Rep. Diane Watson (D-California) and Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Michigan) are asking the Bureau of Indian Affairs for answers on the status of the Freedmen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.

Watson and Conyers, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, have criticized the tribe for denying citizenship to the Freedmen, who are the descendants of former slaves. The lawmakers believe an 1866 treaty protects the Freedmen.

The tribe, however, believes Congress took away Freedmen rights in the early 1900s. The issue is currently before federal and tribal courts.

Watson is pushing a bill to cut federal funds to the tribe unless the Freedmen are restored to permanent citizenship.

Get the Story:
BIA pressed on freedmen status (The Tulsa World 7/6)

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)

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