* Contributions to the planning for the original "Bleeding Kansas Heritage Area", 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." --- for a photograph and more information on that site, click here ( See further below for information and a link regarding the ceremony itself.) The whole trail will be part of the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area mentioned above. A DVD is available ($25 for general public, $15 for KIAANAFH members) for the entire KIAANAFH ceremony held in 2000. For an on-line introduction to the DVD,, click here (This is a large file, requiring about 6 minutes to download on most computers. For a portion of the keynote by Willard R. Johnson, and other speeches by County Commissioner William Linde, and Humboldt Historic Days organizer Mrs. Eileen Robertson, click here. This is a much larger file, requiring about 30 minutes to download on most computers. These video links will likely require CYBERLINK-POWERDVD or comparable software, to play back efficiently. You can obtain it free on-line. The format for these files is "VOB").

* 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.

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click here for Bibliography on historic connections between African Americans and Native Americans

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* Humboldt Commemoration- click this link for material relating to the Blacks and Indians Relations Ceremony-  "Tracing Trails of Blood on Ice: The Great Escape" of  Indians and Blacks into Kansas. This 1861/2 flight was led by the Muskogee leader Opothleyahola and reflected  a "comrades in arms" collaboration  between thousands of Native Americans and hundreds of African Americans to escape slavery and/or the Confederacy. 

The Negro History Bulletin of Jan.-Dec. 2001 (Vol. 64) carried an article by Willard R. Johnson regarding this story and a commemoration of it held in Humboldt, KS in June of 2000. The article is accessible at the following web site:  "Tracing Trails of Blood on Ice" article NHB
 

OTHER 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.

 
* CD- (Excel format with graphics) transcription of an 1870 Cherokee pension census of ALL residents in the territory of The Cherokee Nation (Indian Territory/Oklahoma) including colored persons, whether citizens or not, and intruders. This census had been lost in the National Archives since 1871. It is also available in print out. The CD is $35 to non-members, $20 to members. Alphabetized or original order printout = $25. ($12. to members)  Make checks to KIAANAFH.

 

 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
 (Kansas area  ancestral base in parentheses)

OFFICERS PRESIDENT Dr. Willard R. Johnson Professor Emeritus of Political Science Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Humboldt - Leavenworth)  VICE PRESIDENT  Rev. Robert L. Baynham Pastor, Metropolitan Baptist Church Kansas City, KS (Kansas City, MO)   CLERK/TREASURER Edith Walker Secondary School Math Teacher (Hugoton) RESIDENT AGENT Mr. Eric Kirkwood Administrator, Sickle Cell Disease Program (Kansas City)

OTHER BOARD MEMBERS Mrs. Charlotte Goodseal Retired Educator (Humboldt) Mrs. Thirkelle Howard Administrator, Kansas State Univ.   (Wichita) Dr. Amber Reagan-Kendrick Dean of Students Donnelly College Kansas City, KS Mrs. Khadijah Matin Trainer-Counselor NY Lutheran Medical Center (Oklahoma & Nebraska) Mr. Charles F. McAfee Architect (Wichita) Ms. Deborah Tucker Librarian Adamany Undergraduate Library Wayne State University

To join the KIAANAFH download and fill out this  form and send $25/yr ( payable to “KIAANAFH”)  to the

KIAANAFH Treasurer
Ms. Edith Walker
492 Beacon St. #76
Boston, MA 02115

for  program matters, contact: Prof. Willard R. Johnson (KIAANAFH President) MIT E53-367 Cambridge, MA 02139 tel: 617 253 2952  fax 617 258 6164

for legal matters , contact: Mr. Eric Kirkwood (KIAANAFH Resident Agent) 2530 N. 54th St. Kansas City, KS 66104