Many of the Yamasee mixed in with the Seminole and moved to Oklahoma. In 1730 some of the Yamasee settled on the site of what is now Savannah Georgia and took on the name, "Yamacraw." The Yamasee originally resided in Georgia but moved to the Carolinas when Spanish settlers pushed them out of Savannah. The Yamasee then became allies with the British in the Tuscarora War of 1711. Just as the Spaniards did, the British as well turned on the Yamasee and took advantage of their "gentle" nature. After the Tuscarora War, The British took the Yamasee land at gunpoint and refused to pay the tribe for the land. The British then captured Yamasee women and children and sold them into slavery. In retaliation the Yamasee gathered their relative, neighboring tribes of the Apalachees, Choctaw, Chickasaw, the Creek Confederation, The fearsome Catawbas, and the Cherokees. This event was one of the largest Native American war parties in history called "The Yamasee Uprising." The Catawbas was formed from the remnants of other Native American tribes that were massacred by war and epidemics of the 17th century. The main tribes of the Catawba was made up of the Chowan, Cangaree, Nachee, Coosah, and the Yamasee. The term "Catawba" comes from the Yuchi words "Ko" meaning "People" and "Taba" meaning "Strong." The name "Catawba" was used primarily after 1715 but the name that this group originally went by was "Iswa." The Iswas called themselves "Iyeye" and "Nieye" which means "Real People" and were in reference to them being the original Native Americans whom were black. The Iswa are mentioned in early Spanish records by the name of "Isa" when referring to the black Moors of Spain. The word "Isa" is an Ashuric Syraic Arabic word used by Muslims for Jesus and the language of the Moors was Arabic. The Olmecs spoke a dialect of Nuwabu which is a Akkadian dialect of Nubia in Africa. In 1736 the Catawbas joined the Mu-skogee.
After the 1715 war, Native American power collapsed in the South. Many of the Yamasee escaped to Florida joining Negro slaves and other black tribes to form what would later be called the Seminole. The nucleus of the Seminole tribe was the Oconee who lived along the Oconee River in Georgia. The Oconee were part Hitchiti. The Oconee emigrated from the Oconee River Westward to the Chattahoochee River where they mixed in with the Lower Creeks. Many of these bands began to settle in Florida and became known as Seminole, which means "Runaway." Five tribes made up the Seminole which were the Oconee, Yamasse, Apalachicola, Yuchi, and Lower Creeks. In 1729 A Kashita chief named Captin Ellick married three Yuchi women and persuaded some of the Yuchi to move in with the Creeks, but Governor Ogelthorp of Georgia fearing this mass joining of the two nations agreed to give the Yuchi the rights to their own land. The final seize of land did not occur until 1751. The U.S. Government's concern was to keep the Indian nations segregated for fear of a mass uprising. Many of the Yamasee and the Oconee decided not to inter-marry into the red tribes and decided to keep their original "black" ancestry. Other Oconees and Yamasee did infact mix with other nations and produced black factions in almost every aboriginal tribe. There is a saying in the Shoshone tribe that states, "Coming full circle" in which is in reference to the original Natives being of African ancestry, loosing their African blood due to the mixing with Asians and Europeans and thousands of years later, mixing back into the vine. In a book entitled, "A Guide to Indian Tribes of Oklahoma" it states on page 228:
"The Seminole are one of the Five Civilized Tribes in Oklahoma. More than any other of these tribes, they are a cosmopolitan Indian group. Both their men and their women have always been remarkable in their appearance. The men particularly o the Tiger Clan , have a dark, copper-colored complexion . They are well develop in muscle and limb, and are capable of great physical endurance, a large head, square chest and face, and slightly aquiline nose are tribal characteristics. The women generally tend to average height or less. One ethnologist has stated that the three representatives types of a handsome and pretty, and comely woman coal be selected from the Seminole as the first tribe in rank among the American Indians for fine looking women."
The blood that flows in my veins is Yamasee my native name is Shaneka Monitwo<< my spelling is a lil off, but, It means little fire. I attend pow wows in Texas when I can among other tribes. While the children of the clay are accepted as native americans by native americans, when it comes to reaping some of the rewards of being true native americans we are left out and the U.S. government despite historical evidence refuse to acknowledge or indigenous heritage.
My ancestors were Slaves however they did not arrive on the Slave ships they were the only native americans that the euro decided to keep in bondage on account of their thick lips, flat feet and clay skin. Also it was punishment for gathering all the tribes to make war among the whites. My Grand Uncle Andy now passed away would tell us the story of how our ancestors walked from virgina to atlanta, and were with wild cat on the trail of tears. The treatment that native Americans got was so much worst than blacks that our family dropped their native names and chose a new one from the bible.
While on this death march they read the bible, when they got to Atlanta they were at the book of james, that became our name. Please do your research on this tribe and speak to your elders, i think U may be surprised about your native background. lol maybe this is why I am the WARRIOR I am today. So when people tell me that I should go back to where I came from i tell them, that that would be hard to do considering that my people are indigenous to this land, that always throws them for a loop.
