Deb Haaland may have some explaining to do ...

[DURHAM D]

9. Back in the 70s I was touring the Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee.

I asked the guide why the five tribes were called "The Five Civilized Tribes".

She responded: Because they owned slaves.

I gasped. Everyone in the area reacted the same and suddenly everyone was asking questions of the tour guide. It was crazy. I had heard about the Five Civilized all my life but had never thought to ask why and apparently no one else had asked why.

So, none of us knew that when they were removed from the south they were allowed to bring their slaves with them.

btw - Part of what makes the issues and tracking so complicated is that sometimes the Native Americans said someone was their slave, other times they said he/she was married to a tribal member but some were escaped slaves who just traveled with them to Oklahoma territory. Apparently the Natives had fun confusing the military. So, today it remains confusing.

can't believe this happened almost 50 years ago... clearly I never forgot it.