Cherokee Heights: Fill & Download for Free

Yes, of course. He had frequent bits about being Cherokee/Native. Such as:"I have Indian blood in me. I have just enough white blood for you to question my honesty!"My ancestors didn't come over on the Mayflower, but they met the boat when it landed."Additionally, at the height of his fame, the vice president of the US was a mixed-blood Native Americans (enrolled tribal member), Charles Curtis.Or, one of the most famous athletes of the early 1900s was Jim Thorpe.So, no, there wasn’t some need to hide one’s tribal heritage or status in the 1920–30s (or into subsequent eras).

Several factors.For one, it was a large tribe in the east, came into contact with Whites rather early, was known to intermarry with Whites, and also described as one of the so-called “Civilized Tribes.” This means they took to European modes of living and technology quickly and were more advanced that western tribes, in the eyes of the European American settlers.However, to really clarify how these myths came into White families you have to understand the context for settlement and the geography involved.Take a look at this map:Notice how large that Cherokee territorial claim was at one time? Well, now consider the movement of White American population. They pushed west from seaboard colonial footholds.Tribal populations plummeted and lands were ceded. So, basically, these settlers were moving into formerly Cherokee territory. Lands claimed by them anyway.But, the historical Cherokee settlement were concentrated here:They were never up in to Virginia or Kentucky, etc. The claims were essentially hunting grounds and territory that they laid claim to as a military and political power in the area.But, as Whites moved into these ceded lands, they were living in former “Cherokee Territory.” So, if a distant ancestor was said to be Indian, the presumption might be that they were “Cherokee.”This process started in the early 1700s. Notice how much land was ceded even by the Revolutionary War era?This cession of land continued through the late 1700s and early 1800s.Until the population was concentrated within this final Cherokee Nation (East):Even with this reduced territory, the Cherokee Nation (East) was still being inundated by White settlers.You basically have a whole lot of White Americans family lineages that trace back to settlers that pushed into and through former Cherokee lands. The ironic thing is that many of these families actually received lands that Cherokee had to give up. And modern descendants will find their ancestors listed on the “Cherokee Land Lottery” lists and assume this means that they were Cherokees somehow.A lot of these family myths get started like the game of Telephone. Where the original message gets relayed differently withe the retelling. Details change or get added, the story line can either get simplified or embellished, etc. In some cases, there might indeed be very remote Indian ancestry along a certain lineage from more eastern tribes. But, the details and exact location of the ancestor on the family tree gets lost, and “Cherokee” becomes the claimed tribe.In other instances, genealogical “brick walls” - meaning ancestors that are bit vague or unknown - tend to see a lot of theorizing. A great grandmother whose parentage or background history is unclear to living descendants will say that she was “dark” and maybe she was of Indian ancestry. This, again, gets streamlined over the generations. And great great great granny soon is described as a Cherokee maiden by a growing number of descendants all inheriting this myth. The story gets embellished, passed along, entrenched and then adopted as a pseudo-identity. The story itself becomes the claim of “heritage.”This is like the well-known case involving Elizabeth Warren. This is very common.Another aspect of this phenomenon is downplaying African-White admixture. So, families that had mixed ancestry from early seaboard settlements adopted an “Indian” identity, rather than the “mulatto” label. Within White society, having a little Indian blood was seen as “okay.” (think Pocahontas descendants, the elite of Virginia society), but acknowledging Black ancestry, could literally see your civil rights curbed and you might face real socio-economic consequences. Better to keep that a secret. The “Indian blood” claim became the pass, or the acceptable excuse for the darker features.Finally, another huge factor in creating these myths were the White families that moved west through the southeastern states, and eventually ended up as White settlers to Indian Territory prior to the break up of the tribal nations there. Indians were being enumerated and receiving title to 80 or 160 acre plots in the late 1800s and early 1900. A lot of White settlers coming into what is now Oklahoma tried to jump on that bandwagon and claim that they too were “part-Cherokee.” Great granny was said to be Cherokee, don’t ya know! She must have been from old Cherokee Nation east when the family lived in western and them moved through Tennessee. That was Cherokee territory too, don’t ya know!Fortunately, most of these fraudulent applications were denied. However, this was also in tandem with the eastern Cherokee claims settlement. This was where eastern Cherokees who had been removed to Indian Territory were entitled to monetary compensation. This was going on in the early 1900s, and American newspapers were falsely reporting that anyone claiming Cherokee blood might be eligible for the payout. Or course, this was limited to actual Cherokee citizens only, and descendants of those that had been removed on the Trail of Tears. But, anyway these rumors about a quick buck brought out a cavalcade of poor white families. There was not negative ramifications for putting in a false application, so this incentivized making such claims. The commission was flooded. I mean, tens of thousands of false applications.Now, where does that come into play for modern descendants?Well, these shady White people continued to have kids. And their kids had kids. This population (which, again, represents tens of thousands of original applicants) expanded over the generations. And the details that the family claimed to be “part-Cherokee” sort of got passed along. Not on that, but often modern descendants of these fraudsters will find their ancestors original applications and ask “Why would they lie!?” It’s easier to assume the ancestor’s intentions were sincere and valid, and that they would only have put in an application for Dawes or Guion Miller if there had been some validity to the claims of Cherokee ancestry. So, they tend to latch onto the rejected applications as proof of some Cherokee connection. It’s easier to accept that the ancestors at least believed they had that blood, rather than accept that they were shady shysters trying to get land or money through false claims.And it doesn’t even necessarily have to be those that filed false claims. Often, families that descend from White settlers to Oklahoma find their ancestors living in “Indian Territory” and assume that means they had a Native American connection. Why else would they be there? They also tended to have a southern ancestral background. So, they too would trace back to “former Cherokee territory” areas back east. The modern descendants might posit that the ancestors were moving into Cherokee Nation (west) to be “with their relatives.” But, the reality is, Indian Territory - including Cherokee Nation - was majority White by the 1870s. It was predominantly White by the 1880s. And by 1890s, Indians were a very small minority. By early 1900s, and the height of dawes enumeration and allotment, and right at Oklahoma statehood, Indians made up only 9% of the territorial population.So, again, they were flooded by Whites in the east. Forced out of their lands and pushed west. Then, the southern White families steadily moved west over time (taking up ceded Indian lands as they moved), and eventually their descendants did the same pattern in Indian Territory. Always taking land.The hallmark of these myths involve distant ancestors, usually female, that do not have proven parentage, and no connection to actual, known Cherokee families.There are also demographic considerations that make these claims utterly impossible, just by the numbers alone. But, that is for another answer.

I think it’s a wack song, musically and lyrically speaking.But, it’s also has a very interesting back story. It’s long, but worth the read.See, I talk about the phenomenon of White Americans frequently claiming to be “part-Cherokee.” And this is yet another example of this. Seriously, folks, this shit cannot be exaggerated! It’s just insane!The song was written by John D. Loudermilk. And he claims to be “part-Cherokee.” As a side note, the dude looks a lot like Conan O’Brien.But, before I delve into the Loudermilk nonsense, I have to point out that the song was first recorded and popularized by a fellow named Marvin Rainwater in 1958, under the title “The Pale Faced Indian.” Rainwater also claimed to be ¼ Cherokee himself. In fact, it was sort of his thing, and he talked about it quite a lot during his career.He was mostly a country western, or proto-rockabilly, singer and had some decent success in the 1950s, including a number one hit in the UK, “Whole Lotta Woman.”He often performed in a beaded headband and fringe jackets. In interviews, Rainwater reiterated his part-Cherokee ancestry, mostly claiming to be ¼ degree. Some sources state that this was through his mother’s line, and that it was her name that was Rainwater and he adopted this as a stage name. Here is a sample of his claims. *Notice too, the statement about “sensitive Indians” and their supposed interaction with him.September 1, 1957 interview (The Milwaukee Journal):In reality, his father was the Rainwater. And Marvin Rainwater was not Cherokee at all. Here is his background:None of Marvin’s grandparents were Cherokee. These are all standard Southern Whites lineages and you can research most lines going back quite far. Just a brief mention of a few lineages: Ema J (Lorren) Miller was the daughter of a Confederate soldier William Lorren, and granddaughter of George Lorren who received homestead land patents in Alabama. These earlier ancestors were White settlers that moved into lands that had been cleared of Indians during the early American expansion era. The Rainwater line goes back to 1600s Virginia (Anglo) settlers. I know the surname Rainwater sounds all Native American-y, but it’s not.Ironically, some of Marvin’s distant Rainwater relatives actually got Cherokee land in Land Lotteries (1832 – Sixth Cherokee Land Lottery in what is now Cobb County, GA). Yes, I’m totally serious.As I said before, you can’t make this stuff up people! This family actually represented the White settlers that directly settled on lands that had been taken by force from the Cherokee. And then fast forward in time and this White guy who descends from the very same group that displaced Cherokees is claiming to be “a quarter Cherokee” as part of his identity.In fact, there is some indication that Marvin Rainwater came up with the “quarter Cherokee” claim simply as a marketing ploy – to “break out” or gain attention. A public radio interview/story in the 90s states the following:Marvin Rainwater Sings Again"I Gotta Go Get My Baby" - recorded here for MGM - was an early Rainwater tune his brother Ray parlayed into a TV appearance with Arthur Godfrey in 1953. By now, Marvin had come up with an Indian persona. He isn't Indian, that he knows of, but it worked with his last name. He wore a headband and fringed leather jacket. He wrote lyrics about his Cherokee brothers. He had the suit, the songs, and the ambition - but needed a big break. And as everyone knew in the early fifties, Arthur Godfrey was in the big-break business.Alright, well, that’s just the tip of the iceberg for this story, and this American “Cherokee blood” phenomenon. Next, let’s look at the songwriter’s story.Not only does John D. Loudermilk claim Cherokee blood, he has spun an absolutely fabulous story about this song, in particular. He’s done interviews over the years and the story lines are generally the same, although there is some variation and degrees of embellishment.Here’s an interview he did from February 2013:For those that can’t get through this entire clip, I’ll provide the excerpt transcript of the the crazy “Cherokee” story here:JL: “Indian Reservation.”Radio DJ: Oh yeah.JL: I was coming from Nashville back to Durham to visit my mother and father. And I got on top of a hill…at the mountain there at Cherokee. And I got snowed in. And I had to stop my little Volkswagen bug…bus and go to sleep. And during the night a tap came on the window. Now, you’d never do that now. You wouldn’t park and expect not to get your ass killed, or whatever.But, a little tap came on it [the window] and it’s a guy with a feather in his hair [or, “hat”]. And he said, ‘Are you Mr. Loudermilk?” And I said, ‘Yes, something’s happened and their calling me.’ He said, ‘Follow me.’ So, I got out of the car and followed him through the snow down off the side of the road to a cave down there underneath the road.Radio DJ: Did you know that guy?JL: No, but he knew me see…he said, ‘You from Nashville?’ [unintelligible] idiot kid would do that. Which I did. And so there was a fire going and three or four guys sitting around the fire. And so, he introduced himself as Bloody Beartooth. And he was an Indian chieftain. And he wanted to ask me to write a song about their plight – the Cherokee Indian’s plightRadio DJ: Trail of Tears and all that?JL: Yes, he knew I was a song writer. And he was very persuasive in his…not a demand, but a spirited request. And so, I came back and wrote the song. Well, it became a hit all over the world. And about 15 years after that we got a letter – Susan and I got a letter…this was about 5 years ago I think. And it said you have been given the first Medal of Honor from the Cherokee, uh, tribe in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. There are two. There’s one in North Carolina, Cherokee North Carolina, then there’s Tahlequah in Oklahoma.Radio DJ: The other end of the Trail of Tears.JL: The other end of the Trail of Tears. And so, I went there and we sat through this and it was wonderful. And, uh, the next morning, he said I’d like to show you something. So, he took us to the archives. And he opened up an old ledger book that was kept by a Senator Daws [sic] – D A W S – during the Trail of Tears period that had a list of all of the Cherokee Indians that had been marched at bayonet point from Cherokee…which were the gold mines really, nobody’s gotten into that yet. But, this is…we used to have all the gold over here in this section, before they opened up gold in California.Radio DJ: That’s why they sent the Cherokee...JL: Well, we don’t know. But, and so…he said I want you to look down on the list. There were 1,600 people. And I got to L’s and here was Loudermilk. And he said, these were your great-great grandparents. And uh, it was a Homer and Matilda Loudermilk. And they were 91 years old and walked 1600 miles to Oklahoma and then farmed for five years. And he said…I said, ‘Why are you doing this to me?’ He said, ‘Because this award is the only award in the world that we give to people because of their blood.’Radio DJ: Not the song so much, your blood.JL: That’s right.Radio DJ: The blood.JL: But, I didn’t know it when I wrote the song. I wrote from the blood, and didn’t know why.Radio DJ: From the heart.JL: Yeah.Okay, let’s summarize what he’s saying. He’s laying claim to Cherokee ancestry, first of all. And secondly, he’s claiming he was approached by this community to tell the Cherokee story, or “plight.” A chief “Bloody Bearpaw” approached him on that snowy night and took him to a secret cave even! Further, he claims ancestors were listed on tribal rolls, and were subjected to the Trail of Tears.That’s very specific!Now, as per usual, let me highlight the reality of his ancestry, and illustrate yet again…this is a White person falsely claiming Cherokee blood and usurping an identity for some very strange personal reasons.I seriously don’t understand why White Americans do this so much, but it’s just like how the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It’s a natural cycle, or to be expected.So, here’s this dude’s ancestry along the Loudermilk lines (which he is claiming as Cherokee, although he misidentifies his GG grandparents in the interview):Alright, and to highlight why his claims - and larger phenomenon - are so ironic, let me point out the actual European-American ancestry in the lineage usually traces back to settlers that took Native lands, or even were Indian fighters.This is the case here!John Loudermilk’s paternal lines is traced as follows:His father was John Dee Loudermilk, Sr., born in 1883 and died in 1960.John Dee Loudermilk, Sr (1883-1960) - Find A...We can then click on the link to his father, Colonel Loudermilk, born in 1857. An obituary is extant that clearly makes these connections from father to son – he is listed as “Dee” from Durham.From this point, the Find-a-grave links go dead. So, we need to turn to other records. We know Colonel was born in Cherokee County, NC. If he was age 75 at death in 1933, that gives us a birth year of about 1858. A search of census records returns a good hit. Here is the family cluster in the 1860 Census, in Cherokee County, NC, with a “Colonel M. Loudermilk” listed, age about 1 at time of enumeration.Okay, so we find a G. W. Loudermilk married to a Narcissa Loudermilk, the parents of little “Colonel.” Narcissa was listed as having been born in Warren County, Georgia. Let’s take a look see at those records now. Here ya go…a marriage record. From Warren County, no less. Here is Narcissa Torrence getting married to G. W. Lowdermilk in 1837:Let’s go to the 1850 Census and see if we can find this family cluster. Here they are, same county (Cherokee County, NC):Alright, now let’s explore the sad facts…and it really is rather uniform when you delve into these Cherokee blood lore claims and really research them thoroughly. Take a look at George W. and Narcissa’s household. First of all it confirms the Torrence maiden name for Narcissa. Her mother Matilda is living in with them at this time. But, look at the next entry down – Garner N. Loudermilk. That is GW’s brother. They were the sons of GW Loudermilk Sr. and an unknown first wife.Garner was literally a militia captain that was directly involved in the 1838 brutal removals and forced death marches to Indian Territory.The source graphic isn’t quite clear, but here are more detailed facts:Garner Loudermilk was commissioned as a Captain under Captain Samuel Patterson's Company of Mounted Volunteers - 22 May 1838-14 Jul 1838. This was the most brutal point in the Trail of Tears and this man was a captain.I know this isn’t a direct ancestor in the line we are looking at, but this was John D. Loudermilk’s great-grandfather’s brother. It’s not that far removed. And the dates of service are very important. May 1838 – July 1838 represented the very height of the worst treatment of Cherokees at the hands of the militia/military. These were at the gun-point removals, the stockade staging points, capturing “escaping” Cherokees in the mountains, and then the early forced marches without sufficient provisions (and cruel treatment). It was the worst of the worst. So, indeed there were Loudermilks on the Trail of Tears, but they were holding bayonets and prodding Cherokees along.Then we can find the Loudermilk brothers living side by side each other in Cherokee County, NC. Ironic name don’t you think? These were lands that were taken away from the Cherokee and opened up to White settlers such as this Loudermillk family.Alright, but let’s go one step further and look at another person in this direct lineage.GW Loudermilk Sr. was in the war of 1812. And not only that, he was part of the Eastern Tennesseee Militia which fought in the Creek War (part of the War of 1812), under Capt Wear’s command. And here’s a fun fact. Wear was one of the most brutal commanders in that war and was actually relieved of command (and his unit disbanded) for a massacre that made even Jackson upset…which is a very tall order.Samuel Wear - WikipediaThe eastern TN militia was almost exclusively a body of Indian Fighters. There is no other way to put this.So, let’s pull the lens back here and take a look at what this song really represents on a deeper level. It’s basically a fabrication of a White dude that is using Cherokees as a sort of prop or rhetorical device. Then, he is laying claim or usurping this identity for himself. And he is telling the story of “plight” of the people. In contradistinction to that, his actual ancestry represents the very people that fought Natives Americans, removed them, and occupied their stolen lands.Further, not only is this restricted to the original songwriter, but the musician that first recorded and popularized it, did the same exact thing. He represents the same bogus “Cherokee blood” claim and fabricated identity.Seriously, if Cherokees do indeed have a plight, it might be the continuous and perpetual frustration of dealing with White people and their blood lore myths and constructed identities!Holy shit, you can’t even make this shit up! It’s just so astounding!