American Indian Culture and Research Journal

Exploring the Dynamics of Indian-Black Contact: A Review Essay Susan A. Kenney Africans and Seminoles: From Removal to Emancipation. By Daniel F. Littlefield, Jf. Contributions in Afro-American and African Studies, Number 32. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1977. 278 pp. $15.95. The Cherokee Freedmen: From Emancipation to American Citizenship. By Daniel F. Littlefield, Jf. Contributions in Afro-American and African Studies, Number 40. Westport, CT: Green- wood Press, 1978. 281 pp. $18.95. Africans and Creeks: From the Colonial Period to the Civil War. By Daniel F. Littlefield, Jf. Contributions in Afro-American and African Studies, Number 47. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1979. 286 pp. $22.50. The Chickasaw Freedman: A People Without a Country. By Daniel F. Littlefield, Jr. Contributions in Afro-American and African Studies, Numb er 54. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1980. 248 pp. $25.00. When the Great Spirit made man He took dust into His hand, mixed it, blew upon it, and there stood a white man. This sick and feeble being was not what the Great Spirit intended, and He was sorry. The Great Spirit began again and this time a black man stood before Him. He was more disappointed, for this man was black and ugly. On His third attempt, a red man appeared, and He was pleased. Saying that each must fulfill the duties to which they were suited, the Great Spirit offered boxes of tools necessary for their support. Although not His favorite, the white man was given first choice. Examining them all, the white man chose a box of pens, ink, paper, and all the things that white people use. The Great Spirit then told the black man that although he was the second-made, he could not have second choice. Turning to the red man, He smiled and said, "Come, my favorite, and make a choice." The red man chose a box of beaver traps, bows, arrows, and all the things used by Indians. Finally, the Great Spirit gave the black man the remaining box "full of hoes and axes- plainly showing that the black man was made to labor for both the white and the red man. By defining the essence of each race's existence, this Seminole myth provides one example of how American Indians came to grips with a multiracial society. White and Black men in America challenged Indian cosmology and necessitated explanation. Indians had to gain some perspective to define the status of the different racial groups. This myth does precisely that. Both Whites and Blacks are perceived as mistakes, as less than human in the Great Spirit's scheme of the perfect man. The centrality of Seminole personhood is reasserted and the overall assessment reinforces their favored status as the people.