Turkey Tayac facts for kids

Turkey Tayac, whose legal name was Philip Sheridan Proctor (1895–1978), was an important leader of the Piscataway people. He was also known for his knowledge of herbal medicine. He played a big role in helping Native American communities in the 20th century. He worked to bring back tribal traditions and culture.

Turkey Tayac knew some words of the Piscataway language. Experts like Ives Goddard and Julian Granberry asked him for help with their studies of Algonquian languages.

Turkey Tayac's Work and Life

Philip Proctor was a Native American activist. He served in the military during World War I. He also worked for the government's tax department, the Internal Revenue Service. His work to help Native Americans lasted for many years.

Challenges for Native Americans

For a long time, the Piscataway and other tribes in the Southeast faced many challenges. In the 1700s, many people in the tribe died from diseases. They also lost land because new settlers moved in. By the late 1700s, it seemed like the Piscataway people had disappeared from official records.

Many Native Americans married people from other groups. Their children were sometimes counted as "black" or "mulatto" in government records. This made it hard for them to keep their Native American identity. Even though some families still knew they were Piscataway, official records often didn't show it.

Maryland also closed the special lands, called reservations, that had been set aside for Native Americans. This made it even harder for tribes to stay together.

Keeping Their Heritage Alive

Despite these challenges, some families held onto their Native American heritage. In the 1900s, researchers studied groups of people who were known locally as "We-sorts." These groups had kept their unique culture alive. They even sat together in church, separate from white and black people, during a time when society was very segregated. This showed how strong their identity was.

Becoming a Leader

Turkey Tayac fought in World War I in France. He was part of the Rainbow Division, which was made up of National Guard units. He was almost killed by a poisonous gas called mustard gas.

In the early 1900s, society often used race to define people. If someone had any African heritage, they were often called "negro" or "mulatto." This made it hard for people with mixed Native American and African heritage to be recognized as Native American.

Turkey Tayac became a very important person in the early and mid-1900s. He helped lead movements to bring back culture among Native American communities in the Southeast. These included the Lumbee, Nanticoke, and Powhatan Indians. Their efforts faced difficulties during the Great Depression and World War II.

After a law called the federal Indian Reorganization Act was passed, many tribes had to prove their family history to be recognized. This often meant showing they were direct descendants of people listed as Native Americans in old records.

Turkey Tayac started using his new name as he worked to unite Native American people. He believed that people should be able to identify themselves as Native American. In the 1960s, the Piscataway group even gave out ID cards to Native Americans. This was their way of helping people claim their identity without relying on government offices.

Bringing Culture Back

Besides his tribal duties, Turkey Tayac also joined the Bonus Army. This group of World War I veterans marched to Washington D.C. to ask for their promised payments. This showed his dedication to seeking social justice for all. Turkey Tayac was a Roman Catholic his whole life and was active in the Catholic Veterans of America.

Many researchers and experts interviewed Turkey Tayac. They were studying how Native American culture survived in areas where people thought it had disappeared.

Turkey Tayac cared deeply about a place called Moyaone, also known as the Accokeek Creek Site. This archeological site shows that Native Americans lived there from about 1300 CE to 1630 CE. This includes the time of the historic Piscataway people. In 1966, it was named a National Historic Landmark. It is now part of Piscataway Park, which is managed by the National Park Service.

In the 1960s, the Alice Ferguson Foundation, which owned some of the land, decided to give much of it to the National Park Service. This was to protect the environment. Turkey Tayac supported the creation of Piscataway National Park.

In the 1970s, the American Indian Movement grew. This made more people interested in Turkey Tayac's efforts to bring the tribe back together. In 1974, Turkey Tayac, his son Billy Redwing Tayac, and a supporter named Avery Lewis started a non-profit group called the "Piscataway-Conoy Indians."

This group later opened the Piscataway Indian Center. They wanted it to be a place where people of Piscataway heritage could reconnect with their Native American identity. It was also for other Native Americans in the area.

In 1978, Turkey Tayac became sick with leukemia. His family worked with government leaders to get permission for him to be buried at Piscataway Park. In 1979, Turkey Tayac was buried at the Moyaone site.

Since 1978, the Piscataway people have formed three main groups. On January 9, 2012, all three groups were officially recognized by the state of Maryland. They are still working to be recognized by the federal government.