in 1962 choctaw chief philip martin expressed the view of many indians. when the white people came, they brought with them the negroes as their slaves. so in a nut shell the white and negro problem is one of their own making. in my opinion, the basis of the indian problem is entirely different. tribes did not seek individual rights for individual indians, instead they sought respect for their distinct status as sovereign nations. consequently they looked to indian organizations such as national congress of american indians to seek redress of grievances. southern indians recognized they had unique problems rooted in southern history. therefore they formed regional organizations that addressed particular needs. membership in these organizations was tribal, not individual, and they focused on relations with the federal government, not civil rights. these organizations formed during the tenure of the indian claims commission, which congress established in 1936 to reach a final settlement with tribes in preparation for terminating federal responsibility for th

in paying tribute to these young men in 2004, choctaw chief philip martin described the racial climate. 40 years ago, three communities, white, black, and choctaw lived in neshoba county separated by fear, ignorance and bigotry. it was hardly the version of race relations portrayed by the organizers of the tri-racial festival but it was the one that indians remembered.