Many of the festival goers wanted to know what happened to the Cherokee Indians, they had come to watch the Indians perform as they had in the past. There were eight Cherokees from two different families from Collin County that came to participate in the parade as they usually did – they said that they would be back to meet with the Cherokees in their regular meeting which is held on the second Saturday of each month. Sometimes other events take place with the Cherokee’s busy itinerary that hinders their visit to the regular business or will interfere with regular planned activities.

The Cherokee group is growing which required them to meet in a larger place. They are making plans to start meeting in the old former Baptist church building. Judy Cochran, the local owner, has been restoring the old building and bringing it back to its original state. She is adding Native American decor as a part of the restoration project.

Judy is doing a fantastic job cleaning the floors and walls and making the building a very attractive place for the Cherokees to meet.

The local Indians are very spiritual and a devout group. DWayne Carroll is the tribe’s Holy Man. DWayne carefully performs an incense ceremony to cleanse the evil spirits by burning cedar and sage. The smoke carries the bad spirits away that have gathered since the last meeting.

The Seven Feathers Women’s Society under the leadership of Vera Parkhill, conducts their meeting at 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays after the regular meeting.

Rosie Atherton, the local tribe historian, is conducting a good study of the different Indian family’s heritage and family trees. She is very knowledgeable of the different tribes and their traditions.

Velda Williams is in charge of making arrangements for the meal that is served just after the business meeting.

The group is looking forward to the new meeting location. It will offer more room for the various activities.

On some occasions the ladies sing and their plans are to learn more of the songs in the Cherokee language. The Cherokee tribe’s language is not difficult to learn. It is quite easy to master, since the rhythm and the words go together. Songs like Amazing Grace and other popular songs are practiced when possible with stringed instruments when they are available.

Leon Milton, a retired minister, has brought his twelve string guitar to some of the singing sessions. Leon is a native of Aubrey and is the son of the late J.D. and Sudie Milton. Sudie was a full blood Cherokee and was born in Indianola, Oklahoma. She was a member of the Sanders family that came to Onega (Aubrey) bak in the mid eighteen hundreds.

I have mentioned upon several occasions that during the 1930 census, parents of the households during 1930, were listed on the census report. When you study the Aubrey residents during 1930 that were 65 years old with parents born in the Cherokee country of Georgia and Alabama, would indicate that they were born in Onega during the Civil War, and if their parents were 30 to 40 years older, that would indicate their grandparents were born in the Cherokee nation during the 1820's and 1830's. This was during the great Cherokee removal that was ordered by the President of the United States, Andrew Jackson.

It is not too difficult to determine from the 1930 census, that Onega was made up of Indians from the Cherokee Nation, and that they were hiding their heritage, because they had been ordered to get west of the Mississippi River or be killed. Those that remained in the old former Cherokee Nation changed their identity to Black Dutch. Those that came to the West and established Onega, likewise called themselves Black Dutch, to hide their Cherokee heritage.

I have mentioned in the past that until the laws of discrimination were passed during the 1960's, Cherokees were afraid to talk freely of their Cherokee heritage without the threat of losing their lives. The Indians were not allowed to vote in this country until 1923. They were the last group of people to win the right to vote, even though they are the most pure blooded Americans on the North American continent.

On another note, Buster Carter, another native of Aubrey came into the store this past week, and said that his Slidell class of 1940 was having their class reunion at his home this week. He said there were still half of them living. There were nine boys and nine girls in his class. One of Jackie’s cousins, Weldon (Bo) Doyle was in this class.

I enjoyed the visit from Buster Carter who married Ruth Blanks. Ruth was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jess Blanks. Ruth was also a granddaughter of Nancy Elizabeth Nelson, another native pioneer of this area, who was an early day Methodist in the Aubrey church.