Oklahoma Indian Territory of Black Creek Freedmen History Exhibit A MUST SEE During OK's Museum's Week

 

The Governor of the state of Oklahoma has proclaimed March 12th -18th, 2023, as museums week to raise awareness of the cultural and historical societies, historic sites, zoos, aquariums, science centers, botanical gardens, historic houses, natural history museums, children's museums, heritage centers, living history museums, tribal cultural centers, and museums has on our state and our world.

Stop by and visit the Oklahoma Indian Territory Museum of Black Inc  Creek Freedmen History during museum week to explore the unique history of the Creek Freedmen of Indian Territory, March 12th -18th, 2023. The Museum has served as the Black Creek Freedmen's "Museum Without Walls" for over a decade, educating about the history of the Creek Freedmen who were removed from their traditional homelands from Georgia and Alabama via the Trail of Tears to what is now known as Oklahoma.

The museum exhibit features the history of the Muscogee people and the people known as African Creeks, a/k/a Creek Freedmen. The exhibit aims to take the audience back to the days of Indian Territory and the Trail of Tears. The Museum exhibit features an account of The Civil War and life after signing the Treaty of 1866, ordinary Creek Freedmen, and prominent Creek Freedmen leaders.

Creek Freedmen served in both ruling houses in the Muscogee Creek Nation, the House of Kings and the House of Warriors (Similar to the Senate and House of Representatives) in the Muscogee Nation National Council as policymakers, lawyers, translators, and advisors to the Principal Chief of the Nation!

Creek Freedmen (People of African descent) and other Freedmen of the so-called "five civilized tribes" participated in the forced removal from their traditional homelands in the Southeast to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma.

The Creek Freedmen or Black Creeks were granted full Citizenship within the Muscogee Creek Nation under the 1866 Creek Treaty Article II, equal to those with Native Citizenship in the Nation.

The small Museum has made its home in the Women in Agriculture National Headquarters at 1701 N Martin Luther King Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73111, for several months while planning and fundraising for its permanent space.

The Museum was selected to participate in the Institute for Quality Communities engagement program through the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture.

The Museum will be available during museum week to greet you from March 13th – 17th, Monday - Friday, from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, and by appointment from March 20th – 24th.

The week of March 26th, the Museum will be in its new location at 8601 S Walker Ave Ste #1 in Oklahoma City as they continue to fundraise for a permanent site for the Oklahoma Indian Territory Museum of Black Creek Freedmen in the heart of Northeast Oklahoma City.

The Museum has gained the support of Councilwoman Nikki Nice, Ward 7, who has written a personal letter of support stating that she will serve as a resource as they work on fundraising and acquiring our permanent museum space.

Northeast Oklahoma City, Ward 7, is where many Freedmen and their descendants later built their lives.  The Director states there is no better place to house this extraordinary history than in a community where many families descend from this incredible history.

The Museum has also received a letter of support from Dr. Daniel F. Littlefield Jr., Director of the Sequoyah National Research Center, noted scholar, historian, and author of African Creeks and Chickasaw Freedmen, "A People without a country."