Letter from the Executive Director

“We come not here to tell a lie, but to tell the whole truth, and that you do all you can for us to have a home.” (Dictated by John Horse in 1873; National Archives – Division of the Missouri Special Files M1495: Roll 13)

The truth matters. For our ancestors the truth involved harassment, enslavement, or death. Dangerous treks to freedom. Survival in a foreign land. Return to a country that did not see their lives as valuable as others. Hard and dangerous work as laborers and soldiers. Life made more difficult by meager rations and pay. Making sure that children and others were safe. Eviction. Persistence. Resilience. Community.

Those truths that bonded our Community need to be accurately recorded and preserved. And it is up to us Descendants to do that work. We can contribute to the preservation of the Community’s history in many ways:

document your family’s history
connect with Elders
reach out to other descendants
verify and share your research

And if the work seems too daunting, reach out for help and connection. The Historical Society’s Facebook page is a good place to ask questions and get started!

Our Community is a unique mixture of peoples, travels, traditions, and language, and we all have a part in preserving it. The good, the bad and the in between, because the truth matters.

The Seminole Negro Indian Scouts Historical Society was created to celebrate the incredible military legacy of the Scouts and the unique and thriving Scout descendant community that has maintained its identity through the years with an insular language (Afro-Seminole Creole) and shared oral history.

The Historical Society, created and led by descendants of the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts, works with allied researchers to collect and curate accurate historical work, support new research, and preserve oral and other forms of community history.