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“The Civil War in Indian Territory: Indigenous Memory and Perspective” presentation by Midge Dellinger and Gano Perez Jr.
April 15, 2023, 1 p.m.–2 p.m.
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Honey Springs Battlefield will host a presentation by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Historic and Cultural Preservation Department concerning the history and public memory of the Civil War and the Battle of Honey Springs in Indian Territory on Saturday, April 15, at 1 p.m.
Midge Dellinger, oral historian for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Historic and Cultural Preservation Department, will discuss her ongoing study of the Civil War in Indian Territory and the use of oral history as a means of remembrance. Dellinger will also share Indigenous perspectives on public memory and the memorialization of the Civil War in Indian Territory.
Gano Perez Jr., GIS cultural specialist for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Historic and Cultural Preservation Department, will discuss archaeology and fieldwork performed in past years at the battle site by the Muscogee Nation.
In addition, Dellinger will discuss how Indigenous historians and preservationists engage with Civil War history, constructing a broader, more inclusive narrative and memory.
The Battle of Honey Springs (Affair at Elk Creek), which took place on July 17, 1863, is the largest Civil War battle to occur in Indian Territory and on Muscogee lands. Also remembered as the most ethnically diverse battle in the Civil War, the Battle of Honey Springs was fought by Indigenous, Black and white soldiers. The tribal nations of the Muscogee, Cherokee and Seminole divided, joining both the Union and Confederate armies. By the war’s end, devastation ruled the lands and lives of Indian Territory ancestors. Regarding the Civil War, the historical intersections between Native, Black and American experiences are critical to a complete appreciation and memory of a highly challenging time in this country’s history.
For more information call 918-617-7125 or email honeysprings@history.ok.gov.
Honey Springs Battlefield is located east of US Highway 69 between Oktaha and Rentiesville. The Visitor Center is located on a hill near the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame in Rentiesville. Take the second left after reaching the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame Museum (driving from the west).
Left: Gano Perez Jr., Right: Midge Dellinger
