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The Documentary: Slavery's untold story

Two Cherokee native indian dancers

14/05/2019 GMT

Slavery's untold story

BBC World Service - The Documentary, Slavery's untold story

Tayo Popoola discovers the story of the slaves owned by the Cherokee Indian tribe.

In Oklahoma, Tayo Popoola discovers the story of the slaves owned by the Cherokee Indian tribe.

Since the emancipation of the slaves in the 19th Century, there has been an often uneasy relationship between the so called “Freedmen” and their former masters, both racial minorities with long histories of persecution in the US. This documentary uncovers their extraordinary twinned history, and investigates its legacy for the two communities today.

In 2017 the Freedmen won a long battle to be admitted as full members of the Cherokee tribe. From Tahlequah to Muskogee, Tayo Popoola travels through the Cherokee heartland to hear powerful personal stories from both sides of the divide, and to ask what the future holds for their communities.

(Photo: Two Cherokee Native American dancers pose for pictures along the highway in Cherokee, North Carolina, 2016. Credit: George Rose/Getty Images)

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