Religious Practices
of the
Oklahoma Freedmen
Most of the slaves who of the nations in Indian
Territory were not allowed to practice any form of
religion, however, most of the ex-slaves became part
of a church-based community when they were free. Only
a few of the slaves interviewed had been exposed to
religion or Chritianiy before emancipation. With
many, religious practice was simply forbidden by
their Indian slave masters. However, it is clear
that the desire to worship was strong and when freed
from bondage stayed with these Black Indians for the
remainder of their lives.
In addition, some of the former slaves, also had
beliefs in spirits, and charms, and some referred
to the various charms they had used or seen used
for protection throughout their lives.
As told by
Nancy Rogers Bean
Cherokee Freedwoman
"I wore cotton dresses, and the Mistress wore long dresses,
with different colors for Sunday clothes, but us slaves didn't
know much about Sunday in a religious way. The Master had a brother
who used to preach to the Negroes on the sly. One time he was caught
and the Master whipped him something awful."
"The good Lord knows I'se glad slavery is over. Now I can
stay peaceful in one place---that's all I aim to do."
********************
As told by Henry Clay
Creek Freedman
"They had a little church on the plantation where we set
on Sunday and heard the Mistress read out of the Bible to
us and then we all sung good songs and prayed. But no school
and no reading lessons before the emancipation, I'll tell you.
"I'm glad we are free, and don't have to work any more whether
we sick or not, like in slavery days.
I went to church always and am a good Christian,
and I hope to see my Maker and both my Masters
because they were kind men."
"Everybody should have religion, but you got to go slow and not
try to change the leopard sports quick like them people done in
Africa. I don't they they done a bit of good."
Just trust in God and hoe your row and sidestep away from
the great temptation, that's what I say.
********************
As told by Kiziah Love
Choctaw Freedwoman
"We went to church all the time. We had both white and
colored preachers. Master Frank wasn't a Christian, but
he would help build brush-arbors fer' us to have church
under and we sho' would have big meetings I'll tell you."
One day Master Frank was going through the woods close to
where negroes was having church. All on a sudden he started
running and beating hisself and hollering and the negores
all went to shouting and saying, "Thank the Lawd, Master
Frank has done come through!" Master Frank after a minute
say, "Yes, through the worst of em." He had run into a yellow
jackets's nest.
I ain't never seen many spirits but I've seen a few. One day I
was layin' on my bed here by myself. My son Ed was cutting wood.
I'd been awful sick and I was powerful weak. I heard somebody
walking real light like they was barefooted. I said, "Who's dat"
He catch hold of my hand and he has the littlest hand I ever seen,
and he say, "You been mighty sick and I want you to come and go
with me to Sherman to see a doctor."
I say "I ain't got noboy at Sherman what knows me."
He say, "You'd better come and go with me anyway."
I jest lay there fer a mintue and didn't say nothing and
purty soon he say, "Have you got any water?"
I told him the water was on the porch and he got up and went
outside. I set in to calling Ed. He come hurrying and I asked
him why he didn't lock the door when he went out and I told him
to go see if he could see the little man and find out what he
wanted. He went out and looked everywhere but he couldn't find
him nor he couldn't even find his tracks.
********************
As told by
Chaney McNair
Cherokee Freedwoman
Does I believe in Spirits? Sure I do. This old flesh and bones
goin' back from what God make it, but our spirits never die. Sometimes
the spirits of folks what's dead come back. I've heard of haunted house
where there was rappin's and the like but I never did hear any myself.
Tell you what I did see, more than once. Back in Ft. Scott where I worked
there's a little girl beautiful little girl with long curls. I wondered why
God made me black and ugly and that little girl so white. Before I left
she died, I saw her lying in the casket. Long time after she came to me
in a dream like. I saw a little girl with curls, all dressed in white.
Seemed like she was here a minute, then she walked out the door and was
gone. She come more than once and stand right here in that door. Sometime
that little girl goin' come back all dressed in white and take old Aunt Chaney
out the door and I won't never come back.
********************
As told by Matila Poe
Chickasaw Freedwoman
Master wasn't a beliver in church, but he let
us have church. My we'd have happy times singing an
shouting. They'd have church when dey had a preacher
and prayer meetings when dey didn't.
I don't believe in luck charms and things of the such.
Iffen' you is in trouble, there ain't nothin' gonna save
you but the Good Lawd. I heard of folks keeping all kinds
of things for good luck charms. When I was a child different
people gave me butons to string and we called them our
charm string and wore 'em around our necks. If we was
mean dey would tell us "Old Raw Head and Boody Bones"
would git us. Grand mammy told us ghost stories afters
supper, but I don't remember any of dem."
********************
As told by
Chaney Richardson
Cherokee Freedwoman
None of the negroes ran away when I was a child that
I know of. We all had plenty to eat. The Negroes didn't
have no shcool and so I can't read andwrite, but they
did have a shcool after the War, I hear. But we had a
church made out of a brush arbor and we would sing good
songs in Cherokee sometimes.
I've been a good church-goer all my life until I git
too feeble, adn I still understand and talk Cherokee
language and love to hear songs and parts of the Bible
in it because it make me think about the time I was a
little girl before my mammy and pappy leave me.
********************
As told by
Betty Robertston
Cherokee Freedwoman
Young Master Joe let us have singing and be baptized if
we want to, but I wasn't baptized till after the War.
But we couldn't learn to read or have a book, and the
Cherokee folkds was afraid to tgell usa bout the letters
and figgers because tehy have a law you go to jail and a
big fine if you show a slave about the letters.
One day young Master come to the cabins and say we all
free and can't stay there lessn' we want to go one working
for him just like we'd been for our feed and clothes.
Mammy got a wagon and we travelled around a few days
and go to Fort Gibson. When we git to Fort Gibson
they was a lot of Negroes there, and they had a camp
meeting and I was baptized. It was in the Grand River
close to the ford, and winter time. Snow on the
ground and the water was muddy and all full of pieces
of ice. The place was all woods and the Cherokees and
the soldiers all come down to see the baptizing.
I been a good Christian ever since I was baptized, but
I keep a little charm here on my neck anyways, to keep
me from having the nose bleed. Its got a buckeye and a
lead bullet in it. I had a silver dime on it too, for
a long time, but I took it off and got me a box of snuff.
I'm glad the War's over and I am free to meet God like
anybody else, and my grandchildren can learn to read and
write.
As told by
Morris Sheppard
Cherokee Freedman
(After the War)We was married at my home in
Coffeyville, and she bore me eleven children right.
We never had no church in slavery, and no schooling,
and you had better not be caught wid a book in your
hand even, so I never did go to church hardly any.
Wife belong to de church and all de children too, and
I think all should look afer saving their souls so as
to drive de nail in, and den go about de earth spreading
kindness and hoeing de row clean so as to clinch dat nail
and make dem safe for Glory.
********************
As told by
R.C. Smith
(After the death of his wife)....."I was so dissatisfied
that I decided to god own in the mountains by myself for a while.
I went down into the McGee Mountains the other side of Atoka.
I am a prophet, yessum, the kind you read about in the
Bible. I was born one. I can see and talk with hosts of
people. Am Houf, a famous prophet in London say that I
was born to be a prophet but I had a poor chance. I wrote to
AmHouf and kept up a correspondence with him till his death.
I wandered around in them mountains for days. I never
seen a varmit, not even a wolf. One night I took
notion I'd go home. When I come to Boggy, just below
Atoka, I started to across on a footlog. Just as I started
to stop on it I heard somebody say, "Look out, you'll fall."
I turned and went to the bridge about a quarter of a mile down
the stream, I crossed and come back up to the foot log, I could
still hear people talking but I couldn't see nobody.
Next morning I stared on and all of a sudden I heard a
Wham. It sounded like somebody loading cross ties.
Purty soon I seen about twenty five or thirty people.
One real old man and a woman in a wagon with wood on
it. I walked on to meet them and the man hailed me
with the Odd Fellows sign. The woman had on a gray
coat and the man snatched it off her and put it on
his shoulders and the woman disappeared. I walked
up and tried to touch him but couldn't. Just then I
realized that I had seen Father Abraham---Yessum, the
one we read about in the Bible. I looked around and
recognized my father and a lot more people. Some of
them had just been buried but my father had been dead
ever since the War. I didn't talk to them as they all
disappeared.
When I got home, I had a letter from AmHouf saying
that he needed me. I answered his letter but another
prophet answered me and told me AmHouf was dead.
I see things all the time. I'm in what they calls
"firey trivets." I can foresee and foretell. Moses
and the old prophets was in the firey trivets. I'm a
natural born treasure hunter. I don't need no
instruments to find treasure. I can walk over it at
night and tell where it is located. I'm trying to
raise one hundred dollars right now to try to finance
a trip for me on a treasure hunt. I know just where it
is located but it will take a hundred dollars to git
it out.
I ain't been able to do nothing for a month on account
of the hosts that sourround me. Their presence is so
powerful over me that they weaken me.
Prayer and faith can overcome everything. Remember
Jesus Christs was called Bellzebub but that didn't
make it true.
********************
As told by
Victoria Taylor Thompson
Cherokee Freedwoman
I been belonging to church ever since there was a
colored church, and I thinks everybody should obey
the Mster. He died, and I wants to go where Jesus
lives. Like the poor Indian I was one time waiting
to be hung. Dere he was, setting on his own coffin
box singing over and over the words I just said,
"I want to go where Jesus lives!"
********************
As told by
Lucinda Vann
Cherokee Freedwoman
I went to the missionary Baptist Church where Marster
and Missus went. There was a big church. The white
folks go first and after they come out, the colored
folks go in. I joined the Catholic church after the
war. Lots of bad things ahve come to me, but the good
Father, high up, He take care of me.
We went down to the river for baptizings. The women
dressed in white, if they had a white dress to wear.
The preacher took his candidate into the water. Pretty
soon everybody commenced a singin' and a prayin'.
Then the preacher put you under water three times.
There was a house yonder where was dry clothes,
blankets, everything. Soon as you come out of the
water, you go over there and change clothes. My uncle
used to baptize 'em.
When anybody die, someone sit up with them day and
night till they put them in the ground. Everybody
cry, everybody'd pretty nearly die. Lord have mercy on us, yes.
********************
As told by
Sarah Wilson
Cherokee Freedwoman
"Before freedom we didn't have no church, but
slipped around to the other cabins and had a litlte
singing sometimes. Couldn't have anybody show us the
letters either, and you better not let them catch you
pick up a book even to look at the pictures, for it
was against a Cherokee law to have a Negro read and
write or to teach Negro.
Some Negroes believed in buckeyes and charms but I
never did. Old Master had some good boys, named,
Aaron, John Ned, Cy and Nat, and they told me the
charms was no good. Thier sister Nicie told me too,
and said when I was sick just come and tell her.
They didn't tell us anything about Christmas and New
Year though, and all we done was work.
I joined the Four Mile Branch church in 1879 and Sam
Solomon was a Creek Negro and the first preacher I
ever heard preach. Everybody out to be in the church
and ready for that better home on the other side.
The Lives of the Oklahoma Freedmen
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