Interview with Baxter York 1974-06-21

Description: 

This interview is continued in MISS CHOC 024. Baxter York discusses how Choctaw lands were lost to White people and the federal government. He recalls the land provisions made for Choctaws who did not go to Oklahoma, of which only one family still owns their full acreage. He describes how White people cheated Choctaws out of their land and murdered several individuals in the leadup to a lawsuit. He discusses how Choctaw elders objected to the draft in World War II, which resulted in federal representatives inspecting the state of the Choctaw lands, ultimately putting land in reserve for them. York speaks about the importance of education and cautions against accepting an allotment system.