A statue of a Confederate General in DC, Albert Pike, was just pulled down and burned and so on. I don't personally take issue with it being pulled down, especially as, from what I can find, he did not want to be memorialized and in fact Congress had voted for its removal anyway!

But, I am confused about his actual history. Apparently he did more than Confederate stuff, and the statue was meant to emphasize these non-Confederate efforts, particularly his involvement in Freemasonry and Native American issues.

My question is about the latter. What resources are available to explain exactly what his relationship with Native Americans was? From what I can find, Pike served them as an attorney, representing them in "claims" against the U.S. Government. I'm not sure what that means. What kinds of "claims" were cognizable in U.S. Courts that he could file on behalf of Natives?

Moreover, I am also reading online that he attempted to secure land for Natives in Oklahoma and commanded brigades of Natives. That is, he sought to protect their land from colonization. However, I found this other article (that is behind a paywall) suggesting that the opposite is true: https://web.archive.org/web/20160220160833/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-58333272.html

Which is it?

Lastly, I cannot find any information on his precise views about slavery. Apparently some are suggesting he was against slavery (an odd way to show it). What did he believe? And, if it is known, why was he willing to defend the rights of indigenous peoples if he was against the rights of black people? Was such a belief commonplace?

Thank you in advance.