Native American roots at St. John’s

Here at SJC, we have a community of many different cultures. Ms. Butler, a French teacher honors her Cherokee heritage.

Ms. Butler’s family was first a part of the “Western Band of Cherokees” in Northwest Georgia and they were a part of the “Wolf Clan” which is one of the 7 Cherokee Clans. Her grandfather, Houston Russell, was a full Cherokee Indian and was born in Oaks, Oklahoma. Houston grew up in a two-bedroom house on land the government allotted their family after forcing them to relocate. Houston’s parents spoke Cherokee at home but made their kids speak English to them to help them assimilate. They also went to Baptist Mission school.

As a senior in high school, Ms. Butler’s grandfather dropped out to join the Army Air Corps (now called the Air Force) and trained as a tail gunner in a B-52 bomber to prepare to fight in World War II. After, he returned to Oklahoma where he finished high school and went to college with a boxing scholarship. He met and married Ms. Butler’s grandmother, a white woman, which was controversial at the time. They then moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Houston did not speak much about his Cherokee heritage as there was a push to be “white". That being said, he continued to pass down his family’s and Cherokee tales and stories. As he got older, Houston started to take more interest in finding his roots and they were able to trace their family/clan from generations ago, finding out that one of their ancestors was a chief of the Cherokees until he died in 1827 in Georgia. Houston had dementia and towards the end of his life, he spoke more in Cherokee than in English.

Ms. Butler’s family has annual family reunions and still has the house and land that was given to them. They still work on finding more of their clan from Georgia and have even been able to meet up with other members. Ms. Butler learns more about her culture including learning how to weave baskets from a family member. The family member had a basket in one of the Smithsonian museums here in DC. Ms. Butler has a tattoo to honor her heritage and is very proud of her culture.