They Say the Wind Is Red: The Alabama Choctaw ― Lost in Their Own Land - Softcover

Matte, Jacqueline Anderson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1588380793 ISBN 13: 9781588380791

Publisher: NewSouth Books, 2002

Synopsis

They Say the Wind Is Red is the moving story of the Choctaw Indians who managed to stay behind when their tribe was relocated in the 1830s. Throughout the 1800s and 1900s, they had to resist the efforts of unscrupulous government agents to steal their land and resources. But they always maintained their Indian communities―even when government census takers listed them as black or mulatto, if they listed them at all. The detailed saga of the Southwest Alabama Choctaw Indians, They Say the Wind Is Red chronicles a history of pride, endurance, and persistence, in the face of the abhorrent conditions imposed upon the Choctaw by the U.S. government.

About this title

About the Author:

Jacqueline Matte holds master’s degrees in History and Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a B.S. from Samford University. She is the author of The History of Washington County, Alabama, and the co-author of Seeing Historic Alabama. Ms. Matte testified as an expert witness before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearings for federal recognition of the Alabama Choctaw. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama.

Review:

"Jacqueline Matte makes a compelling case for the historical origin of the MOWA Choctaws in her book, They Say the Wind is Red, although the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs inexplicably still denies them federal recognition as an Indian tribe." ―director of the Center for Archaeological Studies, University of South Alabama
"They Say the Wind Is Red represents the successful effort of the MOWA Choctaw to articulate their own history. This development pleases all of us who believe in the place of American Indians in American History." ―National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution
"I found They Say the Wind Is Red moving and convincing." ―Virginia Pounds Brown, Southeastern Indians expert and author of The World of the Southern Indians
"Very impressive ... [gives] a good understanding of the history of these people." ―From the foreword by Vine Deloria, Jr., author and advocate for Native American affairs
"An invaluable addition to the growing library of Native American Studies, They Say the Wind is Red is a very highly recommended history of pride, love of land, danger, and a people's determination to endure and preserve their way of life in spite of severe and enduring hardships." ―Midwest Book Review

About this edition

• Publisher: NewSouth Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1588380793
• ISBN 13: 9781588380791
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224