Settlement of the Nations 1836-1866

Settlement of the Nations 1836-1866. . With little inkling of how dramatically the future discovery of unimagined mineral resources would have on their communities and culture, right past the turn into the next century, those members of the Five Civilized (Sovereign) Nations being forcibly removed from the Deep South into Indian Territory (1836-1907) brought with them their taste and need for one such resource: salt., People walked or rode sometimes for days to replenish supplies of this necessity. Salt gave flavor to the venison, rabbit and their stews; it preserved the meats for winter use; it sweetened the taste of their staple corn and the bread made from it., Treaties included assurances of access to this vital ingredient to survival in new and unfamiliar lands, lands moving toward even greater change., Earlier, in 1821, the Cherokee people moved from 'pre-history' to historic with adoption of their first written syllabary, crafted by Sequoyah, as their challenge to the white powers' 'talking leaves.' Largely literate within a decade, this Nation brought its printing press to Park Hill where it produced editions of The Cherokee Phoenix, in both Cherokee and English, which were read and treasured by members and supporters as far away as Great Britain., A commemorative stamp issued by the US Post Office in 1948 celebrated an 'Indian Centennial' for 'The Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma - 1848-1948' - a pre-Civil War gathering of Indian Nation leaders which celebrated perpetuation of their sovereign governments, creation of dynamic schools preparing young men and women for major U.S. universities and expansion of systems of laws and courts which had served as models for even the United States Constitution., Looming ahead, the 'War of Southern Aggression' would bring divisions and substantial destruction, loss of western lands, liberation of former slaves, and creation of the Freedmen to change the course of Indian Country.