Trail Sisters: Freedwomen in Indian Territory, 1850–1890 by Linda Williams Reese (review)

The history of Oklahoma is different from that of other states in the American West. In 1890 Congress created Oklahoma Territory and opened the western half of the future state to settlers looking for free land. Previously, however, what in 1907 became the State of Oklahoma had been Indian Territory. In addition to indigenous inhabitants who had been there for centuries, the area became a place where the United States government forced American Indians who had to remove to from east of the Mississippi River. In short, Oklahoma became the government’s dumping ground for the survivors of Indian wars fought in the eastern United States.

Among those eastern Indians who came to Oklahoma were what the government called the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Creeks, and Seminoles). Non-Indians often considered members of these groups to be civilized for a variety of reasons. Significant numbers of tribal members were the products of Native mothers and white fathers. Consequently, many of these “mixed blood” Indians attended schools where they learned to speak, read, and write English. Likewise, many of them converted to Christianity. Another indication to many non-Indians that these particular Natives were civilized was that many of them were slave owners. When they relocated to Indian Territory, they brought their slaves with them.

Historians have written much about African Americans in Oklahoma. Several books have explored the institution of black slavery as it existed among the Five Civilized Tribes. A few other works have examined the contributions ex-slaves and their descendants have made to Oklahoma since slavery ended in 1865. In Trail Sisters, Linda Williams Reese has added to the historiography of the African American presence in the future Sooner State by concentrating on the lives of black women during the final years of slavery and the transition these women had to make into a society where slavery no longer existed.

African American women in Indian Territory suffered much, of course, during the time they were slaves. But many were also adversely affected by the Civil War and in some cases had a difficult time adjusting to free status. Providing for life’s basic necessities was a priority for them; they had to find work in order to support themselves and their families. Many became domestic servants and farm workers, using the skills they had honed during the time they were in bondage. Some, however, were able to improve their positions in society by becoming teachers or small business owners.

Once freedwomen’s lives became more or less settled, they sought to join with relatives and friends to form communities in which to live and to foster that sense of security that comes from finding one’s place in society. The United States government helped in this endeavor by forcing the Five Civilized Tribes to enroll their ex-slaves as tribal members. Generally speaking, the Creeks and the Seminoles welcomed African Americans into their tribes while the Choctaws and the Chickasaws strenuously resisted the idea; the Cherokees were somewhere in the middle of these extremes. Tribal membership gave some freedwomen (as well as freedmen) land and opportunities for education to improve their lot in life.

Like any nonfiction work, Trail Sisters is not without its shortcomings. A few factual errors are apparent; for example, Kansas became a state in 1861, not 1851 (43). Still, this volume increases our understanding of the lives of African American women in Oklahoma. It is, therefore, a welcome addition to the body of works extant on the Sooner State and on the African American presence in the American West of the late nineteenth century.