Cherokee Vote

[cannon_fodder]

From the AP wire:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070304/ap_on_re_us/cherokees_freedmen_vote

76% of Cherokee Tribal members voted to kick out 2,800 tribal members based on their race.  That is to say, they are the descendants of slaves the Cherokee's once owned.  The slaves were adopted into the tribe in 1866.  "It is not a racist thing, its about blood" per someone on KRMG this morning.

Am I missing something here, is there more to this story?

This vote was made as "a right of self-government, affirmed in 23 treaties with Great Britain and the United States and paid dearly with 4,000 lives on the Trail of Tears" according to Smith, Chief of the Cherokee Nation.  Strangely enough, this is in violation of one of those treatise with the United States.   Ignoring that issue, the Freedmen not only made that same march, but they did so as YOUR SLAVES.   Just as surely as the US Government made you march to Oklahoma, so you made your slaves.  

If I have all my facts right - Europeans come and take everything away from the Cherokees and in return the Cherokees demand to be both members of the United States and have special perks.  But when the Cherokees take everything away from a group of people they simply allow them to assimilate - no special perks, and then kick them out after 150 years.  

Fine.  Alrighty then.  Lets have a national election in the United States to revoke the Cherokee's tax breaks, casinos, payments, preferential admittance to college, scholarships, "minority owned" business benefits, and land grants.  Then we will see about disenfranchising them. "Its not a racist thing, its about blood."  

I just dont get how you can demand all these things from the people of the United States and deny simple inclusion to the people you enslaved?  I believe the white man has a word for that - hypocrisy.  Do what you want in your community, but then allow others to do the same.

Please, someone tell me Im missing something here.

[sgrizzle]

The tribe has the right to kick people out. Usually they don't do it in such large numbers.

My guess is that the cherokees are becoming more and more self-sufficient and believe by eliminating the non-native americans from the tribe, they can be more so and are willing to do so at the risk of losing some government benefits. The articles said the seminoles tried but eventually caved.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

The tribe has the right to kick people out. Usually they don't do it in such large numbers.

My guess is that the cherokees are becoming more and more self-sufficient and believe by eliminating the non-native americans from the tribe, they can be more so and are willing to do so at the risk of losing some government benefits. The articles said the seminoles tried but eventually caved.

yeah, they will pretty much own the state in a few years.  in other states with Indian gaming they dont have as much clout because there are so many competing groups.  Here they pretty much have a power vaccuum that they are filling.

"Cherokee Nation:  Common values, Common Ground"*

*Unless you are black, in which case get the hell out of our tribe!

Next you will hear that Cherokees took slaves back then because white people forced them to do it.  ITS ALL WHITEY'S FAULT!

[Cubs]

I'll give the Cherokees props on this one ..... their casinos, not so much.

[deinstein]

They are such frauds.

I say we violate every treaties they ever signed.

[bucuo]

The Freedman without Cherokee blood were only allowed membership after a March, 2006 Tribal Court ruling.  Those Freedman who met the conditions as any Cherokee member were required to do have always been allowed membership.  There were white family members on the Dawes Rolls as well as Freedman with no Cherokee blood. I don't see it as a problem you must meet the conditions of blood for membership.  There are countless numbers of Cherokee people who were not on the Dawes Rolls who are not allowed membership.  They would have been tribal members with the 1866 treaty obviously, but you have to start somewhere to establish a blood quantum.  The Cherokee's have done so and more power to them.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by bucuo

The Freedman without Cherokee blood were only allowed membership after a March, 2006 Tribal Court ruling.  Those Freedman who met the conditions as any Cherokee member were required to do have always been allowed membership.  There were white family members on the Dawes Rolls as well as Freedman with no Cherokee blood. I don't see it as a problem you must meet the conditions of blood for membership.  There are countless numbers of Cherokee people who were not on the Dawes Rolls who are not allowed membership.  They would have been tribal members with the 1866 treaty obviously, but you have to start somewhere to establish a blood quantum.  The Cherokee's have done so and more power to them.

i think it is interesting that this country allows sovereign nations to exist within its borders that discriminate on who can be a part of its nation.  if any other nation did this you would see all kinds of complaints.  just think if Japan kicked out anyone who wasnt japanese by blood.

I dont think the US should be in the business of supporting nations that have such entry requirements.