Black Indian: Bill Pickett: Rodeo Star

Proudly Red and Black: Stories of African and Native Americans, William Loren Katz and Paula A. Franklin, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York, 1993.

Bill Pickett: Rodeo Star

I had heard of Bill Pickett because one of the featured individuals in the Legends of the West set of stamps released by the U.S. Post Office, however the picture initially used was that of his brother rather than Bill Pickett.  Both versions were released.  However I didn’t know much of him.  Again Pickett has been identified more as an African American, however his father was African American, White and Cherokee.  His mother was also a blend, Black, Mexican, White and Indian.  Bill Picket is most known for bull-dogging.  He initially bull-dogged biting the lip of the steer.  However he let this go over time.  It is because of him that bull-dogging is part of rodeos.  He also performed in a wild west show, The 101 Ranch Wild West Show.  This was the Miller ranch hands performing in the off season, but it was popular and traveled through out America and South America.  With the advent of motion pictures, wild west shows became less popular.  However Pickett also performed in early movies, including the movie “The Bull-Dogger.”  Others who made this jump were Buck Jones, Hoot Gibson, Will Rogers and  Tom Mix.  Bill Pickett died and is buried on the Miller Ranch.  He was kicked in the head while he was trying to rope a bronco. 

 

Black Indian Biographies: George Henry White: Militant Congressman

Proudly Red and Black: Stories of African and Native Americans, William Loren Katz and Paula A. Franklin, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York, 1993.

George Henry White: Militant Congressman. 

When George White left congress in 1901, no African American would serve in congress for nearly thirty years.  Twenty men served between 1870 and 1901.  White was the only African American in congress during his second term.  As such he says re represented 9 million Americans.  White identified as a Black man, although he did have some Native American ancestry.  He did not shy away from speaking his mind.  Among other things he introduced legislation to outlaw lynching.  It failed.  He was elected through an alliance between Black Republicans and more liberal Democrats.  However, the majority of the Democrat Party despised the service of African Americans, and used racist threats and innuendo to drive Blacks out of Congress.  They also used Jim Crow and Black voting laws to make sure Blacks could not serve. 

White was from North Carolina.  However after his service he did not return, but lived in Washington, D.C. where he worked as a lawyer.  He was a contemporary of Booker T. Washington, but they had different philosophies about how to in interact and work for Black rights.  White was much more vocal.  This chapter says militant, but I don’t see him as being militant, just persistent. 

He is well noted for his farewell speech to congress, “This, Mr. Chairman, is perhaps the Negro's temporary farewell to the American Congress, but let me say . . .he will rise up some day and come again.  These parting words are in behalf of an outraged, heartbroken, bruised, and bleeding, but God-fearing people, faithful, industrious, loyal people—rising people, full of potential force.”

Black Indian Biography: Seminole John Horse

Florida was untamed country.  For this reason many people escaped to Florida.  This included black slaves (Maroons), and Creek.  The runaway Creek Indians became known as Seminoles, and the escaped slaves as Black Seminoles.  These two groups became allies in Florida.
John Horse (aka Cowaya and Juan Caballo) fit both these groups, as was common.  His father was Seminole and his mother African American.  African Americans brought knowledge of agriculture they had learned in Africa.  They also could speak English.  John Horse was useful as an interpreter.
Florida eventually came under American rule, and the Indian Relocation Act asked for all Native American to move to Indian Territory.  The Seminole refused to go.  Eventually they were defeated in the Second Seminole War and signed an agreement with the guarantee that the Black Seminole could go with them.  However the government vacillated, as there were those who looked on the blacks as valuable property.  However John Horse, Osceola and Wild Cat were tricked and taken prisoner.  Osceola died in prison.  John Horse and Wild Cat fasted until they could fit through the bars, and made their escape.  The war continued; but it was impossible for the Seminole to win.  They finally relented and went to Indian Territory.  However they were placed next to the Creek, and there was bad blood because of their history.  The Creek were more numerous, and the Seminole were at a disadvantage.  Wild Cat and John Horse traveled to Washington to lobby for their people.  The government did not listen, and in fact again threatened to take the Blacks and make them slaves.  Both Wild Cat and John Horse lead groups into Mexico where they made arrangements to protect the Mexican border for territory.  Slowly many of the Seminole returned to the United States.  The Civil War removed the threat of slavery.  The U.S. Government offered jobs as scouts to many.  Many returned and the Black Seminole group of scouts was a formidable collection of men.  However their families were not given land as promised.  They had to follow the military camps, and when their spouses became old and retired to were put out.  John Horse, who had returned to the U.S. tried to negotiate with the government to no avail.  He eventually returned to Mexico.  He died in Mexico City.

Black Indian Biography: Edward Rose: Mountain Man

Edward Rose's origins are sketchy.  His date of birth was not recorded.  However he had a white father.  His mother was Cherokee and Black mix.  In 1807 he joined and expedition out of St. louis to establish fur trading outposts.  He already had a scarred nose and forehead. The crow would later name him Nez Coupe meaning Cut Nose.  Perhaps from a fight and a knife slash.  Washington Irving who wrote of the fur trade called him "dogged, sullen and silent."  He was prominent in several early expeditions, working for Manuel Lisa, Andrew Henry.  The first expedition, most of the men returned to the East as quickly as the could.  However Rose stayed.  He became partial to the Crow and lived among them.  In 18ll he lead a party lead by John Jacob Astor and Wilson Price Hunt through Crow territory.  For some reason Hunt thought he may be leading them to ambush, or talking some of his men into deserting and taking their horses.  Rose was dismissed.  The expedition became lost most of their horses and some died.  In 1822 William Ashley led an expedition to set up mountain men as trappers, instead of just trading with the Native Americans.  Rose was guide.  Jedediah Smith and Jim Bridger were part of this group.  This type of move irked the Indians who would be removed from trading furs.  The expedition was attacked by Arikara Indians.  Ashley wanted revenge.  Fourteen trappers had been killed.  A military force of 200 men under the command of Colonel Henry Leavenworth responded.  Joined by Sioux and mountain men they attacked the Arikara and there was a pitched battle for several days.  The Arikara sued for peace, and Rose was sent to negotiate the peace.  Leavenworth praise praised Rose as "brave and enterprising."  This group of mountain men became the first non-Indians to discover South Pass.  They also would make many other important discoveries in the West.  Rose went back to live with the Crow people and became a leader among them.  Rose likely dyed in a battle with the Arikara.  Old maps of the upper Mississippi Valley show a Cut Nose Butte, and mark his grave close to the Bighorn and Yellowstone Rivers.

Excerpts from Proud Red and Black: Stories of African and Native Americans, William Loren Katz and Paula A. Franklin, Antheneum Books for Young Readers, New York, 1993.