Post by anita on Jun 19, 2012 10:57:26 GMT -5
Greetings all.
I think this is the forum here I should address. I have a strange history. I am also not known for brevity but I will try here. I am seeking any references to a Deerfoot Indian tribe/clan/band most likely between Ohio and Michigan around the turn of the century. Research has lead me to believe it was a sub group ( band or clan) belonging to the Saux Fox but members I have spoken with are unsure.
The Story: My sister and I are adopted. We have no genetic tie to any tribe as far as we know ( we are dutch /irish), but the state we were adopted from ( Ny) changes adoption records to make appear the biological progeny of the adoptive parents. So by federal law I am East indian mixed w/ Hungarian/german and french canadian.
On my adoptive mothers side is a marriage to a native american woman. My family is unfortunately ashamed of any marriage not between two people of purely caucasian stock. My mother was ostracized for the marriage to my father,and they adopted 2 extremely white kids to try to get back in the families' good graces, but that back fired as we weren't actual 'blood' which is huge to this group.
My great great aunt, ( Mom adored her and called her 'Auntie Rea even though she was a grand aunt) who came here from France had either an uncle or more likely a brother, who was a trapper. One year he came back from trapping married to 'an Indian princess' as family lore goes, However that is all anyone will say. Any other questions get a 'we don't speak of that' response.
I learned after a year of ill treatment by his family they left to go live amongst her people and had no further contact with the Euro side of the family ( can't blame them at all.)
I found the name 'deerfoot' in a family recipe book Specifically a family recipe for deerfoot indian chowder which was a thick venison soup. As the 'blue bloods' recipe book required these be original recipes from the matriarchs of the local '1st families' I presume this is a recipe she brought in that the family kept.
My family has an extensive genealogy, tracked back to 500ad, prior to were lost in a church fire. However; that great great grand uncle is listed, but not as married and not w/ children. I presume there were progeny. I know there was a marriage.Though the family refused to accept it.
A am disgusted by my adoptive families attitude to 'outsiders' and strangely my sister and I gravitated to the red path a fair bit early on. Maybe its the irish in us, but family and clan mean something more to us then the rest of this family were a part of.
We can't ever find our real biological kin, BUT we know somewhere out there might be 'kin' or a history there of in the native peoples and we would like to find it, and maybe one day say 'HI' to new cousins. Show them not all the family are arrogant creeps
The family was mostly in the Cleveland area of Ohio, but also in Detroit Mi. area. It sort of parallels the Saux-Fox removal and return time line as well. Hence the presumption of a possible relationship.
I am unsure how to seek family names in registries and the folks I spoke to, though wonderful and helpful, were unfamiliar with the names. Given how war and sickness ravaged the Saux-fox peoples its quite possible the kin died off. My friend who is adopted and also Cherokee told me of clan and band names causing confusion when searching family histories as well. He grew up thinking he was mixed african american until research found he was Cherokee. Sealed records are a NIGHTMARE!~
So I am tossing this out there, looking for refrences to a Deerfoot band/clan in the midwest from Ohio north. Any clues/ideas how I should start?
I think this is the forum here I should address. I have a strange history. I am also not known for brevity but I will try here. I am seeking any references to a Deerfoot Indian tribe/clan/band most likely between Ohio and Michigan around the turn of the century. Research has lead me to believe it was a sub group ( band or clan) belonging to the Saux Fox but members I have spoken with are unsure.
The Story: My sister and I are adopted. We have no genetic tie to any tribe as far as we know ( we are dutch /irish), but the state we were adopted from ( Ny) changes adoption records to make appear the biological progeny of the adoptive parents. So by federal law I am East indian mixed w/ Hungarian/german and french canadian.
On my adoptive mothers side is a marriage to a native american woman. My family is unfortunately ashamed of any marriage not between two people of purely caucasian stock. My mother was ostracized for the marriage to my father,and they adopted 2 extremely white kids to try to get back in the families' good graces, but that back fired as we weren't actual 'blood' which is huge to this group.
My great great aunt, ( Mom adored her and called her 'Auntie Rea even though she was a grand aunt) who came here from France had either an uncle or more likely a brother, who was a trapper. One year he came back from trapping married to 'an Indian princess' as family lore goes, However that is all anyone will say. Any other questions get a 'we don't speak of that' response.
I learned after a year of ill treatment by his family they left to go live amongst her people and had no further contact with the Euro side of the family ( can't blame them at all.)
I found the name 'deerfoot' in a family recipe book Specifically a family recipe for deerfoot indian chowder which was a thick venison soup. As the 'blue bloods' recipe book required these be original recipes from the matriarchs of the local '1st families' I presume this is a recipe she brought in that the family kept.
My family has an extensive genealogy, tracked back to 500ad, prior to were lost in a church fire. However; that great great grand uncle is listed, but not as married and not w/ children. I presume there were progeny. I know there was a marriage.Though the family refused to accept it.
A am disgusted by my adoptive families attitude to 'outsiders' and strangely my sister and I gravitated to the red path a fair bit early on. Maybe its the irish in us, but family and clan mean something more to us then the rest of this family were a part of.
We can't ever find our real biological kin, BUT we know somewhere out there might be 'kin' or a history there of in the native peoples and we would like to find it, and maybe one day say 'HI' to new cousins. Show them not all the family are arrogant creeps
The family was mostly in the Cleveland area of Ohio, but also in Detroit Mi. area. It sort of parallels the Saux-Fox removal and return time line as well. Hence the presumption of a possible relationship.
I am unsure how to seek family names in registries and the folks I spoke to, though wonderful and helpful, were unfamiliar with the names. Given how war and sickness ravaged the Saux-fox peoples its quite possible the kin died off. My friend who is adopted and also Cherokee told me of clan and band names causing confusion when searching family histories as well. He grew up thinking he was mixed african american until research found he was Cherokee. Sealed records are a NIGHTMARE!~
So I am tossing this out there, looking for refrences to a Deerfoot band/clan in the midwest from Ohio north. Any clues/ideas how I should start?