Editorial: Cherokee Nation faces pressure on fate of Freedmen

Thursday, September 15, 2011  

"It should come as no surprise that the federal government is trying to influence the Cherokee Nation into accepting the freedmen as full tribal citizens.

Freedmen, descendants of Cherokee slaves, were granted full rights of blood Cherokees under an 1866 treaty with the U.S. government.

Cherokee voters passed a Constitutional amendment in 2007 requiring Cherokee blood lineage to qualify as a Cherokee citizen.

The Cherokee Nation Supreme Court ruled Aug. 22 that tribal courts have no jurisdiction to overturn a constitutional amendment that was validly passed by voters.

That ruling has prompted quick response from the federal government."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Cherokees, feds at odds over freedmen (The Muskogee Phoenix 9/14)

Cherokee Nation Supreme Court Decision:
Cherokee Nation Registrar v. Nash (August 22, 2011)

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Judge sets hearing on Freedmen motion for Cherokee election (9/6)
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Jay Tavare: Divide and conquer -- disenrollment among tribes (8/25)
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