THE
KANSAS INSTITUTE
FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN
AND
NATIVE-AMERICAN
FAMILY HISTORY
This website concerns: African American history -- especially historic and current connections with Native Americans-- and social history of the American Mid-West, family history, and commemorating Kansas history.
(NOTICE:
some of the links on this website will probably not open on a
smart-phone or I-phone. We are working to correct that problem. For viewers using a computer, all should open,
perhaps in “a new frame,” But, for any that does not open, try using
a control+click procedure. Then, look at the
top of your screen for that new frame and click on it.
To join the KIAANAFH download and fill out this form and send $25/yr to our Treasurer.
Make checks payable to “KIAANAFH” -contributions
& membership payments are tax deductable!
==========================================================
FEATURED BOOK for September
Officially Indian explores the
symbolic importance of American Indians in the visual language of U.S.
democracy since before the country’s founding. In the first in-depth study of this
extraordinary archive—including maps, monuments and architectural features,
stamps, and currency—the author argues that these representations are not empty
symbols but reflect how official and semi-official government institutions,
from the U.S. Army and the Department of the Treasury to the patriotic
fraternal society Sons of Liberty, have attempted to define what the country
stands for. American Indian imagery—almost invariably distorted and bearing
little relation to the reality of Native American–U.S. government relations— sheds light on the United States’
evolving sense of itself as a democratic nation. Such images as a Plains Indian
buffalo hunter on the 1898 four-cent stamp and Sequoyah’s likeness etched into
glass doors at the Library of Congress in 2013 reveal how deeply rooted
American Indians are in U.S. national identity. While the meanings embedded in
these artifacts can be paradoxical, counterintuitive, and contradictory to
their eras’ prevailing attitudes toward actual American Indians, the imagery
has been crucial to the ongoing national debate over what it means to be an
American.
Specifications
• ISBN-13:
978-1-5179-0330-5 (hardcover) • 2017,
published by NMAI
• 184
pages, 50 color and black-and-white illustrations • 7 x 10 inches
•Distributed by
University of Minnesota Press… Price:
$28.00 Members save: $5.60 [Members of National Indian Museum]
PAST FEATURED ARTICLES
(control+click here) Another
Native woman advances in historic year for Native candidates
Sharice Davids, a citizen of the Ho-Chunk Nation, won the
Democratic primary for a Congressional seat in Kansas.
FEATURED VIDEOS
Edith Walker’s Kansas
pioneer family
click
here for Matin's introduction of Edith Walker, and click
here for Edith
Walker's presentation.
Regarding the Sims family, the McAfee family, and others of Wichita:
by Mr. Charles McAfee, of McAfee3Architects Co. for
video click here
Regarding The African American
communities of North-East Kansas City, KS:
by Rev. Robert L. Baynham
for video, click here
FEATURED online – BLOG ENTRY
“Pompey” Fixico
(descendant of Caesar Bruner of the Seimonle/Creek/Mascogos) regarding their relevance to Blacks in Mexico, as
well as “Cinco
de Mayo” celebrations: click this link
https://refixico.wordpress.com/2018/08/09/john-horse-dr-runoko-rashidi-carl-nelsons-woldc-radio-program-los-mascogos-and-fort-negros-fixico/
Or, IF THAT DOES NOT WORK,
copy the following text into your web browser location window https://refixico.wordpress.com/2018/08/09/john-horse-dr-runoko-rashidi-carl-nelsons-woldc-radio-program-los-mascogos-and-fort-negros-fixico/
For a subsequent
entry on similar issues, enter the following in your browser > https://refixico.wordpress.com%2f2018%2f08%2f11%2falliances-gullah-geechee-seminole-maroons-mascogo-maroons-john-horse-carl-nelsons-woldc-news-and-fort-negros-fixico/
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Selected video footage
from two special panels presented at the 2017 60th Annual National
Conference of the U.S. African Studies Association, featuring the career of Dr.
Willard R. Johnson This footage starts with fourth segment of the full set of videos, and is located at
https://youtu.be/J8NF_a_n2Wk this segment should
be advanced to start at about the 25:25
marker point, to start with the
first part of Dr. Vivian R. Johnson discussion of Willard’s and her work on
genealogy regarding Kansas ancestors and related social history. View on to the
finish of that segmen Note: the first photo, of
“Bettie,” is NOT of “The Madagascar Woman” but rather her daughter. We have no
name or photo of the Madagascan.. In the next segment,
the statue for the First Kansas Colored Regiment is located in Missouri] Then continue on the next segment, at https://youtu.be/MJFs-VSaYrU This segment ends with remarks by Willard. His discussion continues of the final segment:
at https://youtu.be/sFvk_DeRIK4 and includes audience
remarks and questions including remarks by former American and African students and associates
of Willard, and remarks and questions by
Dr. Adekeye Adebajo of the
University of Johannesburg who heads
their Institute of Pan-African
Thought and Conversation.
Next is footage regarding from Willard R. Johnson’s presentation to Univ. of Johannesburg
Conference organized by Dr. Adebajo, called “The
Pan-African Pantheon,”
regarding the contributions to Pan-Africanism of Mr. Harry
Belafonte For an extensive excerpt from this presentation-- click here
======================================================
Interview with noted, now retired and Florida
based physician
Dr. Joseph K. Hurd, MD,
regarding his many generations of Kansas family
history!
For an online"You-tube"
based record of this interview
click here, and then use the "play
all" box at top left!
-----Dr. Joseph K. Hurd ---------------and one of his----- Willingham
ancestors-----
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2015 PROGRAMS:
FORUMS: HISTORY AND CURRENT CHALLENGES OF SOME
KANSAS BLACK COMMUNITIES, and
HISTORY OF SOME OF THEIR NOTABLE FAMILIES
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WICHITA AREA FORUM
November 14, 2015 ---- Unity Church of Wichita, KS
co-sponsored by
UNITY Of Wichita, and the KIAANAFH
Presentations:
Introduction by Ms Wilma Moore-Black, Wichita State
Upward Bound Program Director
Some Humboldt KS families: by Dr. Willard R. Johnson, retired MIT Professor -
(facilitated by the MIT Department of Political Science)
for a video of the introduction
and W. Johnson's presentation click here
(ignore any YouTube ads, they are not by us)
for the second part of Johnson, click here
for final part of Johnson's presentation, click here
The George and
Catherine Walker family, by Edith Walker
for video of Ms E. Walker's presentation click
here
The Brown Family: by Ms. Shelia Brown-Kinnard,
Educator for this video, click here
The Sexton Family: by Dr. Eric Sexton, V.P. Wichita State Univ. for
presentation click here
for video of audience discussion of this family this
link for the video
The Sims Family, the McAfee family, and others of Wichita:
by Mr. Charles McAfee, of McAfee3Architects Co. for
video click here
final discussion video 1 and video 2
=====================================================================
KANSAS CITY AREA FORUM
October 31, 2015 -- Metropolitan Baptist Church, KC, Kansas
(This forum was co-sponsored by the Kansas Humanities Council)
Presentations:
Master of Ceremonies, Ms. Geri Sanders videoclip
Ms Angela Bates presented on the historic Black town of Nicodemus:
we have no video of the presentation itself, but here is a video on the Q&A
discussion
Quindaro: history and commemorative quilts, by Ms. Nedra Bonds
5 videos on this presentation and discussion 1st
part of Bonds speech , 2nd
part of Bonds speech ,
Q n A 1st part , Q
n A 2nd part , Q
n A final part
Humboldt, KS families: by Dr. Willard R. Johnson, retired Professor
(facilitated by
the MIT Department of Political Science)
NorthEast Kansas Ciity, KS:
by Rev. Robert L. Baynham
for video, click here
Gordon Parks: by Charles McAfee, Architect for
video on the main presentation, click here
for video of discussion, click here
watch this space for future posting of more videos
from this forum
EARLIER PROGRAMS:
VIDEO (added in 2014) of the
Humboldt, Kansas ceremony from June, 2000, commemorating "THE GREAT
ESCAPE" of Indians and Blacks over "The Trail of Blood on Ice"
from "Indian Territory" (now Oklahoma) to Kansas. This 1861/2 flight was led by the Muskogee leader Opothleyahola and reflected
a "comrades in arms" collaboration between many thousands
of Native Americans and hundreds of African Americans to escape
slavery and/or the Confederacy.
Click here for the introduction to our DVD on the complete ceremony. Please note that all the video footage
on this ceremony is under copyright protection by the KIAANAFH and may not
legally be reproduced without our permission. Click HERE for video footage of the opening of the ceremony and the speech
by the Muskogee Creek Indian Nation's Principal Chief, Mr. R. Perry Beaver, and
the first half of the presensation by KIAANAFH
President Prof. Willard R Johnson. CLICK HERE for the completion of Johnson's presentation, and other
speakers about the experience of the refugees.
CLICK HERE for PART THREE to continue the presentations by descendants of the refugees
and of some of the principal figures in the story of the Great Escape.
CLICK HERE for PART FOUR to complete the presentations by descendants, including direct
descendants of Opothleyahola and other leaders of
that time. (See near the very bottom of this web page for more material on this
event.)
============================================================
ALSO LOOK AT THE
MATERIALS FEATURED BELOW:
video -- Concepts of citizenship relevant to Blacks with Indians
(This 2 hour panel from February 2011 at M.I.T. incluudes a 20+ minute talk by Willard R. Johnson --- after
starting the video, move the location mark to start at 1hr 17 minutes.)
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-- OUR 2012 PUBLIC FORUM --
“Out of the shadows:
Notable African American families
and sites of Mid-America”
Saturday, August 25, 2012 -- 10am to 2pm
at The Black Archives of Mid-America
1722 E. 17th Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64108
Sponsored by The KIAANAFH (with partial support by FFNHA, the
Black Archives of Mid-America,
and the M.I.T. Political Science Dept.)
WE DISCUSSED HOW/WHAT WE
CAN LEARN FROM OUR OWN FAMILY HISTORIES, and
HOW TO BRING OUT THEIR BROADER SIGNIFICANCE!
The stories we discussed concerned the families in the Kansas and Missouri area
that settled here before 1950.
We hope to help our children and grandchildren take pride in their family’s
heritage.
We aim to bring prominence to our stories by making them known to the thousands
of tourists who, in coming years,
will visit the U.S. National Park Service’s project called Freedom’s Frontier
National Heritage Area (FFNHA).
We discussed important but still all too little known places and people in
KS/MO history, such as:
o Dr. George Washington Carver: scientist, educator, inventor, artist, born in
MO, product of KS education.
o Sarah Rector: the richest Black woman in the US,
perhaps the world of her time, who was a resident of KC.
o Bishop John Andrew Greg: who was a noted educator, U.S. diplomat, AME church
leader, resident of KC, KS.
o Melvin B. Tolson:
educator, labor organizer, civic leader, coach of the famous “Great Debaters,”
resident of KC, MO.
o Polly Crossilin: Black Seminole/Creek Indian
founder of the Colored Church (Poplar Grove) of Humboldt, KS.
o The role Sumner High School of Kansas City in
producing many African American leaders.
o Contributions of the region's African American
women's clubs and organizations.
o The contributions of the early local African
American churches.
o Stories and sites introduced by the participants.
Speakers included:
Ms. Julie McPike, Project Coordinator, FFNHA
Mr. Chester Owens, former member of KC, KS City Council
Mr. Robert Farnsworth, historian and biographer of Melvin B. Tolson
Dr. Doretha Williams, Executive Director of the Black
Archives of Mid-America
Ms. Geraldlyn Sanders, Assistant to the President of
the KC Art Institute, activist in M.A.G.I.C., KIAANAFH Board
Dr. Khadijah Matin, former National President
Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, KIAANAFH Board
Rev. Robert L. Baynham, Pastor of the Metropolitan
Baptist Temple in KC, KS, KIAANAFH Vice President
Dr. Willard R. Johnson, retired Professor of Political Science at MIT and
KIAANAFH President
Ms. Edith Walker, math teacher at the Commonwealth School in Boston, KIAANAFH
Treasurer
Ms. Deborah Tucker, retired librarian, Wayne State University, KIAANAFH Board
---------------------------------------------------------
For "YouTube"
based VIDEOS of this forum click on the following links.
Click here for the first 4 presentations --the Forum Introduction by Dr. Khadijah
Matin, the explanation of the FFNHA project by Ms.
Julie McPike, the introduction to Sarah Rector story
by Ms. Geraldlyn Sanders, and discussions by Mr.
Chester Owens of AME Bishop Gregg, and the first part of the Sumner High School
story.
Click here for the continuation of
Mr. Owens' presentation regarding Sumner High School, followed by Robert
Farnsworth on the many contributions of "The Great Debater's" coach,
Melvin Tolson.
Click
here for the video clip of Khadijah Matin's
presentation on her Nebraska pioneer family's Kansas experience, followed by
Deborah Tucker's discussion of the life and achievements of Dr. George Washington
Carver, and then the first part of the presentation by Ms
Doretha Williams about early women's clubs in Kansas;
AND
Click here for the end of the Williams presentation on women's clubs, and
the first half of the presentation by Rev. R.L. Baynham
regarding the early development of Black churches in Kansas, and click here for the rest of that presentation by Rev. Baynham;
click here for Matin's introduction of Edith
Walker, and click here for Edith Walker's presentation about her pioneer family in
Kansas.
For a video of the
presentation and related photos regarding "Aunt Polly" Crosslin, by WRJohnson click here
To continue with a few more sites and photos relating to this
presentation click here.
=========================================================
OTHER FEATURED LINKS
African
Native American Genealogy Forum for all topics on Black/Indian
connections, especially the recent controversies regarding restoration of
historic citizenship rights for "Freedman"
Freedmen
Descendants of the 5 Tribes website
"Muskogee
Creek Indian Freedmen Band" organization
-- for their 2015 Conference speakers click here
"Creek Freedman" Organization
Concepts of citizenship relevant to Blacks and Indians
(this 2 hour panel incluudes a 15
minute talk by Willard R. Johnson regarding Blacks and Indians (start the
video, and to hear only Johnson's presenttion, move
the location marker to 1hr 17 min mark into the video)
For
current news from an Indian nations perspective, click here
National
Congress of Black American Indians
launched in July 2014--- for the
Indianz News article on this event, click here
The "Bleeding Kansas Heritage Area Project" has been transformed into
the Freedom's
Frontier National Heritage Area (click here for its website)-- --
(for information on ALL the Heritage Areas, click here )
Black Archives of
Mid-America
BLACK PAST: African American
History through people and places;
the vignette of Seminole Chiefs Billy Bowleg (Halpata & Sonaki Micco)
National
Resources for doing genealogy on African Americans and Native Americans
AfroAmerican Historical and Genealogy Society
Afrigeneas - genealogy and history site
The Kansas African
American Museum -- Wichita
Mid West Indian
Center Wichita
Heart of America Indian
Center KC MO
National American Indian
Museum
Regarding the historic
underground railroad site at the Quindaro Ruins:
listen to an interesting radio interview on the KC Currents show at KCUR
(brought to our attention by Marvin S. Robinson II) http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kcur/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1837930
For a Los Angeles Times archive article on the Quindaro Ruins site: Click here
=========================================================
SOME HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
READING ABOUT KANSAS SOCIAL HISTORY
<>
CITIZENS CREEK
New Book from the Author
of the best-selling books: Cane River, and Red River
We very seldom impose on our contacts to call attention to commercial products,
however relevant they may be to the common interests of the visitors to this
website. However, having read this book (and, indeed all her previous ones) and
having discussed it with her throughout much of its development, and finding it
truly an extraordinarily informative, moving, historically well-grounded in the
available facts, and brilliantly rendered work of historical fiction – I feel
confident in recommending it to our members and friends. This is a very
important story about Cow Tom and his family, his close associates (such as
Harry Island) and owner (Chief Yargee) . Tom and Island were among the most famous and
consequential of the Black interpreters for the Creek, Seminole, and Cherokee
Native American nations, during the period of the “Indian removals” and
American Civil War. Such a story has ramifications for relations between many
African Americans and Native Americans today. It was published by Atria Books
division of Simon and Shuster, Inc.
We recommend this book to
a wide range of readers - those who enjoy engrossing fiction, or a good
multigenerational family story, or important but still rather overlooked
aspects of American history.
You can ORDER Citizens Creek through Amazon at this webiste
or through the author's website www.lalitatademy.com, just click
through any of the links there
(Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or an independent bookseller)
For more information, also see the website
www.simonandshuster.com or facebook.com/atriabooks.
Also
consider the book that records a very relevant 2009 exhibit at
The National Museum of Native Americans, Washington D.C.
“INDIVISIBLE”
you can order this book from the Smithsonian Stores:
phone 1-800-331-3761, or online at www.AmericanIndian.si.edu/bookshop
or search by this ISBN:
978-1-58834-271-3
FIND FURTHER RESOURCE LINKS
BELOW
Other KIAANAFH PAST
ACHIEVEMENTS include:
* Transcription of a
“breakout session” panel at the 57 th
Annual Session of the National Council of American Indians that focussed on "The Legacy and Future of Black/Indian Relations." The session
was organized by former Cherokee Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller,
with the assistance of Dr. Willard R. Johnson and the KIAANAFH. The
transcription was rendered by Dr. Johnson and is published for posting here and
in print by the KIAANAFH. Click on this link for the transcription of this NCAI
session on BLACK/ INDIAN RELATIONS - TRANSCRIPT. You may
download and print this transcription for personal, classroom,
civic organizational or other strictly non-commercial uses only.
For an extensive bibliography and resource list developed by participants in
this panel under the leadership of Chief Mankiller and
Dr. Patrick Minges, click the link below.
click here for Bibglioraphy on historic connections
between African Americans and Native Americans
More regarding THE GREAT
ESCAPE CEREMONY: "Tracing Trails of Blood on Ice: The Great Escape" of Indians and Blacks into Kansas." Click the next link for text and photo material relating
to this ceremony!
(click here for estimated route of the escape)
You
may order a copy of our DVD of the complete ceremony, -- $20 for members, plus
$4 shipping. $30 plus shipping for non-members.
The
Negro History Bulletin of Jan.-Dec. 2001 (Vol. 64) carried an article by
Willard R. Johnson regarding this story . Click here
for a text only copy of this individual article for non-commercial use. The
whole issue containing this article and teaching guides may be purchased
through the Association for the Study of African American Life and History,
publications archive website: ASAALH
publication archive store
*KIAANAFH
also contributed to the planning for the original "Bleeding Kansas
Heritage Area" project, including the LeRoy Kansas Opothleyahola
Memorial site that is part of that tour area, as part of a 4-county Heritage
Tour area that was inspired by and based on the story commemorated in
KIAANAFH's June 2000 "Great Escape" ceremony, called "Tracing
Trails of Blood on Ice." Video footage of this entire ceremony is featured
at the beginning of this webpage, above.
---
for a photograph and more information on the LeRoy
site, click here---
The
whole trail will be part of the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area
mentioned above.
OTHER PAST KIAANAFH ACCOMPLISHMENTS include:
*
Seminars/exhibitions on pioneer African American families in the Southeast
Kansas area with principal funding support from the Kansas Humanities Council.
*
Round-Table discussions within the Kansas based African American communities to
document the connections the various episodes of forced removal of Native
American nations from the South Eastern United States during the 1830s “Trail
of Tears."
* A workshop among families that participated
in the round-table programs together with experts and officials from the
National Archives and Records Administration (from Washington DC and Ft. Worth
TX offices) devoted to documentation for connections between the African- and
Native- American peoples.
* CHEROKEE NATION CENSUS (1869/1870):
transcription of a Cherokee pension census commissioned in 1869, and supervised
by Capt. J. W. Craig. It records ALL known residents in the territory of The
Cherokee Nation (Indian Territory/Oklahoma) including colored persons, whether
citizens or not, and intruders. This census was submitted to the Commissioner
of Indian Affairs in Dec. 1871 by F. E. Foster, Sp. Agent in the Pension Office.
It had been lost in the National Archives since 1871. KIAANAFH members may
request lookups for up to five individuals -contact Pres.
Willard
R. Johnson at the address below.
============================================
The
KIAANAFH is an independent, non-profit, membership organization founded in 1991
to promote the preservation, documentation and appreciation of family identity,
traditions, and achievements of the members of the African American and Native
American communities of the Mid-West United States. The KIAANAFH aims to assist families with a
regional base of ancestral roots and widely scattered branches, to know,
preserve, strengthen and celebrate their own achievements.
The
KIAANAFH was founded by persons whose parents or grandparents were/are still
resident in Kansas, or whose current work is associated with the study and
preservation of historical material relating to Kansas. Many of them represent mixtures of African
American and Native American descent, or have "Freedman," and/or
“comrade in arms” connections with Native American peoples. Many of them are
academicians, in a variety of fields, who can help identify and mobilize
resources to assist families to document themselves more fully and to preserve
their important memorabilia. In particular, they aim to improve the resource
base for revealing and commemorating the often neglected and difficult to
document aspects of African American and Native American genealogical and
historical relationships.
