Eye-Witness Accounts - Interviews

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Elsie Edwards - Interview 1937

Sin-e-cha was aboard the Monmouth, which sank in the Mississippi River. In 1937, Elsie Edwards related the following story of Sin-e-cha:

“Somewhere upon the banks of the Grand River near Ft. Gibson lies an old grave of an old lady whose name was Sin-e-cha. I could lead you to that grave today. Sin-e-cha had come with her tribal town of Ke-cho-ba-da-gee during the removal to the new country. When the events, with never no more to live in the east, had taken place, she, too, remembered that she had left her home and with shattered happiness she carried a small bundle of her few belongings and reopening and retying her pitiful bundle she began a sad song which was later taken up by the others on board the ship at the time of the wreck and the words of her song was:

“’I have no more land. I am driven away from home, driven up the red waters, let us all go, let us all die together and somewhere upon the banks we will be there.’”

Source: Interview with Elsie Edwards, September 17, 1937, Indian-Pioneer History (Oklahoma Historical Society), 23: 255.