Tribe revokes membership of an estimated 2,800 descendants of slaves
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 11:52 p.m. ET March 3, 2007
OKLAHOMA CITY - Cherokee Nation members voted Saturday to revoke the tribal citizenship of an estimated 2,800 descendants of the people the Cherokee once owned as slaves.
With all 32 precincts reporting, 76.6 percent had voted in favor of an amendment to the tribal constitution that would limit citizenship to descendants of "by blood" tribe members as listed on the federal Dawes Commission’s rolls from more than 100 years ago.
The commission, set up by a Congress bent on breaking up Indians’ collective lands and parceling them out to tribal citizens, drew up two rolls, one listing Cherokees by blood and the other listing freedmen, a roll of blacks regardless of whether they had Indian blood.
Some opponents of the ballot question argued that attempts to remove freedmen from the tribe were motivated by racism.
"I’m very disappointed that people bought into a lot of rhetoric and falsehoods by tribal leaders," said Marilyn Vann, president of the Oklahoma City-based Descendants of Freedmen of Five Civilized Tribes.
Tribal officials said the vote was a matter of self-determination.
"The Cherokee people exercised the most basic democratic right, the right to vote," tribal Principal Chief Chad Smith said. "Their voice is clear as to who should be citizens of the Cherokee Nation. No one else has the right to make that determination.’
Smith said turnout — more than 8,700 — was higher than turnout for the tribal vote on the Cherokee Nation constitution four years ago.
"On lots of issues, when they go to identity, they become things that people pay attention to," Smith said.
The petition drive for the ballot measure followed a March 2006 ruling by the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court that said an 1866 treaty assured freedmen descendants of tribal citizenship. Since then, more than 2,000 freedmen descendants have enrolled as citizens of the tribe.Big money at stake
Advocates of expelling the freedmen call it a matter of safeguarding tribal resources, which include a $350 million annual budget from federal and tribal revenue, and Cherokees' share of a gambling industry that, for U.S. tribes overall, takes in $22 billion a year. The grass-roots campaign for expulsion has given heavy play to warnings that keeping freedmen in the Cherokee Nation could encourage thousands more to sign up for a slice of the tribal pie.
"Don't get taken advantage of by these people. They will suck you dry," Darren Buzzard, an advocate of expelling the freedmen, wrote last summer in a widely circulated e-mail denounced by freedmen. "Don't let black freedmen back you into a corner. PROTECT CHEROKEE CULTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN. FOR OUR DAUGHTER[S] . . . FIGHT AGAINST THE INFILTRATION."
The issue is a remnant of the "peculiar institution" of Southern slavery and a discordant note set against the ringing statements of racial solidarity often voiced by people of color.
"It's oppressed people that's oppressing people," said Verdie Triplett, 53, an outspoken freedman of the Choctaw tribe, which, like the Cherokee, once owned black slaves.
Cherokees, along with Choctaws, Chickasaws, Creeks and Seminoles, were long known as the "Five Civilized Tribes" because they adopted many of the ways of their white neighbors in the South, including the holding of black slaves.
Court challenges by freedmen descendants seeking to stop the election were denied, but a federal judge left open the possibility that the case could be refiled if Cherokees voted to lift their membership rights.
Tribal spokesman Mike Miller said the period to protest the election lasts until March 12 and Cherokee courts are the proper venue for a challenge.
Vann promised a protest within the next week. "We don’t accept this fraudulent election," Vann said.The Associated Press and The Washington Post contributed to this report.
15 comments:
Why would they revoke their memberships? That seems wrong to me. Hope you are doing well, Lisa.
love ya,lj
yes I read about that
That is the first time I have heard about this.
Kelli
http://journals.aol.com/kamdghwmw/noonmom
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I want to know what is really hurting the cherokee tribe in voting out a 141 year treaty? How long has this been an issue for the tribe? I want to hear WHY? Not just cause they are not real cherokee Indians. Did the tribe ever think about that those slaves helped get the C.Nation to where they are today?
I am part Cherokee. The US government refuses to consider anyone to be a native american unless they have a certain percentage of "native american blood." That means if a 100% Cherokee has children with a non-Cherokee...the children will be only 50% Cherokee. And if those children produce children with someone who is only 50% Cherokee...then the children born will be only 25% Cherokee. It is the US governments desire that the Cherokee nation should reduce the "blood quota" of their tribe to such low levels that their children will no longer be considered native americans so that they as a tribe will become nonexistent.
The US government didn't want to honor their treaty to provide the Cherokee people with the land that was promised to them. So the US government sought to enroll the tribespeople on the "roll" and proceed to take their land away from them and allow each person a small amount of land...rather than the tribe own a large portion of land as a nation of people. The US stole their "excess land." All land was owned by the whole tribe...not held as the land of any one tribal member. Otherwise, if you needed resources, you would be restricted to only your own land and could not wander seeking what you needed (deer, fish, etc.).
Native americans were not considered to be US citizens and had no rights. Many Cherokees tried to "pass" as "white people" and did not want to acknowledge that they were Cherokee because if they did so it would make it harder to survive. Many Cherokee were not included in the Dawes rolls.
The US doesn't like acknowledging that the Cherokee nation is a soverign nation with its own laws and land under the protection of the united states. The US government would like to reduce the blood quota of the Cherokee nation to the point where the government can claim that they aren't citizens and therefore can terminate them as a soverign nation. &n
I had seen this on the AOL welcome page, but didn't get to do more than a skimread, and didn't actually understand what was occurring. Thanks for posting about it. I'll have to absorb this a bit more. My feeling is that the slaves were taken into the tribes (against their will, no doubt), raised there, etc., similar to adopting someone just on different (horrible) terms. In that sense, I'd think that the Freedmen should continue to be allowed in as official tribal members per the 141 year old treaty. Even if I can also understand the blood-line thing....... just I'd think in the case of these 5 tribes, the slavery issue would rather override the blood-line thing, analogous to adoption........ hmmmmm. -- Robin
I find it amazing that after decades of slave ownership and acquiesence to the
white world that oppressed them, the Cherokee Nation would vote in such an
overwhelming majority to expel the Black Freedmen descendants. I would be
willing to bet....how ironic... that if there was no Gaming revenue involved in
this vote that there never would have been a vote. It is often said that when people are oppressed long enough they take on the identity of the oppressor.
This vote is racially motivated and poorly thought out and it is my hope that the
real Supreme Court will uphold the rights of the Freedmen.
Also, I fail to understand why the Freedmen descendants would want to co-exist
or co-habitate with men and women who "speak with forked tongue." As proof
of this situation historically, the Cherokee Nation need only look back to the case
of Seminole Tribe v Florida(1996) and Cherokee Nation v Georgia. Further, I am yet to hear from the Cherokee Tribe, why after all this time they collectively
want to cast out some of their membership. Sounds like the State of Israel, the Japenese, Nazi Germany, Islamic countries, pre Apartheid South Africa, the Caste
system in India, and on and on and on. Despite the Cherokee's right to self rule
and the U.S. governments commitment to redress past grievances it cannot and
should not trump the 14th Amendment of Equal protection and the Constitutional
guarantee of Liberty. I'd like to hear from anyone who would respond. This is
Dave at dah0581@aol.com
It is all about money. It is funny how racism can appear when money is the issue. We all have to put on uniforms and fight. This money issue is how the Cherokees lost its homeland in the first place!
This truly saddens my heart that we as a people and a nation still seek ways to deny someone their rights that were agreed to years ago. And its always the black slaves' descendants of this nation that are denied retributions. My great, great grandfather is a native American, Cherokee and I know he would be disappointed that family would treat family in such a manner.
Thank God, I am a chosen descendant of the one True Source, who owes the cattle on a thousand hills.
It amazes me that anyone other than those directly involved should have an opinion on this subject one way or another.
When all decendents of slave owners have paid as much reparation as the "Five Civilized Tribes", then and only then should they have a voice.
Miller's comment, "To say that the Cherokee Nation is intolerant or racist ignores the fact that we have an open dialogue and have the discussion," iMiller this is a totally RIDICULOUS statement to make. It makes as much sense as the NAZI's saying we voted regarding expelling the Jews from Germany and sense we had an open dialogue it shows that we are neither racist nor intolerant......give me a break!!!
This is so sad. That any group thinks it could live in this land, override the wisdom of their own Supreme Court and practice ethnic cleansing against members of their culture by majority vote. More so because as a Black American I know the history, that black slaves ran away to the indians in the south and formed an alliance in Florida that held off the slave owners and the US government until defeat in the the Seminole war saw Seminoles and Cherokees forced marched to Oklahoma territory. The goodhearted indians demanded that their black members go with them (at least two black seminoles had become tribal chieftains, read Black Indians by Willian Loren Katz) rather than be sold as slaves. The US had to allow blacks to go and parcel out land and support to them as Seminoles. They suffered the long march and life in rough, dusty terrain together all this time.
A few years ago, pushed by Jeb Bush for the Florida Seminole descendants, Congress quietly voted millions in "reparations"
to descendants of the "Trail of tears" forced marchers. It had to be on "down Low" so the Blacks would'nt notice and demand theirs. That money is the cause of this mess. The Western tribes should speak with the richest and smartest tribe, the brilliant Pequots of Connecticut who are aggressive and proud of the racial diversity of their culture over the centuries.
I am a Native American and an enrolled member of the Choctaw Indian Nation of Oklahoma.
As a Choctaw, I wish to respond to the remarks made by "mpop" and others who argue in favor of descendants of the "freedmen".
For those among you who have Indian blood - however little it may be - I count you as Indians. Those of you who have no Indian blood, you are not Indians. Accordingly, you have no reasonable basis to claim membership. More importantly, I must ask you: Why would you want to be tribal members if you have no Indian blood? Have you noticed that there are no Indians clamoring to be accepted by you as blacks? Would you accept them - assuming they had no African blood whatever - as African Americans? Would you accept them without reservation? Would you strive to make them a part of your lives - work to help them become a part of the social and/or cultural life of your race? I think not.
I have observed that your race is quick to make demands of others - especially when there is some kind of financial reward or property at stake. You, for example, seek payment of enormous reparations for slavery. Native Americans have done very little of this sort of thing. Yet, our standard of living, educational and occupational attainment, health and other important markers of wellbeing are far worse than those of black Americans - on your worst day.
Have honor - go away from us! Do for yourselves and leave us to the little that we have. Your honor as a people demands this much of you.
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