Black Indians And Intertribal Native American Association

My Black Don't Crack

Walking the Red Road
 

 

In 1986 when I started Binay AKA Black Indians And Intertribal Native American Association. I have to admit I knew we would get flack. Also, we would stir up the world. I knew that it was something burnt in my heart because Creator had put it in my heart. Now nearly 30 years later I still find it that people have a problem with the word black in front of Indian. So maybe I can shed a little bit of why I feel this is a good thing.

Everyone knows about Natives, Whites, Blacks, Chinese  and so forth. But most do not know about Blacks and Natives. Now the reason why you see the Black Ancestry come through so much in a mixed blood Native with Afro inside of them is because those who came over here of African pure blood was the strongest Africa had in Genetic pool. Just think of the rigoress atrocities they went through to get chosen, then weened out and then cast inside a boat like sardines and those who where weak died off and those who where of the strongest breed and strongest health and strongest spirit and strongest of everything inside of them to live on were the ones that made it here....................

With that said, being of such strong genetics if you mixed with anyone of a different race you would see the stronger gene show up in the children. And thought that is thinning out quite a bit as we all mix that is the way it was in early America.

The Colonials gave the 5 so called Civilized tribes thousands of pure African Slaves to assimilate them. Those who married had children and thus here you and I are: Black or African Indian. I love the word Black its full of Power and Might its the best of Africa!! Its awesome Word and though we are not from Indian we are associated with the Native word. So we are BlackIndians!! And those who don't like it must contend with the truth and facts that we exist and we are a Proud people. Moving forward with Power spirit and heart to keep our ancestry alive.

I had a Hidatsa Mandan woman enroll her children onto our tribal rolls of our association and when I asked her why she said I love my children and they are Black Indians. I also had a Hawaiian woman enroll her daughters into our tribe because of the same reason. We are a people who do not need BIA to tell us who we are. We are who we are not by choice but by Creation by our Creator. And so we must accept ourselves and we a people who can shine a light into darkness and make aware that which is not known. That our people exists and alive and well today.

Yes, 30 years ago I created our own Tribal rolls long before Katz wrote Black Indians a Hidden Heritage and long before those books came out because I saw the problems of racism at Pow wows and festivals and events where Black Natives where shunned. I didn't like what I saw and made sure that just because I had long hair and red-brown skin I made sure that those at the drum with me treated those with African Blood were treated equally. That is why I formed BlackIndians.com. It was time to create our own way keeping our ancestry in tacked and making sure that we continued in our ancestors foot steps. I love the word Black Indian because its empowerment of two great people who forged themselves together to create a great people. I love the word blackindian because it speaks of a duality that sings to my spirit that says I know who I am, and I am proud. And I do not have to chose to be one or the other. But I can be who our Creator created me to be and that is the love and power of them both.

Can you say that about other races? Sure you can, if that's what you want to do but no one has our legacy and it takes Black + Indians to = BlackIndians. That is who we are.

Comments welcomed

Chief Jerry Eaglefeather
BlackIndians.com

Jerry Eaglefeather

I'm one of the main people responsible in America for the "Acknowledgement of Black Indians" And in '79 I began a trek to wake America up about Black Indians. I had the first web site and have been awarded in many states by congressmen for being the pioneer of our heritage. There were no book out and no articles before I began to wake America up about our heritage. I will post some of these awards. And my family is the ones who got Native Americans recognized in the state of NYC [Chief BlackHawk San Carlos} my father and (Distar Tay) Mohawk My Grandmother posted in my photos. Not New York I said NYC for the Day of the Native American. I have a web site BlackIndians.com and it has been around since then. The first Black Indian Association and the first Tribal group in American a we are called Binay. It stands for Black Indians And Intertribal Native Americans Association. BIINAA. Pronounced Binay. William Loren Katz jumped on the band wagon and contacted me and then published the book Black Indians. And others followed. This was not a time of acceptance and I received thousands of hate mail from everyone. But I was a living proof and I would not deny myself. And while there were others many where afraid to speak out. And most of our Pow wows and gatherings were private affairs and closed to the public.

In those days many Natives hated black Indian people they felt threatened and felt like there was no such thing. And they didn't have much as it was. Yet the many so called white natives flocked to the reservations with their money after Dances with wolves came out and they paid there way to tribal rolls. Many of them had learned from the white man how to hate and this was a very sad time. But I continued at the Pow wows and continued to share our heritage and our culture had to be refined and we needed a place. In those days I was ostracized. And I continued to persevered through it because I was told to do this by our Creator. And I continued to preach love and unity and acceptance and I do so now. We are one. To accept one another and tell everyone that we did not chose who we are. Creator did. And we are like Creator each and every one of us. You did not chose you. And since this is so, then we are all a special part of Creator so that if we hate anyone of us then there is part of our Creator that we hate. We must not hate Red, Black, Yellow or White for those are our Sacred colors and in the sacred hoop our vertical line connects us to Creator and our Horizontal line connects us to each other and we are all in the Circle which is Mother earth for this gives us balance. Hatred has no place. We are who we are by the grace of God.

Kai-YenTuwa Rose

 I use to date her, Her name is Kai-YenTuwa Rose. She is Black Shinnicock-Cherokee. She is an excellent Fancy Shawl dancer. And we have done many shows and events together. Including the big production "The Giving Of Thanks to the Native Americans" In NYC. - Jerry Eaglefeather