Wanting some help on information.

[LisaK]

Okay, I have been told all my life that my Great Grandmother was Blackfoot Indian raised by whites after her family was wiped out by smallpox. For this reason I really have no information on her. I am interested in researching this information but have no idea where to start. Any help would be appreciated.

Also, my middle name is Kaoma and is also from all accounts an Indian name given to my grandfather, then passed on to my mother and then to me. The meaning we have been told for the name is "desert flower". I am interested in getting more information the this as well.

Thanks in advance.
Lisa

[Linda]

Do you know where this lady lived? If she was a great grandmother, it would seem to me more likely that she was a "regular" Blackfoot from Montana or thereabouts.

We're researching reports of Blackfoot ancestry from east of the Missisippi. These people were disrupted in the late 1600's, so would have had their ordeal with smallpox long before your great grandmother's day. That's my first impression any way.

Have you found any sources for information about the Montana Blackfoot? If not, let me know, perhaps I can put you in touch with someone.

[LisaK]

Actually, she was found by hunters in Tennesee. We have no real information beyond that. I can likely research the information on the birth date of my Grandfather and they may give some indication on her age, etc.

And yes, I have seen some of the sites on the Montana Blackfoot but because of her being found in Tennesee I am not sure that she would be in that group.

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
lisa

[Linda]

Well, that's a horse of another color. If she's from Tennessee, then you're in the right place to be asking questions. Who said that about "Desert flower?" The thing is, if she's southeastern Blackfoot, there wouldn't be a word for desert flowers, I would think. No need.

Anybody got any suggestions?

What are the names of her adoptive family? Don't be too quick to assume the people who adopted her were all that "white." Lots of the Blackfoot identified people in TN were taken for white, irregardless of their heritage.

[Linda]

According to Oliverio's dissertation, in Tutelo (akin to Saponi) the prefix "ka" means "instrumental, by striking," as in "káthi" 'cut by striking.' The prefix o- is a locative, "in/into/inside," while the suffix -o indicates interrogative mode. "Ma" means game bird. Or there's "mahé" which means woman. Anybody have any ideas about this?

[LisaK]

Linda, thanks for all the information so far. I will talk with my mother as soon as I can to get more information. She is the one that told me the meaning on the name. I do know that my grandfather already carried the name but in the male spelling it is Koma instead of Kaoma.

We have never researched this to any extent but as I get older I am very interested in getting any information I can and finding the true roots and background of my name.

There will be some difficulty in the research due the a fire in the courthouse that destroyed a lot of birth records.

I will let you know when I get more information!

Thanks so much!
Lisa

[LisaK]

Thanks for the help Linda. I will do some research and get as much information as I can. And then will likely as you for more help.!

Thanks,
Lisa

[LisaK]

Ok, I have found that my Great Grandmother died in either Rhea County or Hamilton County in TN in 1940 and that her adoptive name was Norris. not sure if that will help me in anyway but any direction would be appreciated.
Lisa

[Linda]

Any idea how old she was when she died?

[LisaK]

Not sure on that, Mom is out of town now and I will have to check with her when she returns. I have sent off to try and get a copy of her death record but I have no idea how long that will take. I will keep you posted.

Thanks again,
Lisa

[Tom]

Hello All hopefully I won't kill this bird!
Well the translation for the name sounds familiar and is a typical method for naming women. It sounds as though the name may mean "Singing Bird Woman" but there could be a "flip" that is there may be a flower that was called "singing bird flower" so its not out of sink, this particular flower may have been located on a dry ridge or in a sandy place near a shore line!, Best ot All Tom

[LisaK]

Thanks Tom, that may clarify in some ways. We were always told that it meant desert flower but that is all. I appreciate any help anyone can offer.
Lisa

[collins]

: "saponi12" <saponi12@earthlink.net>
Date: Fri Apr 19, 2002 8:02 pm
Subject: Color Code



This was written in response to an issue regarding the deplorable
infighting amoung certain groups in Native American communities and
the way in which most people continue to be ignorant of our complex
history.

From historical records and the verbal histories of Native America I
have found that the skin color of Native Americans varied from tribe
to tribe depending on geographic location. The spectrum we would have
seen back in the day would have been any colors from brown-black to a
light ruddy color. Once the interactions started with the various
peoples from over seas then the variations simply increased to the
wonderful Rainbow we share today. In my opinion Euro and Afro
American families that have resided in the land for at least 100 to
150 years must have Native American Indian Aboriginal bloodlines. The
history we all share, the way things went; it all shows just how
interconnected we are in this country. As far as I have understood,
the Native philosophies from the old days, if one was born from the
tribe then one was Native American. Racial mixing was the norm and
that is why the government tried their best to form wedges between us
all. For proofes of this research the Nat Turner Rebellion and the
ways in which the government pressured the tribes to pass tribal laws
forbidding intermarriage. The people that try to exclude others that
have Native ancestory are only doing so out of fear. Fear that they
will be discredited. Fear that they will not get what they are
wanting. Fear of loosing control. The history of the Plains Tribes is
not the same exact history of the Eastern Woodlands. There were many
different circumstances that existed in the East that did not exist
in the West until much later on. Half the Indian People in the East
died from genocidal illness and warfare. The other half were split up
over time. Some were forced to remove West. Some were integrated into
the color codes of those eras, and some just flat out hide if they
could and moved around other wise. The history of the Southeast is an
unresolved history because the U.S. Government chose it that way to
hide the facts and prevent land claims. This was how they
exterminated whole tribes. Sweeping whole tribes under the carpets of
false identity casts, Jim Crow Laws, and just plain bait and switch
ways of stealing land.

The other issue comes into play when people speak about belief,
facts, and family oral histories. First off using the word belief in
this context implies some how that the person believing themselves to
be Indian or descending from a certain Native ancestor is some how
flawed or can be detracted from for lack of certain "documentation".
When you are brought up to view yourself Native American then that is
true enough for you. Documentation is merely a white formality based
in the racial policies of the Government. This arena that we find
ourselves is what we call the color code and it, my friends, is just
an illusion. If you are Indian then you are Indian and no one not
even another Native American can take your families story, for that
is your power and not theirs. They have their story and you have
yours. Self-determination is not just for those tribes already
recognized by the U.S. Government. It is there for those of us that
did not fair so well as they. We are going to keep hearing these
infuedings and experiencing these hateful ways until some how we can
get attention to the history and the way in which our peoples were
really treated. Until the awarness of the general public is raised
concerning these issues it will continue on. Where is PBS on this?
Why is it that people in Hollyweird have not payed attention to these
historical facts? Perhaps it is time for some protesting or
something. The tribes that are already recognized see us as a threat
to their sovereignty. The Government sees us as a threat because they
full well know the truth and do not want to acknowledge what they did
to us. For me I do not see African Americans or Euro Americans as
such unless they recently got over here. To me our country is full of
Native Americans many of whom do not even know who they really are
and many of whom are still to this day part of the poor populations
of this country. It is easy for some "chief" or "council" some where
to declare whole segments of their tribe or family as less than or
not related. It is easy because they are at the controls and usually
self appointed picking and choosing siblings to help them with their
iron grip. I pray that only the wise and respectful get seated in
such positions of power. I pray that one day before I die that I
will see right be done to all our peoples. I pray that one day before
I die that this maddness of assimilation will be, finally once and
for all, finished so that we may see where we are and where we are
going. Oho!!!

[Linda]

I saw you post this on Saponi yahoogroup and I didn't know it was you. I thought, gee, wish I could get this on the forum where it will be more visible.

Good post.