Cherokee Nation votes out descendents of freed slaves
By sylviekitty
@sylviekitty (2083)
United States
March 4, 2007 7:55am CST
Has anybody seen this article recently posted on Yahoo?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070304/ap_on_re_us/cherokees_freedmen_vote
"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."
I don't know about anybody else, but as far as I know, this effects half of my family. My grandfather (no longer living) was born to a black woman, and a Cherokee man. And I was told years ago that his mother or somebody she descended from, was a former slave. So even though he is half Cherokee, I'm taking this article to mean neither he nor his sibling (who is still living) would be able to claim themselves as part of the Cherokee Tribe.
What do you think of this??
1 person likes this
2 responses
@cjsmom (1423)
• United States
5 Mar 07
I read most of the newsletter and it's a bit confusing to me; I don't have any American Indian blood in me but it sure sounds like they want to take away the tribal benefits from all these good people; people who have counted on the extra monies to survive. I pray that they won't follow through with it. Good luck to you and your family and God Bless.
@sylviekitty (2083)
• United States
6 Mar 07
I don't know of anybody in my family (anybody living, anyway) who has officially registered as members of the Cherokee Nation.. although from what I have heard in the past, you can be at least 1/8th? to be considered "Native American" in their eyes. You do need documents proving your lineage, though. I wasn't interested in any money so much as I was interested in the culture and heritage. I feel that this vote is shutting out people who are Native Americans by blood, and that just doesn't seem right.
@rusty2rusty (6763)
• Defiance, Ohio
4 Mar 07
I think the people who were slaves that are not Cherokee are the ones that are going to loose the benefits. Not the ones that are part Cherokee. I think your grandfather and his sinlings are safe.
@sylviekitty (2083)
• United States
6 Mar 07
But this is what makes it confusing. The article states:
"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."
see: regardless of whether they had Indian blood. So I'm taking that to possibly mean descendants of the people who were slaves. There are slaves who had children with the Cherokee, for example. Wouldn't these children and their offspring be kicked out then?
