The US land grab accomplished by the Dawes Act and the irony of my family’s “Allotment”…
Okla – People
Homa – Red
Home of the Red People – Oklahoma- a pure compound Choctaw word
Until 1856, the Seminoles who were removed to Indian Territory were forced to live on Creek land. The Creeks had the choicest land and they outnumbered the Seminoles ten to one. “The Seminoles felt denationalized and humiliated by subjection to the laws of the Creeks.”(Foreman p.268) The US agreed to a treaty in 1856 in which Seminoles were finally given a separate tract of land. It was a long narrow strip between the Canadian River and the North Fork of the Canadian River, 2,169,000 acres. (Roll of heads of household by Band and number in household as of 1860, a total population of 2265 people – 24 bands were recorded, National Archives)
After the Civil War the Seminoles were made to sign a new Treaty which required the sale of all the Seminole Nation territory to the US at the rate of 15 cents per acre and they were allowed to buy land from the Creeks at fifty cents per acre. The prior territory was 2,169,080 acres and the new area was 200,000 acres. The new land was the second Seminole Nation in Indian Territory and lasted from 1866- 1907.
The five southeastern tribes, Choctaw, Chickisaw, Creek, Cherokee and Seminole were termed the Five Civilized Tribes by Americans in the mid nineteenth century because they had centralized government, a constitution, and farmed and raised cattle. Hunting tribes were deemed “wild” in comparison.
There was a land rush in 1889 into Indian Territory authorized by President Harrison allowing white settlers to claim unassigned land in Indian Territory that was not already designated to a tribe. However encroachment pressures from Americans wanting more and more land led to Congress passing the Dawes Severality Act in 1887 which authorized the taking of large swaths of land, previously given to tribes through treaties, for transfer to settlers. What this Act did was break up land held by the tribes in common and “give” each Indian their own individual section of land. However, previous to this, land was communally held and this imposition of a grid and individual ownership imposed a different culture.
The Dawes Act Commission was authorized to make tribal rolls for the purpose of dissolving tribal lands and allotting individual sections of land. This act freed up millions of acres for settlement. In 1907 Oklahoma became a state and Indian Territory was dissolved.
The Act permitted an Indian to secure 40 acres of irrigable cultivatable land, or 80 acres of non-irrigable cultivatable land, or 160 acres of non-irrigable, non-cultivatable, grazing land.
In 1908 what became known as the Restrictions Bill was passed. It was ruled that individuals between one-half to full blood were “restricted Indians”, meaning tribal members were not in full control of their own property and had a guardian assigned to them who would make decisions about the allotment. This guardian was an appointee of the Department of the Interior. The Restrictions Bill also confirmed the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to remove restrictions. Restricted tribal members could make an application to a US Indian agent for the removal of their restrictions. The field Indian agent would then investigate the applicants and forward any reports and recommendations to the Department of the Interior, which would be reviewed by the Secretary of the Interior. The Secretary had the final say as to whether restrictions should be removed or not.
One of the great ironies in this history is that my great-great grandmother Louina King’s allotment happened to be one of the most oil rich sections of land in Oklahoma. Read about the Seminole Oil Boom and the Bowlegs reservoir discovery in 1926.
My Family’s Records
These records are from my great grandmother Letha King, who died in 2013 at the age of 100, and who gave them to my mother.
Dawes Allotment sections maps:
Bowlegs Family Cemetery
“This was a map local people had surveyors etc make up. They were trying to get a historical marker put up coming into Bowlegs from Wewoka to mark this town and grave site. It failed but now that Kelly Haney is in office of white people we should try again. Most of the citizens were willing to pay along with me the price. H.S. Emerson first school pupil in 1927 and daughter Bonnie started this.” – Letha King (wife of Louis King and daughter-in-law of Louina King)
Family Stories told to Leslie Perry Goldstein by Letha King
“Louina would take us, Suzy, Lucinda, everybody on hunting trips to the mountains in New Mexico. They would rent horses and employ a Mexican guide. They pitched tents and put rugs on the dirt floor. They would hunt deer – fill the Dodge truck with deer and tack them to the front and sides. When they got home they’d give venison to everybody. They went when it was cold in November.”
“Louina and Suzy would go to Hot Springs in Arkansas for a month and take a cook. And go to Colorado Springs, CO and take a cook. She took a cook whenever she went on a trip. In Colorado Springs, Suzy and Louina would rent houses across the street from one another.”
“Sallie Bowlegs, Roll Number 1292, married Passake, Roll Number 1364. They had five children. At the time of enrollment in 1897 Nelly (no.1235) was age 22, Louina (no.1577) was age 20, Lizzie (no.1293) was age 18, Billie (no.1294) was age 16, and David (no.1295) was 12. They each took their mother’s name and clan. This is a Seminole custom. They lived in an area now called Bowlegs in groups and clans on allotments. They built log houses and farms.”
It was David Bowlegs, grandson of Billy, for whom the town is named and not for the Seminole chief , but for the tragedy which took his life, his wife Rose and their daughter Anna. These murders so angered the people of this area that they decided to name the town after this branch of of the Bowlegs family. The land on which the town of Bowlegs sits is located on the allotted land of the Bowlegs family. It was sold in order to raise money to bring to trial and prosecute the two men who murdered Dave’s family. The three are buried in the family cemetery in a single grave on the allotted land of Wisey Bowlegs, a daughter of Louina Bowlegs Walker King. 1,000 people attended the funeral on April 12, 1913.
“Jimmie went to live with Dave Bowlegs – tradition – sons would often go to live with uncles because uncles wouldn’t be so hard on sons. Jimmie was living with Dave when the murders happened. He was struck on the head unconscious and he was the witness to who had done the murders.”
It was the testimony of Jimmie Walker, whom the perpetrators left for dead, that brought the trial to an end and justice for the murderers. Jimmie Walker lay unconscious for 18 days hovering between life and death. His mother and sisters watched him day and night. Sallie Bowlegs, his grandmother sent for an old Indian doctor, Sanogee Yahola who lived out in the woods near Lincoln Burden’s place. Sanogee worked with Jimmie and he slowly responded to the poultices and prayers of the medicine man. As Sanogee blew through his reed pipe and sang into his medecine pot containing a concoction of herbs, he made medecine to apply to Jimmie’s wounds. After a few days, Jimmie revived and was soon able to walk, eat, and talk again. He gradually grew stronger and was able to ride a horse again. He lived to be 60 years old.
Postal route map of Seminole Territory 1866-1907 (Mekusukey was the site of the Dawes roll census. Wolf Township is the area where our family lived).