mentioned about keeping people ignorant of their history. In any event good luck with your ongoing search. John Craven New Orleans