Book Review

This book is called Black Indians: A Hidden Heritage by William Katz. It discusses the relationships between Native American tribes and African Americans from the colonial era through slavery times and beyond.
Many tribes intermarried with Blacks and their blood mixed. These mixed-race people were still considered fellow Natives and lived on sovereign land.
Unfortunately, the interracial mixing threatened white settlers, so they lobbied the federal government to revoke the tribes' sovereign status. This happened to dozens of tribes over the years.
It's a shame because in order to become recognized, tribes must provide documentation of continuous existence along with ongoing cultural traditions. This is difficult when tribes are robbed of their homes and place-based traditions.
I hope that they gain the recognition they deserve along with the acknowledgment that they truly believed that *all* men were created equal.
I recommend this book if you're interested in learning of NA/AA interaction in colonial America or the politics of Native sovereignty.
Amazon link