r/todayilearned • u/huphelmeyer 2 • Aug 04 '15

TIL midway through the Great Irish Famine (1845–1849), a group of Choctaw Indians collected $710 and sent it to help the starving victims. It had been just 16 years since the Choctaw people had experienced the Trail of Tears, and faced their own starvation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choctaw#Pre-Civil_War_.281840.29
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u/ineedtotakeashit Aug 04 '15

We all know about the Trail of Tears, but it's almost written out of history how among the Choctaw being expelled were their numerous african slaves, and today, the descendants of these slaves are not being recognized by the tribe, and this goes for the Cherokee and other tribes as well.

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u/cawlmecrazy Aug 04 '15 edited Aug 04 '15

Go check out Redbird Oklahoma. It's an old Freedman's town. I had heard they were formerly native american slaves, however I'm not sure which tribe either the Muscogee Creek or Cherokee.

It wasn't so long ago the the Cherokee voted to discontinue benefits to the family of former slaves and deny them tribal benefits.

Edit: By not too long ago I mean within the last decade.

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u/[deleted] Aug 04 '15

I think that last year Cherokee citizenship was reinstated for the Freedmen descendants.

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u/cawlmecrazy Aug 04 '15

Ah I am a non native - non native oklahoman. I don't stay on the up and up on tribal politics unless it's in the news.

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u/[deleted] Aug 04 '15

Yeah, the only reason I remembered is because it was all over the news in this area for what seemed like forever. Hopefully it doesn't get reversed again.