Tribe Votes on Freed Slaves' Membership

[The Straight Story]

Tribe Votes on Freed Slaves' Membership


Saturday March 3, 2007 10:31 PM

By MURRAY EVANS

Associated Press Writer

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) - Cherokee Nation citizenship was at stake Saturday in an election to determine whether descendants of people the Cherokee once owned as slaves should be counted as members of the tribe.

An estimated 45,000 Cherokee were registered to vote in the election, with 30 polling places opened across northeastern Oklahoma. Polls close at 7p.m.

The election resulted from a petition drive aimed at limiting citizenship to descendants of ``by blood'' tribe members as listed on the federal Dawes Commission's rolls from more than 100 years ago.

That 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.

A ``yes'' vote on the amendment would remove descendants of freed slaves - estimated to be about 2,800 - from the tribe's membership. A ``no'' vote would allow them to remain tribal citizens.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6455518,00.html

[CountAllVotes]

1. The Freedmen should remain tribal citizens

In angers me that now, some 160+ years since the Trail of Tears that the people that ended up on the Final Dawes Rolls that are of African descent are trying to be purged off the lists.

They were there all along the way and many even were the slaves of the Cherokee, some were mixed-bloods and many were married to tribal members as well.

Most Cherokee people aren't even aware of this whole thing but finally, it comes up for vote again. I hope the vote will end up being to keep the Freedmen on the lists.

The reason they want to purge them off the lists is due to old tribal laws and also because of the casino money that some members of the Cherokee tribe are now getting. From my understanding it is not a whole lot of money, maybe a few hundred dollars a month at best. Is taking away what benefits might be going to the 2,800 really going to do that much damage or is the tribe worried about longer term results?

This seems like a pretty peculiar time to suddenly decide to purge the absolutely pathetic rolls IMO. As a tribal member that is not recognized (my Cherokee ancestors were hiding in the caves of Tennessee for who knows how many years and only a few appear on the Final Dawes Rolls that I do not claim descent from), it really makes me angry to know that these people called "Freedmen" at the time (c. 1900) are very likely part Cherokee by blood and it is just plain wrong to remove their names! :argh:

:mad:

:kick: & recommend too!

[The Straight Story]

2. Will see if I can dig up how they voted (nt)