WOMEN IN HISTORY - DIANA FLETCHER

Daughter of a former slave father and Kiowa mother, activist, taught in black Cherokee school

DATE OF BIRTH

1838?

PLACE OF BIRTH

Oklahoma (Indian Territory)

DATE OF DEATH

Unknown

PLACE OF DEATH

Unknown

FAMILY BACKGROUND

Diana's father was born in Virginia. His parents were born in Africa and brought to America as slaves. While still a young child he was sold to a man who lived in Florida. He ran away and lived with the Seminole Indians. Though still a slave, they treated him better than his former master. He married a Seminole woman. She died on "The Trail of Tears," the forced relocation of Indians to Oklahoma.

EDUCATION

Diana learned traditional Kiowa crafts from her step-mother: sewing, cooking, tanning buffalo hides, making teepees, and basketweaving. When the members of the tribe raised enough money, they built a small school and hired a teacher. The Black Indian schools were operated by what were known as The Five Civilized Tribes: the Creek, Chicasaw, Cherokee, Choctaw, and Seminole. Some sources say Diana taught fellow Native Americans.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Diana's main accomplishment was valuing and preserving her family's history, culture and values, while, at the same time, learning to adjust and adapt to white American society. Because of ignorance, prejudice and racial hostility, the U.S. government attempted to force Black Indians, as well as all Native Americans, to reject their heritage. Because people like Diana maintained their traditions, we can now learn about their important contributions to the history of America. Some sources say Diana attended the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia (later called the Hampton Institute), although listings of students do not reflect this. However, the history of these schools relates to her biography so we include this, and web links below.

The Hampton government boarding school was opened for Black students in 1868, with the intent of educating by training "the head, the hand, and the heart" so pupils could return to their communities as leaders and professionals among their people. In 1878, the institute opened its doors to Indians. The following year, in a grand experiment led by Capt. Richard Henry Pratt, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was opened as a way to assimilate Indians into "civilized" society, although without the intent of returning graduates to their communities.

Kiowa Indians, as well as thousands of Native Americans from many, many other tribes, did attend these schools.

SPECIAL NOTE: Because not enough records on Diana Fletcher exist for a fully accurate portrayal, we have created a composite characterization for her performances -- based on historical research of the lives of African-American and Native American people and their relationships during the 19th century.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

  • Botkin, B.A., editor. Lay My Burden Down: A Folk History of Slavery. University of Chicago Press: 1945. Also Delta Publishing: 1994.
  • Cox, Clinton. The Forgotten Heroes: The Story of the Buffalo Soldiers. Scholastic Paperbacks: 1996.
  • Crawford, Isabel. Kiowa: A Woman Missionary in Indian Territory. University of Nebraska Press: 1998.
  • Deagan, Kathleen A. and Darcie A. MacMahon. Fort Mose: Colonial America's Black Fortress of Freedom. University Press of Florida: 1995.
  • Field, Ron. Buffalo Soldiers: 1866-91. Opsrey Publishing: 2004.
  • Forbes, Jack D. Africans and Native Americans: The Language of Race and the Evolution of Red-Black Peoples. University of Illinois Press: 1993.
  • Johnson, Dolores, illustrator. Seminole Diary: Remembrances of a Slave. Atheneum: 1994. (Children's picture book)
  • Katz, William Loren. Black Indians: A Hidden Heritage. Simon Pulse Publishing: 1997.
  • Leckie, William H. The Buffalo Soldiers: A Narrative of the Negro Cavalry in the West. University of Oklahoma Press: 1999.
  • Littlefield, Daniel F., Jr. Africans and Seminoles: From Removal to Emancipation. University Press of Mississippi:1977.
  • Mayhall, Mildred P. The Kiowas (Civilization of the American Indian Series). University of Oklahoma Press: 1984.
  • Minges, Patrick. Black Indian Slave Narratives: Real Voices, Real History. John F. Blair Publisher: 2004.
  • Mulroy, Kevin. Freedom on the Border: The Seminole Maroons in Florida, the Indian Territory, Coahuila, and Texas. Texas Tech University Press: 1993.
  • Porter, Kenneth Wiggins. The Black Seminoles: History of a Freedom Seeking People. University Press of Florida: 1996.
  • Tocakut. Remember, We Are Kiowa: 101 Kiowa Indian Stories. Authorhouse: 2000.
  • Twyman, Bruce Edward. The Black Seminole Legacy and North American Politics, 1693-1845. Howard University Press: 2000.
  • Washington, Booker T. Up From Slavery: An Autobiography. Doubleday: 1963.

WEBSITES

CITATION

This page may be cited as:
Women in History. Diana Fletcher biography. Last Updated: 2/9/2013. Women In History Ohio.
<http://www.womeninhistoryohio.com/diana-fletcher.html>