Original Keetoowah Society - Keetoowah Society Beliefs, History, and Spirituality

Keetoowah Society Beliefs, History, and Spirituality

Budd Gritts, a Cherokee Baptist minister, was appointed to draft a Constitution and Laws of government for the Keetoowah Society, and in response to the changing religious and political climate of the times. The constitution and Laws of Government were formally adopted by the Keetoowah, who prospered and lived in peace under its provisions for many years.

In 1861 the Keetoowah Society enacted a provision, which stated:

"...if any urgent and important message from the Chief of the Cherokee Nation should be received by Head Captains to be looked into, it shall be the duty of the head captains to send up the message to all parts of the Cherokee Nation. If anyone, or any one of us Keetoowah is called upon or chosen to take a message for them he shall willingly without hesitancy respond to the responsibility."

During the period from 1859 to 1889, the Keetoowah flourished and were strongly united. Almost without exception, the Keetoowah sided with the Northern States during the Civil War. During this period, the Keetoowah were predominantly members of Protestant Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches, as well as a few Quakers. Some of the people practiced traditional rituals of the ancient Keetoowah. Gadugi was strong among the Cherokee people during this period in their history.

Influenced by white missionaries, the members of the different denominations became strictly sectarian in their practice. In 1895 when the question of the allotment of lands to the members of the Five Civilized Tribes was being discussed, the traditionalists among the Keetoowah worked to oppose the change, as they believed it threatened their community. The Keetoowah were united in their opposition to any speedy change. From this time to 1900, the following of Redbird Smith were designated universally as the “Nighthawk Keetoowahs” because of their vigilance in their activities.

The Keetoowah Constitution and Laws of Government was amended in 1889, making it a political organization in character. From this period, the differences between the Christian Keetoowah and the Ancient Keetoowah (or traditionalists) became more marked. They disagreed on political issues as well.

In November 1899, the Keetoowah Society convened in Tahlequah to pass resolutions critical of the Cherokee Council and the Dawes Commission. They particularly opposed of plans to divide and distribute Cherokee land in individual allotments, as the government intended to declare any "remainder" as surplus and sell it to European-American settlers. They also opposed the government plans to take a roll of members of the Cherokee Nation without their review, approval or consent. They challenged amendments to the Constitution, and resolved to enroll (register with the Dawes group) only under protest. When the Keetoowah in convention at Big Tucker Springs on 6 September 1901 decided to enroll with the Dawes Commission, the final schism occurred: Redbird Smith left the meeting with eleven of his traditionalist supporters to resist enrollment actively, and they formed the Nighthawk Keetoowah.

Several hundred Keetoowah, including several groups whose members had begun as part of the Keetoowah Society and left with the Nighthawks in 1901, coalesced to form a number of secretive, traditionalist, exclusive factions. Most of these groups started near Gore, Vian, or Proctor, and adjoining areas. These groups were nascent within the Keetoowah Society as early as 1893, and derived from "Goingsnake fire" or various of the "Four Mothers Nation fires". Like the Nighthawks, these groups generally refused until 1910 or later to accept the work of the Dawes Commission.

While they fully intended to maintain tribal government and functions regardless of the fate of the Cherokee Nation, the Keetoowah as a body officially acquiesced under protest to the legislative provisions that would dissolve Cherokee Nation's government and allot Cherokee lands. They learned that they could not prevent the 1893 Act, the Dawes Commission enrollment, U. S. citizenship, the Curtis Act and the abolition of tribal courts, the Agreement with the Cherokee Nation of April 1, 1900, the 1906 Act and the virtual political dissolution of the ... Cherokee government as of 4 March 1906, presidential approval for all tribal ordinances affecting tribal or individual lands after allotment, and the allotment in severalty of Cherokee lands. See Cherokee Nation v. Southern Kansas R. R. 135 U. S. 641 (1890) and Cherokee Nation v. Journeycake, 155 U. S. 196 (1894).