Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus are asking the Obama administration to probe the treatment of the Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes.

After the Civil War, the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole nations signed treaties that required them to treat the descendants of former slaves as citizens. Lawmakers say the tribes haven't lived up to their promises.

“Over forty years after enactment of the landmark Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, there is a place in the United States that African Americans cannot vote or receive federal benefits as a matter of law,” a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, who is African-American, states. "The victims of this racial oppression are known as freedmen, who are descendants of African slaves owned by Indians. They are called freedmen, but they are anything but free."

Tribal leaders dismissed the concerns. "You have to have Creek blood to be a citizen of our nation. We do have a lot of black people who are members," Muscogee Chief A.B. Ellis told The Hill.

"We have a firm commitment to diversity and an intense aversion to discrimination in any form. We will not waver in upholding our responsibility to preserve and defend the rights of all our citizens," said Chickasaw Gov. Bill Anoatubby.

"We will review the letter to determine what action, if any, is appropriate," a Department of Justice spokesperson said.

Get the Story:
Dems call for DOJ probe of Indian tribes (The Hill 5/5)
Congress members ask for Oklahoma tribal investigation involving freedmen (The Tulsa World 5/5)