Minerva Willis ( – ?) was a Choctaw freedman and musician, also known as Aunt Minerva, who contributed to

spirituals Spirituals (also known as Negro spirituals, African American spirituals, Black spirituals, or spiritual music) is a genre of Christian music that is associated with African Americans, which merged varied African cultural influences with the exp ...

alongside her father,

Wallace Willis Wallace Willis was a Choctaw Freedman living in the Indian Territory, in what is now Choctaw County, near the city of Hugo, Oklahoma, US. His dates are unclear: perhaps 1820 to 1880. He is credited with composing (probably before 1860) several ...

. Their compositions, including "

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is an African-American spiritual song and one of the best-known Christian hymns. Originating in early African-American musical traditions, the song was probably composed in the late 1860s by Wallace Willis and his d ...

" and " Steal Away to Jesus," gained international recognition through performances by the

Fisk Jubilee Singers The Fisk Jubilee Singers are an African-American a cappella ensemble, consisting of students at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee. The first group was organized in 1871 to tour and raise funds for college. Their early ...

Early life

Minerva Willis, often referred to as Aunt Minerva, was likely born . She was enslaved in the

Choctaw Nation The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (Choctaw: ''Chahta Okla'') is a Native American reservation occupying portions of southeastern Oklahoma in the United States. At roughly , it is the second-largest reservation in area after the Navajo, exceeding t ...

area, now part of

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, and lived on a plantation owned by Britt Willis, an

Irishman The Irish ( or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common ancestry, history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been continually inhab ...

became a citizen of Choctaw Nation via his marriage to a

Choctaw The Choctaw ( ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States, originally based in what is now Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choct ...

woman. Willis, along with her father

, was transported from

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

during the

Trail of Tears The Trail of Tears was the forced displacement of about 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850, and the additional thousands of Native Americans and their black slaves within that were ethnically cleansed by the U ...

. She had no formal education, but her exposure to music through her father became the foundation for her future contributions to spiritual music.

Music

During her adult life, Willis worked alongside her father, Wallace. The Willis family was periodically hired out by their owner, Britt Willis, to Spencer Academy in

Spencerville, Oklahoma Spencerville is an unincorporated community in northern Choctaw County, Oklahoma, United States. It is 12 miles northeast of Hugo, adjacent to the Pushmataha County border. The improved Ft. Smith to Ft. Towson military road of 1839 ran north� ...

, a school for Choctaw boys established around 1845. While working at the school, Willis and her father became favorites among the students due to the spirituals they performed during their evening work sessions. Their musical contributions came to the attention of reverend Alexander Reid, the school's superintendent starting in 1849. Reid documented several of their songs and introduced them to the broader public. Among the most notable spirituals were "

," " Steal Away to Jesus," and "Roll, Jordan, Roll." In 1871, reverend Reid shared these songs with the

. The Jubilee Singers incorporated the Willis' compositions into their performances, which were heard throughout the United States and Europe.

Personal life

Genealogical research from 2019 to 2021 revealed that Willis was the daughter of Wallace Willis, not his wife, as previously believed. Her mother was Charlotte, and all three were enslaved together by Britt Willis. This correction was supported by Wallace Willis's 1884 obituary, written by reverend Reid, and other legal documents.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Minerva 1800s births Year of birth uncertain Choctaw freedmen 19th-century American slaves American women slaves 19th-century African-American women singers 19th-century American women composers African-American women composers 19th-century American songwriters People enslaved in Mississippi Trail of Tears survivors Choctaw women