OKLAHOMA CITY—A group of Oklahoma Indians are on a quest to right history by conducting a parade to counter the state's celebration of the Oklahoma Land Run.
Organizers say they hope the April 12 parade here will raise awareness that Oklahoma history books are incorrect, along with history books in general, when it comes to Native Americans and the Great Land Rush of 1889.
The parade is sponsored by the Society to Preserve the Indigenous Rights and Indigenous Traditions (S.P.I.R.I.T.), made up of members of Native American tribes who support Native issues, families, personal education and human rights.
"We are looking for something to give our people to have pride in," said Brenda Golden, a Muscogee tribal member from Tulsa, Okla. "Some don't know who they are themselves, and the kids don't have anything to hold onto."
The parade, whose theme is "Honoring Our Past — Capturing Our Future," will take place the weekend before area land run re-enactments.
More than 2 million acres of land in Indian Territory were opened on April 22, 1889, for settlement during the first of five Oklahoma land runs. Up to 75,000 people surrounded the area to stake their claim for fewer than 12,000 homesteads between 1889 and 1895.
A S.P.I.R.I.T press release states that after the Civil War, tribes were forced to sell their land to the federal government for 60 cents to $1.25 an acre; the government said it would relocate other groups onto the land but never did. Many U.S. citizens regarded the lands as unassigned and, thus, public domain that should be opened for settlement.
Golden said S.P.I.R.I.T. formed in Shawnee, Okla., and members began brainstorming ideas to show the truth behind the land runs. "We want things to be different," Golden said. "We want as many non-Natives as Natives to see our parade so we can educate, and maybe get their attention."
Golden said the parade will be the first of its kind in the state, and the response from state tribal members has been good. Several tribes and individuals will be participating, she said.
Kathryn Hatcher, Chickasaw, said the event will be a positive way to educate the public. "It's a public event to show the traditional, cultural and historical aspects of the American Indian and their feelings of the land run," Hatcher said.
Marilyn Grammer, a non-Native, said she got involved in S.P.I.R.I.T. because of its educational value. She said she has children in the school system and knows the curriculum doesn't tell the story truthfully—and it has haunted her for some time. "It's offensive to me as a human being," Grammer said.
Grammer said textbooks will be coming up for re-adoption in 2012, and she would like to see changes in the books as another way to show the truth about the land runs. She said the parade is a reflection of that change.
"It's not just for Indian kids, but for all of them," Grammer said. "It's to help them understand, which will benefit us later on."
The two-hour parade is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. at the Oklahoma Land Run Memorial in Oklahoma City. For more information, contact Golden at (405) 570-7752, or visit the S.P.I.R.I.T Web pages at groups.yahoo.com/group/okspirit [1] and www.myspace.com/oklaspirit [2].