Redbird Smith (born ''To-Juwah Sequanitah'',
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
) (1850–1918) was a traditionalist and political activist in the Cherokee Nation in
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...
. He helped found the
Nighthawk Keetoowah Society, whose members revitalized traditional spirituality among the Cherokee from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century.
Early life
Redbird Smith was born into a Cherokee family on July 19, 1850 in Indian Territory, near the current city of
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Are ...
. His father was Pig Redbird Smith, who was given his surname by European Americans, after they noted that he worked as a blacksmith. Redbird Smith's mother was Lizzie (Hildebrand) Smith. His parents had been removed from
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
to
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...
. Both his parents were ardent traditionalists. When Redbird Smith was ten, his "father dedicated him to the services and cause of the Cherokee people in accordance with ancient customs and usages."
Political activism
In the late 19th century the
Dawes Commission
The American Dawes Commission, named for its first chairman Henry L. Dawes, was authorized under a rider to an Indian Office appropriation bill, March 3, 1893. Its purpose was to convince the Five Civilized Tribes to agree to cede tribal title of I ...
was established under the Dawes Act. It was ordered to carry out registration of members of Indian tribes, in order to identify heads of households for the allotments of communal lands to individual families. This was to be a means to convert Native Americans to the European-American model of subsistence farming. Any lands remaining after such allotment were to be declared "surplus", and the United States government would put them up for sale, including to non-natives. Redbird Smith led a political resistance movement to the
Dawes Allotment Act
The Dawes Act of 1887 (also known as the General Allotment Act or the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887) regulated land rights on tribal territories within the United States. Named after Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts, it authorized the Pres ...
and sought to return to traditional Cherokee religious nationalism and values.
[Conley 197]
In 1887 and 1889, Smith served as a
tribal councilor from the Illinois District of the
Cherokee Nation.
Smith said in the early 1900s:
Smith repatriated
wampum
Wampum is a traditional shell bead of the Eastern Woodlands tribes of Native Americans. It includes white shell beads hand-fashioned from the North Atlantic channeled whelk shell and white and purple beads made from the quahog or Western Nor ...
belts belonging to his tribe.
[ In 1910 he was selected as chief of the Nighthawk Keetoowahs. Previously he had served as their chairman.][Starr 480] Also in 1910, Smith and fellow Nighthawks traveled to Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
with an 1820 document supporting Cherokee lands claims from when bands had lived there, but the Mexican government did not support their claims. In 1914, he petitioned President Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
to create a Keetoowah reservation, but the US government rejected the idea, believing that reservations hindered its assimilation policy for Native Americans. In 1921, one hundred Cherokee from 35 families moved together to the southeastern corner of Cherokee County, Oklahoma
Cherokee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 46,987. Its county seat is Tahlequah, which is also the capital of the Cherokee Nation.Burnett, Amanda"Cherokee County,"''Encyclopedi ...
, to create a traditional community. This was "the brainchild of Redbird Smith."
Family
Redbird Smith married Lucy Fields, born in Braggs, Indian Territory in 1852. She was the daughter of Richard Fields and Eliza (née Brewer) Fields. Together the Smiths had ten children who survived into adulthood, including eight sons and two daughters.[
Among their descendants is great-grandson ]Chad Smith
Chad Gaylord Smith (born October 25, 1961) is an American musician who has been the drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Smith is also the drummer of the ...
, former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
Principal Chief is today the title of the chief executives of the Cherokee Nation, of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, the three federally recognized tribes of Cherokee. In the eighteent ...
.
Death and legacy
After falling ill for 48 hours, Redbird Smith died on November 8, 1918.[ He is buried in the Redbird Smith Cemetery in ]Sequoyah County, Oklahoma
Sequoyah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,281. The county seat is Sallisaw. Sequoyah County was created in 1907 when Oklahoma became a state. It was named after Sequoyah, wh ...
.
He served as chief of the Nighthawk Keetoowahs until his death and was succeeded for a short period by Levi Gritts.[Starr 482] His son Sam Smith became chief of the Nighthawk Keetowahs on April 7, 1919.[Starr 483]
The Redbirth Smith ground is an active ceremonial ground. Redbird Smith, Oklahoma, Sequoyah County, was named for him. Smith's birthday on July 19 is celebrated annually at the ceremonial ground.
See also
* Original Keetoowah Society
* Stomp dance
Notes
References
* Conley, Robert
"The Dawes Commission and Redbird Smith."
''The Cherokee Nation: A History.'' Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2005: 193-199. .
* Starr, Emmet
''History of the Cherokee Indians and Their Legends and Folklore.''
Oklahoma City: The Warden Company, 1921.
External links
Redbird Smith
on the Cherokee Nation website
Access Genealogy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Redbird
1850 births
1918 deaths
People from Sebastian County, Arkansas
People from Ellis County, Texas
Native American activists
19th-century Native American politicians
20th-century Native American politicians
Cherokee Nation politicians (1794–1907)
Cherokee Nation politicians
Religious figures of the indigenous peoples of North America
Activists from Texas
Native American people from Arkansas