In a message dated 8/8/2002 11:11:59 AM Central Daylight Time, GARBERCNS@aol.com writes: > CHOCTAW-SE] MS Choctaws > Date:8/8/2002 11:11:59 AM Central Daylight Time > From: GARBERCNS@aol.com > Reply-to: <A HREF="mailto:CHOCTAW-SOUTHEAST-L@rootsweb.com">CHOCTAW-SOUTHEAST-L@rootsweb.com</A> > To: CHOCTAW-SOUTHEAST-L@rootsweb.com > > > > > Hi, everyone, > I think it is important to remind everyone from time to time that the > reason that nearly all of the applicants for recognition as Mississippi > Choctaws (around 1900) were rejected was that they could not prove > compliance > with Article 14 of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. This article > stipulated that all Choctaws who chose to remain in Mississippi rather than > removing to Oklahoma should sign up with the federal agent within a > specified > period of time. The agent would then allot them a portion of land in > Mississippi before it was opened to purchase by white settlers and > speculators. To make a very long and ugly story short, the agent--Colonel > Ward--was both incompetent and hostile to the Choctaws, with the result > that > very few of these people actually registered, even though thousands tried > to > do so. Sixty years later, their descendants were denied recognition because > they could not prove they had registered or attempted to do so, mostly > because the government had no reliable records! Not exactly fair. And it > didn't address the question of whether they actually were Choctaw. > > Kitty > Thanks for posting this info, Kitty. I think that will be of help to all of us researching the past. John Craven New Orleans