10-01-01

The photo this week is of the students at the newly named Aubrey School. It was located exactly where the new high school is now located. And as a matter of history, the building that you see in this old photo was partially in existence up until the new high school was built.

If you look closely, you will see that many of the girls in the old photo were dressed in the old famous calico cotton print that were originally flour and feed sacks.

The flour and feed was milled at a mill that was located just three blocks south of the present downtown area.

Back during these times, the most popular way to get a new dress or a shirt for the boys was for the mother to watch for the 100 pound bags of flour and feed sacks that would match already purchased sacks that had been laundered and in storage waiting for enough of the same print to be accumulated so that a new dress of shirt could be cut out and sewn together.

Many times the feed mill would use the same large roll of fabric, and it would be the only print available for many months because the mill would use the fabric until the roll was empty.

This caused many of the Onegan citizens (Cherokees) to be dressed in the same printed fabrics for several months at a time.

There was also a mill in Sherman and one in McKinney at the time this school group posed for this photo.

The Mexican Cherokees dressed in the same manner. They were located more closely to civilization in Mexico from the Saragoza, Monclova and Saltillo than the Cherokees of Texas; because Mexico had been in the textile industry many years before, while the Cherokee Nation was in existence in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and North and South Carolina.

The Governor’s Palace in Saltillo was government headquarters for and was the capital of Texas at one time in its historical past.

One example of the civilization of Mexico is the huge and old Missions which were used as a place or worship and a plaza where the many people congregated to visit and keep up with current events.

One such Mission was mentioned by me a couple of weeks ago. This Mission was constructed back in 1591. For a building to be standing tells you that the materials and construction talents over 400 years ago is amazing. It is hard to comprehend the accuracy and design in workmanship of these old buildings.

While I was in the courtyard of the Governor’s Palace in Saltillo, I couldn’t help but admire the very huge columns that were made of red granite, and were supporting very heavy load bearing walls that rose up for 3 or 4 stories tall. These buildings are still in such great condition, that there is no reason they can’t be used for another 400 years.

I was talking to Doug Krueger this past week; he is a concrete contractor and an Aubrey native from a family that goes back to the 1880's. He also marveled at how the hand laborers of Mexico were able to construct the large granite columns and walls with the accuracy that they were built 400 years ago.

The Cherokees were welcomed in Mexico during the 1830's and 1840's just after the Cherokee Chief Duwali was defeated and shot to death and left to die while leaning up against a tree in his defeated stage.

With the death of the death of Chief, fear came on all the native Americans in this region and their prospects for the future was very dull and it caused many to change their identity and be called the Black Dutch. This was a sure way to live longer along with other Cherokees that denied being any part of the Cherokee tribe.

This hiding from the culture they knew existed for more than 100 years.

The Mexican Cherokees were more open with their culture and historical past because they had the protection of the Mexican Government; however they were not recognized as an Indian tribe in Mexico until August 22, 2001. This recognition was the reason that Jackie and I with 48 other Texas Cherokees were invited to be a part of this historical trip and meeting of the Governor of Coahilla during the early part of September, when they conducted a beautiful ceremony at the Governor’s Palace.

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