The Unpaid Debt: How the Cherokee and Choctaw Nations Owe Reparations to Black Freedmen

Vicki Dillard has once again sparked a necessary and long-overdue conversation, this time bringing to light the unsettling truths behind Native American tribes' involvement in the institution of slavery. With historical receipts from the esteemed Dr. Claud Anderson, she exposes how the Cherokee and Choctaw Nations profited from the enslavement of Black people — and how the echoes of this injustice still reverberate today.

For many Black Indigenous Americans, including the Yamassee people, these revelations are not just historical footnotes but lived truths. The stories of our ancestors, both enslaved and free, intertwine with those of the Five Civilized Tribes — Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole — who enslaved Africans alongside their Indigenous kin. These tribes aligned themselves with the Confederacy, fully participating in the oppressive institution of slavery.

Enslaved, Yet Indigenous

What is often overlooked is the fact that many of the Black people enslaved by these tribes were not Africans at all, but Indigenous people — prisoners of war from rival tribes who were captured and sold into bondage. As Indigenous nations clashed over territory, resources, and power, it was not uncommon for the victors to enslave their captives. When the transatlantic slave trade introduced African chattel slavery to the Americas, Indigenous people who had been enslaved were frequently categorized as “Black” or “Negro” to erase their tribal identities. This deliberate misclassification severed their connection to their heritage and made it easier for tribes to justify their participation in the slave economy. The legacy of this injustice lingers, as many descendants of Indigenous prisoners of war remain unrecognized by the tribes their ancestors were taken from.

The Debt That Remains Unpaid

Dr. Claud Anderson’s meticulous research highlights how the wealth accumulated from enslaved Black labor directly contributed to the tribes’ current economic stability. Through tribal enterprises, casino revenue, and federal contracts, these nations have leveraged historical reparations — reparations that Freedmen have been systematically denied.

Vicki Dillard’s discussion is a call to action. It’s a reminder that while many Native nations invoke the suffering of colonization and forced removal, they must also reckon with their role in the suffering of Black people. True justice demands accountability. The treaties of 1866 are not relics of the past; they are binding agreements that remain unfulfilled.

A Path Forward

For Indigenous Black Americans like the Yamassee, this fight is deeply personal. We understand the duality of our existence — the resilience of our Indigenous heritage and the enduring trauma of African enslavement. As Vicki Dillard urges, we must stand united with the Freedmen in their pursuit of justice. Recognizing our ancestral ties to both the land and the labor that built it, we demand that these treaties be honored in full.

The Cherokee and Choctaw Nations have the opportunity to lead by example, embracing the spirit of reconciliation by acknowledging and compensating their Freedmen descendants. Reparations are not just about financial restitution but about restoring dignity, heritage, and belonging.

It is time for the unfulfilled promises of the past to be rectified. For the sake of our ancestors and the generations to come, the demand for justice cannot be silenced. As Vicki Dillard so powerfully reminded us, the receipts are in — and so is the call for reparations