by Katarina “Kato” Wittich

The third weekend in September is a special weekend in the tiny town of Brackettville, Texas. Once a year, the descendants of the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts gather there to celebrate their ancestors and their unique heritage. They come from all corners of the States, from Mexico, Europe, the Bahamas and anywhere where the Black Seminole diaspora led them. They are the proud descendants of a people whose history is both unusual and at the same time representative of what it is to be an American, born of the melting pot that this country truly is.

Black Seminoles are a people who were formed when escaped slaves, freedmen and maroons joined up with the Seminole Indians in the swamps of Florida and later became allies in the battle against the U.S. government as it tried to take their lands away from them. The Seminole Wars, in the first half of the 19th century, were costly and deadly for both sides, but the Seminoles were never defeated. Eventually they agreed to move to a reservation in Oklahoma where they believed they could find safety from persecution and a permanent home. But the government promises of land and protection were only partly fulfilled, and on the Creek reservation where they were placed, the Black Seminoles found themselves prey to slavers and in great danger.  So in 1849 two exceptional men, the Seminole chief Wildcat (Coacoochee) and the Black Seminole chief John Horse, led their joined peoples on a trek across the United States to Mexico, where slavery had been abolished in 1829. There, they hoped to find safety and stability for their people, functioning as military colonists for the Mexican government.  They spent 20 years serving in that capacity for the Mexican government, but eventually their situation became difficult again. Political and economic turmoil made things dangerous, and Wildcat’s band of Seminoles had either died of smallpox or returned to Oklahoma, leaving John Horse’s people without the protection of their traditional allies. The Civil War had ended slavery in the United States, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs was trying to persuade all Indians on the Mexican side of the border to end their raiding into Texas and come live on reservations in the U.S. The promise of land of their own persuaded the Black Seminoles to return to the United States. While they were waiting for the government to fulfill its pledge to give them land in Oklahoma, they signed on as Indian Scouts for the US Army in order to support their families.

In 1870, the first unit of the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts was mustered in at Fort Duncan in Eagle Pass, Texas. Later, the Scouts were mostly centered in Fort Clark, in Brackettville Texas, under the command of Lieutenant John Lapham Bullis. The scouts were excellent fighters and trackers and they were active on the border for 44 years, until they were disbanded in 1914. Without them it would have taken much longer to “pacify” the borderlands and make them safe for white settlers. They were far more effective than regular army troops at finding the Indians who were raiding the settlers and implementing the army agenda of forcing them onto reservations or annihilating them. The Scouts played a crucial role in the history of the state of Texas, and that role is imbued with the ironies that haunt so much of American history. They were never given the land they were promised, and they were often the subject of extreme bigotry and violence. Seminole Scouts received four Medals of Honor, at the same time as their families were starving. Their rations had been cut because the Bureau of Indian Affairs reversed it’s policy and decided there was no such thing as a Black Indian. The Scouts were culturally a blend of African and Native American, yet necessity forced them to fight against many of the same Native American bands that they had often been allies with in Mexico.

When the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts were disbanded in 1914, their families moved off the fort and into Brackettville, and from there spread to all parts of the US and also into Mexico. But they maintained their own unique language, a form of Gullah style creole that is now dying out with the elders. And they kept a strong sense of themselves as “Seminol”, a culturally unique black people whose ancestors had escaped slavery and lived as part of an Indian Nation for many years before splitting off and becoming their own people. They have intermarried and mingled with Mexicans and whites and other Native peoples like the Biloxi and the Creek.  Descendants of the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts come in all colors and creeds. They speak many variations of English and Spanish, they live in many different cultures, but they have a deep and strong bond with each other and their ancestors. That is why they return to Brackettville to celebrate in the tiny schoolhouse where many of them went to school, and to visit with the elders, both dead and living, in the Cemetery and on the dance floor.

Seminole Days in Brackettville began this year on Friday September 19th, with two new additions to the celebration, both of which were spectacular.

Scout descendant Thomi Lee Perryman organized a series of history lectures which Included presentations by the Mayor of Brackettville, Andres Rodriguez; Russell Knowell of the Fort Clark Historical Society; John Griffin, Florida Seminole Re-enactor and historian; Daniel Romero, Chief and Richard Gonzalez Vice Chief of the Lipan Apache Band of Texas; Doug Sivad, Historian, Actor; and Scout descendant and Texas Ranger Lee Young. The lectures presented a fascinating array of perspectives on the history of the Scouts, and it was the first time that Scout descendants had the opportunity to meet members of the Lipan Band with whom their ancestors were so strongly engaged as friends and foes. It was a time of healing and sharing and the information presented was during the day was hugely appreciated by the large audience of Scout Descendants and visitors.  It was particularly moving that the participation of the Lipan Apache Band was due to an invitation from Thomi Lee Perryman. He is a descendant of Teresita, the daughter of Lipan Chief Costelitos. Teresita was captured by the Scouts during a raid and imprisoned at Fort Clark. She eventually was released and married one of the Scouts and became a guide for the troops herself. To add to the complexity, recent research indicates that Teresita was probably Mexican in origin, that she and her brother were stolen from their family by Costelitos during a raid and adopted by him, becoming his children in all ways but birth.  And now, her descendant has made possible the sharing of history by both Lipan and Scout descendants.  The lectures were a wonderful addition to the Seminole Days celebration.

The second new event on Friday was a trip up Seminole Canyon to visit the remote site where the Scouts used to camp and water their horses. Scout descendant Cynthia Ventura Atchico arranged for any scout descendants capable of the hike to be led by the rangers into this beautiful spot. It was rich with the memories of the ancestors, and sacred to the Lipan and other native peoples who used it for centuries before the Scouts came. The canyon walls are home to pictographs of astonishing beauty, to wildflowers and still water and overarching rocks that are ancestors themselves.  Like Thomi Lee, Cynthia embodies the cultural and racial mixes that make up scout descendants. She descends from both Lieutenant John Lapham Bullis, the white officer who led the scouts, and the Fraustos, Scouts with Black and Mexican heritage.

Saturday in Brackettville began with a moving unveiling of a new plaque marking the Isaac Perryman family site, which was part of the larger camp where the Scouts lived on the military reservation of Fort Clark. It was followed by the parade, which each year goes down the main streets of Brackettville and ends at the Carver School grounds, where the community then gathers for a speaker program, barbecue prepared by the Goodloe family, booths, bingo and ongoing festivities.  As it has been for many years, the parade was organized by Augusta “Gigi” Pines,  the current President of the Seminole Negro Indian Scout Cemetery Association. It was a colorful and spectacular parade led by descendant and past Association President Clarence Ward, on his motorcycle. In addition to the Scout descendants who participated, there were numerous re-enactors on horses and in carts. The Lipan Apache Band of Texas walked the route, joined by Mescaleros, the fire department and many other colorful floats.  Each year the parade seems to get better and better, thanks to Ms. Pines.

Ms. Pines and the Association Board of Directors, including Vice-President Rafaela Brown and Treasurer Mary Vasquez-Gamble, also organized an excellent program at the school grounds.  It included speakers such as the Mayor of Brackettville and Scout Descendants including Billie Jean Frierson, Lee Young, Thomi Lee Perryman, and Elder and Honorary "Chief” William “Dub” Warrior who has been past President of the Association and keeper of the history for many years.  Lipan Vice Chief Richard Gonzalez gave a moving speech encouraging the young women of the group to understand their importance as the ones who create the future, and he gave a special ceremonial necklace and blessing to the youngest teenage female descendant. The program was followed by barbecue, bingo, and  booths with displays and all sorts of foods and souvenirs to purchase . The celebration went on until late in the evening.

Saturday night there was also a semi formal banquet held on Fort Clark to honor “Chief” William Warrior and his wife Ethel for their many years of service to the community. Many awards were presented at the banquet, and speakers included Richard Gonzalez, John Griffin, Doug Sivad, Veronica Warrior, Mayor Rodriguez, and Retired Texas Ranger and Scout Descendant Lee Young, who is the first Black Ranger in Texas and has written a fascinating book about his groundbreaking experiences. "Chief”  Warrior spoke of his many years of gathering the history and the importance that the younger descendants take up being the guardians of the past, as it is such an important part of the future.

It was a heartwarming evening in a beautiful setting. The banquet was organized by Thomi Lee Perryman, with the help of Lovenia Raspberry, and emceed wonderfully by Billie Jean Frierson, who kept things moving so everyone could get up and dance when the program was done!

On Sunday morning the community came together at the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts Cemetery to honor the ancestors.  The graveyard was carefully tended and flowers were placed on recent and ancient graves. Many members of the community still choose to be buried here, and there are many fresh graves as time claims the elder members of the group. Part of the ceremony was the reading of the names of those who have gone during the course of the year.  This year was particularly sad because a younger and beloved member of the community, Billy Joe Pierce, passed away at the beginning of the month. In addition to prayers, there was a beautiful call and response walk into the cemetery led by the Perryman family choir, who all seem to have been blessed with exquisite voices.

As the sun rose to its full noon strength, the descendants of the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts bowed their heads in a final prayer for their ancestors, their loved ones, and a safe trip home. Hugs were exchanged and families loaded into cars to begin the voyages toward their homes, both far away and near, knowing they will gather again next year to celebrate their connections to each other and to their rich and complex past. 

Seminole Days are celebrated on the third weekend of every September in Brackettville  Texas. Visitors are welcome!

Information is available on the Facebook page of the Seminole Indian Scout Cemetery Association.   https://www.facebook.com/groups/129678373847271/