Opinion: Ross Swimmer to blame for Freedmen

"The Cherokee freedmen were black slaves that were held by the Cherokee nation and freed by Treaty with the U.S. in 1866 after the conclusion of the Civil War and guaranteed all Native Cherokee rights (Article 9) at that time. Then in 1983 because of political infighting, the then presiding Principle Chief, Ross Swimmer, began to work to convince the tribal council to strip the freedmen of their Cherokee citizenship because they supported his opponent. Eventually he was successful in revoking their citizenship.

Swimmer was able to do this by establishing a “blood quantum” requirement for citizenship in the tribe. Up until that point anyone who had been included in the Federal Government Dawes Commission “rolls,” which were open from 1898 to 1914, were considered citizens of the tribe. These Dawes rolls applied to what are known as the “Five Civilized Tribes” and served as the criteria for tribal membership. (An interesting aside is that the Dawes Commission was authorized March 3, 1893 -- less than 2 months after the Hawaiian Revolution that deposed Queen Liliuokalani.)

The significance of the Dawes Rolls is that while the black slave freedmen were included on the rolls, their ancestry, even when they had Cherokee ancestors, was not always noted. This opened the door for Principle Chief Swimmer to revoke their citizenship and voting rights once the act requiring the blood quantum was passed and assured defeat of his opponent."

Get the Story:
Don Newman: The Cherokee Freedmen, Native American Blood Quantum and the Akaka Bill (The Hawaii Reporter 10/17)

Cherokee-Related Legislation:
H.R.2786 | H.R.2895 | H.R.2824 | H.R.3002

BIA Letters:
August 9, 2007 | July 11, 2007 | June 22, 2007 | May 21, 2007 | March 28, 2007 | August 30, 2006

Sovereign Immunity Court Decision:
Vann v. Kempthorne (December 19, 2006)

Cherokee Nation Judicial Appeals Tribunal Decision in Freedmen Case:
Allen v. Cherokee Nation (March 7, 2006)

Relevant Links:
Cherokee Nation - http://www.cherokee.org
Freedmen Of The Five Civilized Tribes - http://www.freedmen5tribes.com
Freedmen Conference - http://www.freedmenconference.com
Congressional Black Caucus, Annual Leadership Conference - http://www.alc2007.com

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