Levi Colbert
Encyclopedia
Levi Colbert also known as Itawamba, was a Native American
of the Chickasaw
. Colbert was called Itte-wamba Mingo, meaning bench chief. He and his brothers were prominent translators and negotiators with President
Andrew Jackson
and United States government representatives related to the tribe's moving west of the Mississippi River
.
settler of Scots
descent and his second wife Minta Hoye, a Chickasaw, Levi Colbert was born in present-day Alabama
. He grew up bilingual and was educated in both Chickasaw and western traditions.
of 1830, to keep peace, they signed a treaty based on the tribe's removal west of the Mississippi
. This treaty gave them only 25 cents per acre for their land, less than half that of which was first promised.
s", descendants of white men who married into the Chickasaw tribe, were an "abomination". He worried that they hid within the tribe after going against the law, cared only for reservation land and schemes to make them money, and lacked respect for the tribe.
Colbert did not want conflict; he wanted peace with the US government, even if it meant giving up his people's land. He wished to obtain the most for his nation during negotiations, as they were being put into a deadly situation.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
of the Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
. Colbert was called Itte-wamba Mingo, meaning bench chief. He and his brothers were prominent translators and negotiators with President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
and United States government representatives related to the tribe's moving west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
Early life and education
One of six mixed-race sons of James Logan Colbert, a North CarolinianNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
settler of Scots
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
descent and his second wife Minta Hoye, a Chickasaw, Levi Colbert was born in present-day Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. He grew up bilingual and was educated in both Chickasaw and western traditions.
Removal
Levi Colbert and his brothers were prominent among the negotiators of the Chickasaw when meeting with US government officials. Although opposed to the Indian Removal ActIndian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830.The Removal Act was strongly supported in the South, where states were eager to gain access to lands inhabited by the Five Civilized Tribes. In particular, Georgia, the largest state at that time, was involved in...
of 1830, to keep peace, they signed a treaty based on the tribe's removal west of the Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. This treaty gave them only 25 cents per acre for their land, less than half that of which was first promised.
Inter-tribal conflict
Colbert believed that the "half-breedHalf-breed
Half-breed is an historic term used to describe anyone who is mixed Native American and white European parentage...
s", descendants of white men who married into the Chickasaw tribe, were an "abomination". He worried that they hid within the tribe after going against the law, cared only for reservation land and schemes to make them money, and lacked respect for the tribe.
Colbert did not want conflict; he wanted peace with the US government, even if it meant giving up his people's land. He wished to obtain the most for his nation during negotiations, as they were being put into a deadly situation.
Legacy
Several places were named after him:- Itawamba County, MississippiItawamba County, MississippiIn 2000, there were 8,773 households out of which 33.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.30% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.90% were non-families. 23.40% of all households were made up of individuals and...
- Colbert's Spring, Alabama
- Colbert County, AlabamaColbert County, AlabamaColbert County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of brothers George and Levi Colbert, Chickasaw Indian chiefs. George Colbert operated a ferry across the Tennessee River in 1790 near present day Cherokee....
was named after him and his brother George ColbertGeorge ColbertGeorge Colbert was a Native American leader of the Chickasaw people in the early 19th century. He commanded 350 Chickasaw troops, whom he had recruited, as a militia captain under Andrew Jackson during the Creek War of 1813-1814. Later he joined the US Army under Jackson for the remainder of the...
.
See also
- Holmes ColbertHolmes ColbertHolmes Colbert was a Native American leader of the Chickasaw Nation in what would become Oklahoma. Colbert wrote the Chickasaw Nation's constitution in the 1850s.-Early life and education:...
, his nephew and writer of the Chickasaw Constitution - George ColbertGeorge ColbertGeorge Colbert was a Native American leader of the Chickasaw people in the early 19th century. He commanded 350 Chickasaw troops, whom he had recruited, as a militia captain under Andrew Jackson during the Creek War of 1813-1814. Later he joined the US Army under Jackson for the remainder of the...
, his brother - Colbert County, AlabamaColbert County, AlabamaColbert County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of brothers George and Levi Colbert, Chickasaw Indian chiefs. George Colbert operated a ferry across the Tennessee River in 1790 near present day Cherokee....
- Trebloc, Mississippi, in Chickasaw County
Further reading
- "Refusal of the Chickasaws and Choctaws to Cede Their Lands in Mississippi: 1826", Yale University
- Chickasaw Letters -- 1832, Chickasaw History