African-Native Americans

Not many know this, but in times when slavery existed, runaway slaves and freed blacks settled near Native American communities. Blacks and Native Americans intermingled, and intermarried. They gave birth to a new group, the African-Native Americans. This new group quickly assimilated into the Native American culture. African-Native Americans served many important roles in the Native American community. They took on high positions such as advisors, interpreters, field hands, and warriors, alongside their purebred Native American counterparts. With this newly found sense of esteem, blacks were able to own land, as tenant farmers, in which they paid harvest tribute to the Chiefs of the villages, take part in everyday Native American rituals, and learn the way of the Native-American lifestyle.