FESTIVAL PREMIERE
Discover History With The Freedmen of SE Oklahoma
Director: Doris Burris - Williamson
“Discover History With The Choctaw Freedmen of SE Oklahoma” is a historical documentary which amplifies the lived experiences, migration stories, and cultural legacy of Choctaw Freedmen descendants—African Americans who were once enslaved by Choctaw Indians and journeyed from Lowndes, Mississippi along the “Trail of Tears” in the 1830s. These Freedmen and the Native Choctaw Tribe later established new towns and communities in Southeast Oklahoma. The documentary storytellers in the film are the Descendants of the Choctaw Freedmen whose ancestors spoke the Choctaw language, cohabitated and lived with the Choctaw Indians for over 200 years in SE Oklahoma.
Many of these Freedmen families during 1810s were owned by two (2) famous Choctaw Principal Chiefs. First chief was Samuel Garland and the second was Chief Peter P. Pitchlynn of the Choctaw Nation, along with the other family members John Pitchlynn (Peter’s Father), Sophia Pitchlynn and Betsy Pitchlynn-Harris who was Chief Pitchlynn’s Mother and Sister who also kept these Freedmen as part of their community and tribe. Many of these Choctaw Freedmen were of Mixed-blood and were related to Pitchlynn and Garland Family.
Very few documentary films give life story accounts have been made about this complex relationship between the Native American Tribes and the Freedmen. I hope to fill the void since there still remains a notable lack of cinematic representation on the subject.
CAST & CREDITS
Director
Doris Burris - Williamson
Writer
Doris Burris - Williamson
Producer
Doris Burris - Williamson
Key Cast
Nerbie Breedlove
Director Statement
The film documentary “Discover History of the Choctaw Freedmen in SE Oklahoma”, reflects my lifelong commitment to storytelling, education, and cultural preservation for voices have too often gone unheard.
DIRECTORS BIO
Doris Burris-Williamson is an independent historian, genealogical researcher, anthropologist, and cultural preservationist dedicated to documenting and amplifying the histories of Freedmen communities connected to the Choctaw Tribe located in SE Oklahoma. With nearly five (5) decades of research she brings both scholarly depth and lived community engagement to her work as an Executive Producer for this historical film documentary.
As a cultural and historical research consultant, Burris – Williamson has collaborated with museums, cultural institutions, and community organizations to develop exhibits, publications, and programs. Her work includes partnering on the “Black Experience – Route 66” exhibition with the Oklahoma Historical Society and Route 66. Burris – Williamson has contributed her family stories and accounts to Angela Walton-Raji’s book, “Oklahoma Freedmen of the Five Tribes” giving accounts about how her family lived over 200 years with the Choctaw Tribe.
