Chief Smith: Cherokee vote on Freedmen not racist

Tuesday, October 23, 2007  

"The Forum piece "'Black' Cherokees fight for heritage" wrongly accused the Cherokee Nation of racism because it voted to require all citizens to have an Indian ancestor on the federally authorized base roll of our people.

It ignored the fact that we are one of the most diverse Indian tribes. We have thousands of black, Latino, Asian and white citizens. The Nation also will help any descendants of Freedmen, or the name commonly referring to black Cherokees, to find out whether they have Indian ancestry. Contrary to the column, money was irrelevant to the Cherokee people's vote. The Nation doesn't distribute gaming revenue to individuals. Instead, it reinvests in public works for our citizens and communities beyond the Cherokees.

The piece omitted the fact that the issue of whether the U.S.-Cherokee Treaty of 1866 gave citizenship to the Freedmen or their descendants is being litigated. We believe the treaty never granted them citizenship. In 1906, Congress passed the Five Tribes Act, which clarified that today's Freedmen descendants neither have rights to property nor citizenship. Even so, the Cherokee Nation supported a court order giving disenrolled Freedmen descendants critical social and health services and the right to vote until all litigation is resolved."

Get the Story:
Principal Chief Chad Smith: Cherokee Nation's vote is not racist (USA Today 10/23)

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

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