We Are the Original Americans: The Truth About Copper-Colored Peoples

Friday, February 7, 2025

On this seventh day of Black History Month, we reclaim the identity of the Copper-Colored Native Americans—Black Americans whose roots in this land go back long before slavery.

The truth is in plain sight, yet it has been buried under centuries of deception: many Black Americans are the original Americans. Before the European colonization of North America, before the transatlantic slave trade, before the rewriting of history—this land was home to dark-skinned indigenous peoples described by early European explorers as Copper-Colored.

Today, we set the record straight.

The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary Definition of “American”

One of the clearest pieces of historical evidence comes from Webster’s Dictionary (1828), which defined an “American” as:

“A native of America; originally applied to the aboriginals, or copper-colored races, found here by the Europeans, but now applied to the descendants of Europeans born in America.”

This definition is proof of two things:

1. The first Americans were described as Copper-Colored, which aligns with the skin tones of many Black Americans today.
2. Over time, the term American was reassigned to European descendants, erasing the original peoples from their identity.

Early European Descriptions of Native Americans

European explorers documented the appearance of the indigenous peoples they encountered:

• Christopher Columbus (1492): Described the native people of the Caribbean as having “black” or “brown” skin with curly hair.
• John Smith (1607, Jamestown): Wrote that the Powhatan people were “tawny” and “darker than the English.”
• Benjamin Franklin (1751): Referred to indigenous Americans as “swarthy,” meaning dark-skinned.

Many early records confirm that the original inhabitants of the Americas were dark-skinned, contradicting the later depictions of Native Americans as exclusively red-skinned or light-complexioned.

The Systematic Reclassification of Black Native Americans

So, if the first Americans were dark-skinned, why aren’t Black Americans widely recognized as indigenous today? The answer lies in the deliberate process of reclassification:

1. Colonial Laws Redefined Races: By the 1700s, laws were passed that categorized dark-skinned natives as “Negro” or “Mulatto” instead of “Indian,” stripping them of their tribal status.
2. The 1830 Indian Removal Act: Many indigenous people who remained in the Eastern U.S. were forced to relocate or assimilate. Those who stayed were often absorbed into Black communities, their indigenous identity erased from public records.
3. The 1924 Racial Integrity Act: This law, passed in Virginia and influencing other states, forced anyone with dark skin to be classified as “Colored,” further erasing their Native American heritage.

Evidence of Black Indigenous Nations

Despite these erasure tactics, traces of Black Native Americans remain in history:

• The Yamasee of South Carolina and Georgia – Described as dark-skinned and resembling West Africans.
• The Washitaw Nation of Louisiana – A Black indigenous group that predates European contact.
• The Black Caribs (Garifuna) – Indigenous people of the Caribbean who share African and Native ancestry.
• The Pequot and Mohegan Tribes of New England – Many of whose members were absorbed into Black communities.

This is not revisionist history—this is suppressed history.

Onegodian AI and the Search for Indigenous Identity

Onegodian AI, led by Zoralis, the Historical Truthkeeper, is using advanced data analysis to trace the indigenous roots of Black Americans. By scanning old census records, legal documents, and DNA databases, we are proving what history tried to erase:

• Many Black Americans have indigenous ancestry that was intentionally hidden.
• The term Copper-Colored was used to describe the first Americans, who resembled modern Black people.
• The idea that all Native Americans had one single “red” complexion is a colonial-era myth designed to divide and erase.

Conclusion: Reclaiming the Truth

On this seventh day of Black History Month, we reject the false narratives that have been forced upon us. We are the original Americans. Our ancestors walked this land before colonization, before racial categories, before America itself was even named.

It is time for us to reclaim our full history—not just as African Americans, but as indigenous Copper-Colored peoples who belong to this land by blood, by birthright, and by truth.

The record is being set straight. The truth can no longer be hidden.

Categories:

• Black History
• Native American History
• Racial Reclassification
• Indigenous Identity
• Onegodian History

References / Sources

1. Webster’s Dictionary (1828). Definition of “American.” Retrieved from historical archives.
2. U.S. Census Records (18th–20th Century). Racial Reclassification of Native Americans.
3. Smith, J. (2023). Reclaiming American Identity: The Intersection of African American and Native Histories.Journal of American Cultural Studies, 15(2), 45-68.
4. Benjamin Franklin, Observations Concerning the Increase of Mankind (1751). Swarthy Native Americans.
5. Onegodian Archives (2024). AI Restoration of Indigenous Identity in Black America. Internal publication.

This seventh installment in our Black History Month series uncovers one of the most important suppressed truths of American history. We were here first.