Letter: A solution to Cherokee Freedmen issue

Thursday, May 8, 2008  

"Since the Cherokee freedmen controversy has been making headlines and Cherokee Principal Chief Chad Smith and others who support disenfranchising the freedmen keep saying, “It’s a tribe’s right to say who its members are,” I have decided to make a suggestion to the thinblood majority of Cherokee tribal members.

As you know, a person must be one-quarter Cherokee or more to join the United Keetowah Band of Cherokees, and the Keetowah Band requires any member of the Cherokee Nation to relinquish their membership and blue voter card when they join the UKB.

Why don’t all of the thinblood Cherokees reverse this old rule? Why not sign a petition and have the tribal membership vote on it? The new rule would be that anyone over one-quarter Cherokee cannot be a member. If they are one-quarter the only choice they would have to be enrolled in a tribe would be to join the Keetowah Band."

Get the Story:
Steve Osburn: Here’s a way to deal with the freedmen issue (The Muskogee Phoenix 5/8)

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)

Related Stories:
Appeals court hears Cherokee Freedmen dispute (5/7)
Appeals court to hear Cherokee Freedmen case (5/6)
Campbell: Congress destroying the Cherokee Nation (5/2)
Artman's tenure marked by Freedmen dispute (4/30)
Artman resigns after a year as head of BIA (4/29)
Opinion: Cherokee Nation's boat of federal funds (4/25)
Cherokee Freedmen dispute a threat to NAHASDA (4/24)
Opinion: The history of the Cherokee Freedmen (4/23)
Rep. Frank backs Freedmen in Cherokee funding fight (4/22)
Freedmen issue weighs heavy on Capitol Hill (4/14)
Tim Giago: CBC goes after Cherokee Nation (4/14)
Cherokee tribes denounce Freedmen legislation (4/10)
Cherokee chief to address Freedmen at conference (4/7)
Black lawmakers press Senate on Freedmen (4/4)
Cherokee Freedmen dispute up for hearing (3/27)
Opinion: Being Cherokee more than the blood (3/26)
Lawmakers press Artman on Freedmen issues (3/19)
Freedmen protest outside of Rep. Boren's office (3/3)
Black lawmakers to meet with Artman over Freedmen (1/23)