Nancy Ishcomer-Shields: Community, Culture & Identity
During the course of researching another project I came across a statement by Tams Bixby in the Congressional Record Serial Set responding to an accusation by attorney Webster Ballinger that the Dawes Commission was excluding people who had a right to transferred to the Chickasaw or Choctaw by blood roll.
Bixby stated that "Numerous other cases could be cited of persons of mixed Indian and negro blood who have been finally enrolled as citizens by blood of the Choctaw Nation..."
 |
| Senate Report 5013 (59th Congress, 2nd Session) part 2, p1542 |
 |
| Senate Report 5013 (59th Congress, 2nd Session) part 2, p1541 |
What I discovered by looking at the extended family of Nancy Shields was a subject and story that Tams Bixby did not include in his testimony as a rebuttal to Webster Ballinger, the "colored father" of Nancy (Shield) may have father other children by at least two other women but those children were considered "full-blood" Choctaw Indians.
It would appear the other children of Nelson Ishcomer chose to distance themselves away from the stigma or taint of having "negro blood" and began the process of identifying themselves as full blood Choctaw Indians, Nancy Shield(s) chose a different path for herself and her children.
This appears to be another example of how the Dawes Commission and the Choctaw Nation divided families and left the nation divided on artificial identities that are with us today.
CLICK LINK TO VIEW VIDEO
No comments:
Post a Comment