by blood

The Seminole and Cherokee Nations, among other native American tribes, owned African slaves. After the American Civil War, the slaves were emancipated and became members of the tribes. More than a century later, the descendants of these freed slaves, were stripped of their tribal citizenship and are now known as Freedmen. This film tells their story and chronicles the ongoing conflict over the issue of tribal rights between the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and the Cherokee Freedmen. It explores a largely untold history and its impact on race, identity, and the sovereign rights of Native American people.