What They Don’t Want You To Know
If you’re Black American—especially from the South, Louisiana, or the Caribbean—there’s a good chance you’re Indigenous to this land. Not “a little bit Native” from some distant ancestor. Indigenous as in your people were here for thousands of years before any European or enslaved African arrived.
But the colonizers had a problem: Dark-skinned Indigenous peoples complicated their narrative and threatened their land claims. So they developed a solution: Reclassify them as “Negro.”
One colonial document. One drop of African blood. And suddenly, you’re no longer Indigenous—you’re “Black.” Your land claims? Gone. Your tribal status? Erased. Your children’s heritage? Forgotten.
The Mound Builders Nobody Talks About
Before colonizers arrived, North America had sophisticated civilizations that built structures rivaling Egypt’s pyramids. Cahokia, near present-day St. Louis, had 20,000 people—larger than London at the time.
Historical accounts describe diverse Indigenous populations, including dark-skinned peoples who built these civilizations. The Kaw people of Kansas were described as having skin “as black as Negros.” Various groups across Mexico and Central America were documented as “Black people” by early observers.
The Washitaw Nation claims they are descendants of these ancient mound builders in Louisiana. They assert the Louisiana Purchase involved their stolen land—that Napoleon fraudulently sold territories belonging to Indigenous peoples.
Whether mainstream institutions recognize these claims or not, one truth is undeniable: Dark-skinned Indigenous peoples existed, built civilizations, and were systematically erased.
The Three-Step Erasure
Step 1: Physical Genocide
- 90-95% of Indigenous populations killed by disease, warfare, starvation
- Trail of Tears killed tens of thousands, including dark-skinned Indigenous peoples
- Survivors were forcibly removed from mound sites and ancestral lands
Step 2: Forced Into Slavery
Before the Atlantic slave trade dominated, colonizers enslaved Indigenous peoples. As African slavery increased, they deliberately mixed these populations:
- Indigenous slaves sold to plantations alongside enslaved Africans
- Children classified as “Negro” or “Mulato,” not Indigenous
- After a few generations, Indigenous ancestry completely erased from records
In Louisiana Territory (Washitaw lands): Dark-skinned Indigenous peoples were especially vulnerable. If you “looked Black,” you were treated as enslaved—regardless of being Indigenous.
Step 3: Legal Reclassification
By the 19th century, the one-drop rule made it complete:
- Any visible African ancestry = “Negro”
- Your Indigenous heritage became legally irrelevant
- No land claims, no treaty rights, no tribal status
- Your children inherited this stolen identity
Why This Matters Now
Millions of Black Americans have Indigenous ancestry they don’t know about because:
- Records were destroyed or falsified
- Families were told to hide it for survival
- Being “Indian” was dangerous under Jim Crow
- The shame was passed down through generations
You might be Indigenous if:
- Family mentions “Indian” ancestry but won’t discuss details
- You’re from Louisiana, Carolinas, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, or Caribbean
- Old family photos show features that don’t fit the “African only” narrative
- Elders have vague stories about “where we really came from”
The Washitaw and Stolen Land
The Washitaw Nation represents one community demanding recognition. Their claims about the Louisiana Purchase are important to document:
They assert:
- They are Indigenous to the Louisiana Territory
- The 1803 Louisiana Purchase was fraudulent
- Napoleon didn’t have the right to sell their land
- The U.S. built its expansion on stolen Indigenous territories
This matters because: If dark-skinned Indigenous peoples were systematically reclassified as “Black,” how many “legitimate” U.S. land acquisitions actually involved stolen Indigenous land from peoples who were then erased from history?
How This Connects to All Indigenous Peoples
While colonizers were reclassifying dark-skinned Indigenous peoples as “Black,” they were also:
- Creating the “Hispanic/Latino” category to erase Indigenous identity in Mexico and South America (see our second PDF: “Mejorando La Raza”)
- Using blood quantum to mathematically eliminate northern Indigenous peoples (see our third PDF: “The Northern Separation”)
Different tactics. Same goal: Divide Indigenous peoples so they can’t unite to reclaim stolen land.
What You Need to Know
The full story includes:
- Detailed documentation of mound-building civilizations
- How boarding schools erased survivors’ memories
- The connection between slavery reparations and Indigenous land claims
- Why DNA tests shock many Black Americans
- How to research your own hidden Indigenous ancestry
- Legal implications for land rights and reparations
- Modern movements reclaiming Black Indigenous identity
But here’s what colonizers fear most: Black and Indigenous peoples recognizing we’re not separate. That “Black” and “Indigenous” aren’t mutually exclusive. That dark-skinned peoples built American civilizations. That the land is stolen. That we deserve it back.
📥 Download the Full PDF: “Erased & Reclassified: How Dark-Skinned Indigenous Peoples Became ‘Just Black’”
Get the complete story including:
- ✅ Full documentation of mound-building civilizations and dark-skinned Indigenous nations
- ✅ The Washitaw Nation’s detailed claims about the Louisiana Purchase
- ✅ How forced mixing created modern Black Indigenous peoples
- ✅ Timeline of genocide, Trail of Tears, and reclassification
- ✅ Boarding school system and cultural erasure
- ✅ How to research your Indigenous ancestry
- ✅ Modern implications for reparations and land rights
- ✅ Building Black-Indigenous solidarity
🔗 Read the Full Series: Now on Patreon
- PDF 2: “Mejorando La Raza” – How the Casta System Divided Hispanic/Latino Indigenous Peoples
- PDF 3: “The Northern Separation” – Blood Quantum and Colonial Favoritism
Understanding all three reveals the complete colonial strategy to divide one continent of Indigenous peoples into “Black,” “Hispanic,” and “Native American”—all to keep stolen land.
Livity Blog | Memory as Resistance
