I Lived All My Days in the Choctaw Nation
Virtual Trail of Tears All My Days Orange Butler, Choctaw Freedman Q&A 27 November 1902 As I review applications submitted by freedmen of a certain age, I notice a subtle consistency in their stories that requires attention when determining whether that individual came west with an enslaver. The question posed by the Dawes Commissioner seems innocent as they attempt to determine if someone was living in the Choctaw Nation after the Civil War. However, it remains unclear if that is how the person (freedman) perceives the intent of the question. Frankly, the question appears broad, if not vague, on the surface if you aren’t paying close attention; “How long have you lived in the (Choctaw Nation?)” That’s my emphasis. Many Freedmen's responses to that question seem to say the same thing: “All my days” or “All my life.” For that formerly enslaved person of a certain age, the question could include a life before Indian Territory, and living in the Choctaw Nation. “All my day...
