The Five Southeastern Tribes

Labriola Center

The following bibliography honors the Five Southeastern Tribes, the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, Choctaw, and Seminole. Material is held in the Labriola Center and covers history of the tribe both before and after removal from their ancestral homelands in the southeast, feast of the Mississippi from Lake Michigan to Florida. They owned plantations, lived in frame houses, had governments with written constitutions, a public school system, a written language, and a newspaper, and some had black slaves. Their forced removal to Oklahoma was authorized by President Andrew Jackson with passage of the 1830 Indian Removal Act. The following bibliography includes basic reference materials along with both primary and secondary resources.

From the Labriola Reference Collection

American Indian History, edited by Carole A. Barrett, 2 volumes. Pasadena, California: Salem Press, Inc., 2003.

The volumes contain brief but useful information on Cherokee legal cases; the Choctaw Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek; Indian Removal; Seminole Wars; Trail of Tears; Chickasaw and the Battle of Fallen Timbers; Cherokee Phoenix, and more.

American Indians: Answers to Today’s Questions, by Jack Utter. Second Edition, revised. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001.

Here is a volume that could be especially helpful to those just beginning Indian studies. It answers questions about federal “recognition,” treaties, voting rights, trust land, hunting and fishing, economic issues, and more.

Encyclopedia of American Indian Contributions to the World: 15,000 Years of Inventions and Innovations, by Emory Dean Keoke and Kay Marie Porterfield.New York: Facts on File, 2002.

The encyclopedia lists the many ways American Indians have contributed to the world’s common fund of knowledge. For example, the Cherokee can be credited with creating various indigestion medications, and sassafras, among others, while the Creek had lacrosse, the Choctaw, chewable dentifrices, and the Seminole had a form of evaporative cooling.

Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes, edited by Sharon Malinowski and Anna Sheets, 4 volumes. New York: Gale, 1998.

Each tribe is introduced with a short history in addition to basic information on religion, language, house styles, subsistence, clothing and adornment, healing practices, tribal organization, current tribal issues, with a bibliography for further reading. Organized by culture area.

Handbook of North American Indians: History of Indian-White Relations, edited by Wilcomb E. Washburn, vol. 4. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1988.

Here is a good deal of information on each of the tribes in addition to an overall look at the Five Tribes as a unit.

Native America in the Twentieth Century: An Encyclopedia, edited by Mary B. Daves, et.al. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1994.

Organized alphabetically, the volume contains current and historic information about each of the five tribes, along with various political and policy issues. Here is information on the Indian Reorganization Act, Dawes Act, land claims, and much, much more.

Notable Native Americans, edited by Sharon Malinowski. New York: Gale, 1995.

Contains the bibliographies of both current and past individuals from the five tribes that had influence on the history, culture, and political life of the people.

Tiller’s Guide to Indian Country: Economic Profiles of American Indian Reservations, edited and compiled by Veronica E. Velarde Tiller. Albuquerque, New Mexico: BowArrow Publishing Company, 2005.

In his preface to the current volume, Senator Daniel Inouye has written that “the economic conditions of Native people and their communities have been largely hidden from America’s awareness and in their place, stereotypes have thrived in the darkness of ignorance. Today, tribal governments are actively employing every conceivable means of revitalizing their economies, and this Guide to Indian Country is a valuable tool that will continue, as it has in the past, to dispel myths and to inform those who desire to work with Native people and their governments to achieve economic renaissance that is the birth right of this nation’s First Americans.”

Secondary Sources – Books

The following list is a representative sample of material in the Labriola Center. For additional information, search the ASU online catalog under “keyword” for the names of the various tribes. Information can also be found in Hayden stacks, the Law Library, and government documents.

Advancing the Frontier, 1830-1860, by Grant Foreman. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, c1933 [reprinted 1968].

Grant Foreman tells the story of the forcible removal of more than 60,000 Indians from the southern states in the decade between 1830 and 1840 to what would be Oklahoma. At that time, the Federal Government had no definable Indian policy. Contains many old photographs and some very good maps.

Africans and /Seminoles: From Removal to Emancipation, by Daniel F. Littlefield., Jr. Jackson: Banner Books, University Press of Mississippi, 2001.

Littlefield’s narrative recounts the history of peoples of African descent among the Seminoles from the mid-1830s to the end of the Civil War.

Cherokee Cavaliers: Forty Years of Cherokee History as Told in the Correspondence of the Ridge-Watie-Boudinot Family, edited by Edward Everett Dale & Gaston Litton. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1995.

The Cherokee cavaliers are Chief John Ross; John Rollin Ridge, writer who followed the gold rush to California; Confederate general Stand Watie, and E.C. Boudinot, Cherokee delegate to the Confederate Congress, and their families. Over 200 letters record over forty years of history.

Chickasaw, by Duane k. Hale and Arrell M.Gibson. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1990.

The authors offer a brief history of the Chickasaw to the present day. Nicely illustrated.

Coacoochee’s Bones: A Seminole Saga, by Susan A. Miller. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2003.

Coacoochee, or Wild Cat, as he was sometimes known, was a warrior and diplomat, who led Seminole resistance to American intrusion in his Florida territory. He relocated to Indian Territory in 1841, all the time resisting colonization. Ultimately, he led a number of his people to Mexico.

The Creeks, by Michael D. Green. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1990.

The Creeks traditionally lived in large towns, in what are now Georgia and Alabama. As with the other four tribes, and under Andrew Jackson’s rule, they were relocated to Indian Country. The book covers Creek history to the present time.

Elias Cornelius Boudinot: A Life on the Cherokee Border, by James W. Parins. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006.

The biography covers his boyhood in Arkansas, his service as a Confederate soldier and congressional delegate, his efforts as peace negotiator, and his business as a tobacco tycoon, railroad man, lawyer, and rancher.

Five Civilized Tribes: Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole, by Grant Foreman. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, c1934l [reprinted 1974].

Here is the classic history of the trek of the five great Southeastern Indian tribes from their hold homes to the Indian Territory west of the Mississippi.

“Message on the Removal of Southern Indians,” by Andrew Jackson. Facts on File, Inc., See ASU Library homepage. Click on “Articles” and search for American Indian History & Culture online database
Andrew Jackson outlines his plan for the removal of Indian tribes.

Splendid Land, Splendid People: The Chickasaw Indians to Removal, by James R. Atkinson. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2004.

Atkinson offers a story of the Chickasaw from the earliest times in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee to removal.

Taking Indian Lands: The Cherokee (Jerome) Commission, 1889-1893, by William T. Hagan. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 200.

The Cherokee Commission was authorized by Congress in 1889, to negotiate the purchase of huge areas of land from the Cherokee, Iowa, Pawnee, Ponca, Tonakawa, Wichita, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Sac and Fox Tribes. Here is another story of the U.S. Government using its power through intimidation by accepting allotment, then selling to the United States who then declared it surplus, eventually going to white settlers.

Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation, by John Ehle.New York: Doubleday, 1988.

The author writes a history of the Cherokee Nation and the numerous broken treaties that eventually forced the Cherokee people from their eastern homes. There were many actors in the drama including Elias Boudinot, the Ridge and Ross families, and Sequoyah, creator of the Cherokee alphabet.

Voices from the Trail of Tears, edited by Vicki Rozema. Winston-Salem, NC: John F. Blair, 2003.

Using excerpts from diaries, newspapers, letters, and reports, the author has re-created one of the tragic eras in U. S. history with the voices of those that were there.

Census Records

The Dawes Commission and the Allotment of the Five Civilized Tribes, 1893-1914, by Kent Carter. Utah: Ancestry.com, Inc., 1999.

No history of the five tribes is complete without an understanding and overview of the activities of the Dawes Commission, which was authorized by Congress in 1893. The Commission recommended that tribal governments be abolished and tribal lands divided among the individual tribal members.

1924 Baker Roll: The Final Roll of the Eastern band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina, by Bob Blankenship. A Cherokee Roots Publication, 1998.

Dawes Roll “Plus” of Cherokee Nation “1898,” by Bob Blankenship. A Cherokee Roots Publication, 1994.

The information includes Guion Miller Roll information for those that were on both rolls. One can see surname change brought about by marriage, divorce, or adoption, and moiré. All 36,714 Cherokee Nation Citizens of Cherokee Blood are included.

Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory, Prepared by the Commission and Commissioner to the Five Civilized Tribes. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., inc., c1907 [reprinted 2003].

Index to the Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory, Prepared by the Commission and Commissioner to the Five Civilized Tribes. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., c1907 [reprinted 2003].

The Dawes Commission sat out to abolish tribal governments of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, Choctaw, and Seminole, and to provide for allotment of land to tribal members. Application procedures were rigorous, which involved proof of blood and tribal affiliation, and thus became the basis for official identification of degrees of Indian blood among the five tribes. Original Final Rolls are housed in the National Archives. This printed work, however, is one of the best sources for genealogical research.

Guion Miller Roll “Plus” of Eastern Cherokee East & West of Mississippi, 1909, by Bob Blankenship. A Cherokee Roots Publication, 1994.

Mississippi Choctaws Indian Census with Births, Deaths, and Marriages, 1933-1939, by Jeff Bowen. Signal Mountain, TN: Mountain Press, 1997.

North Carolina, Eastern Cherokee Indian Census: 1898-1899, 1904, 1906, 1909-1912, 1914, by Jeff Bowen. Jeffrey Bowen: 1998.

Seminole of Florida Indian Census 1930-1940 with Birth and Death Records 1930-1938, by Jeff Bowen. Signal Mountain, TN: Mountain Press, 1997.

Ephemera

From the ASU Library homepage, click on “Specialized Collections” then “American Indian Index.” Here are found photographs, small manuscripts, news articles, items on theater, education, reports, and more. Enter name of tribe for results.

Language

Beginning Creek = Mvskoke emponvkv, by Pamela Innes, Linda Alexander, and Bertha Tilkens. Norman, University of Oklahoma Press, 2004.

Contains 2 computer discs, conversation and phrase books, along with bibliographical references.

Introduction to Chickasaw [ sound recording], by Gregg Howard, with Chickasaw speakers Yvonne Alberson, Jerry Imotichey, and Carlin Thompson. Fayetteville, AR: VIP Publishing Co., 1995.
Contains two cassettes and a workbook.

Introduction to Choctaw [sound recording], by Charlie Jones. Dallas, TX: VIP Publishing Co., 1993.

Here is a primer for learning to speak, read, and write Choctaws. Two cassettes accompany the text.

Mysteries of Sequoyah, by C. W. “Dub” West. Muscogee, OK; Muscogee Publishing Company, 1975.

The author tries to trace the events in the life of the untrained individual who had the genius to develop a syllabary that allowed the entire Cherokee Nation to become literate in a manner of a few months.

Seminoles of Florida, by Minnie Moore-Willson. Philadelphia: American Printing House, 1896.

In addition to providing a short cultural history to 1896, the small volume contains a very good glossary of words in use at the time. Historic photographs are included.

Maps in the Labriola Center

Atlas of American Indian Affairs, by Francis Paul Prucha. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1990.

Indian Territory, Compiled under the direction of Charles H. Fitch, Topographer in Charge of the Indian Territory Surveys. Department of the Interior, 1898.

Map of the Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, Compiled from the Official Records of the United States Geological Survey. Department of the Interior, Commission on the Five Civilized Tribes, 1900.

Map of the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, Compiled from the Official Records of the United States Geological Survey. Department of the Interior, Commission on the Five Civilized Tribes, 1900.

Map of Indian Territory and Oklahoma, 1890.

Map showing Progress of Allotment in Creek Nation. Department of the Interior, Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes.

Newspapers/Periodicals

American Indian Periodicals on Microform from the Princeton University Library, 1884-1981.

The collection is one of the most important collections of periodicals in the world produced by the Indians. It includes newsletters, church and school bulletins, and political broadsides that cover almost every topic. Ask for guide at reference desk.

Cherokee Phoenix, New Echota, GA (1828-1829), Cherokee Phoenix, Indians’ Advocate, New Echota, GA (1829-1834).

Here is one of the earliest American Indian newspapers, which was first published on February 21, 1828, Elias Boudinot, Editor. The paper is published in English and Cherokee using Sequoya’s syllabary. It emphasizes laws, manners and customs of the Cherokee, news of the day, and miscellaneous articles promoting literature civilization and religion. There is much material on removal. NOTE: An online index is at American Native Press Archives, University of Arkansas, Little Rock: http://anpa.ualr.edu

Chronicles of Oklahoma: http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles/index.html

Contains numerous journal articles on the Oklahoma tribes. It is searchable and provides full-text printout.

Ethnic Newswatch
Available are a number of Native press papers, which include the Cherokee Advocate.

The site is searchable and full-text articles may be downloaded. It is available by clicking on “articles” from ASU Libraries’ home page.

Microforms

See also the Labriola Guide: Indians of North America Microform Collections

American Indian Oral History: The Duke Collection, Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1972.

Here is a collection of primary historical documents relevant to the study of the American Indian. Contained are transcriptions of 600 tape-recorded verbal testimonies of Indian people concerning their history, culture, and philosophy of life. In addition to the Five Tribes are interviews by Kiowa, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Apache, Wichita, Quapaw, Seminole, Wichita, Ponca, Wyandotte, and more. FICHE 4x6 20490 Labriola

Council Meetings of the Major American Indian Tribes, 1907-1971.Frederick, MD: University Publications of America, 1981-1984.
Contains the official minutes of Indian council meetings and covers topics of importance to the tribes including claims, mineral rights, tribal funds, water supply and irrigation, proposed federal legislation, hunting and fishing rights, disputes, employment, health, and education. (Film 8527 is in Hayden Microforms along with guide, E76.M35x v. 1)

Indian Pioneer History Collection, edited by Grant Foreman. Oklahoma City: Indian Archives Division, Oklahoma Historical Society Microfilm Publications, 1978-1981.
Contained are some 11,000 interviews of early settlers, who recorded their story of migration to Oklahoma and their early lives there. Index is on reels 38, 39, and 40. FILM 9958 Labriola

Reports of the Commissioner to the Five Civilized Tribes, [Microform] United States. Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes. Washington, DC, 1894-1920.
The collection includes the annual and special reports by the commissioner, covering the years 1893-1920. The reports and hearings form an indispensable source of information about the Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, Seminole, and Cherokee tribes. 3 reels. Labriola FILM 9973. Guide: E93.U66732x

Video Recordings

Cherokee Odyssey [Video recording], produced and directed by J. Brian Mead. Tulsa, OK: CHIEF Productions, 1994.
Describes the history of the Cherokee as they devceloped an agricultural economy and an educational system. Tells of their removal from the Eastern states down the Trail of Tears. E99.C5 C456x VIDEO

Trail of Tears [videorecording], Program created by Marie-France Briselance. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities, 1986.
Describes the westward expansion of the U.S. which led to the seizure of Indian lands and destruction of Indian culture. E93.T72x VIDEO

Patricia A. Etter. M.L.S.
Labriola National American Indian Data Center
ASU Libraries
March 2006

Page last modified: August 22, 2007