Cherokee Nation votes to expel slave descendants -76 percent voted in favor

[The Straight Story]

Cherokee Nation votes to expel slave descendants


SHERRY BROWN / AP


OKLAHOMA CITY — 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.

With a majority of districts reporting, 76 percent had voted in favor of an amendment to the tribal constitution that would limit citizenship to descendants of "by blood" tribe members as listed on the federal Dawes Commission's rolls from more than 100 years ago.

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.

Some opponents of the ballot question argued that attempts to remove freedmen from the tribe were motivated by racism.

Tribal officials said the vote by the 250,000-member Cherokee Nation was a matter of self-determination. "It's a basic, inherent right to determine our own citizenry. We paid very dearly for those rights," Cherokee Principal Chief Chad Smith said last month.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003599985_chervote04.html

[Kagemusha]

1. Basic right to determine to enlarge the financial pie slices for themselves

Traditional values and all that.

[BuyingThyme]

2. Given a chance, Republicans would do the same.

[Horse with no Name]

3. It always amazes me when one group of oppressed people

oppress another group of oppressed people.
It saddens me that it comes down to this and it does come down to money. The tribes have a windfall with the casinos. I guess they don't want to share it.:(

[The Straight Story]

6. makes me wonder why this was not an issue before

and is now. The smell of money makes people do a lot of crazy things.

[Horse with no Name]

8. It is the money.

Where I live, quite a few people "have their numbers" so that they can use the free Indian healthcare system since we are on the border.
I have two casinos within 45 miles of me. Every time I go to one, they are always packed.
But it could also have to do with the fact that the state of Oklahoma is trying to figure out how to get their hands on the casino money so I guess they are going to get as much as they can before it is taken away from them again.
It's hard to say.

[Catherine Vincent]

4. Geeze!

Blacks can't get no respect anywhere! :(

[DRoseDARs]

5. "We paid very dearly for those rights..." now it's our turn to screw over someone else with racism.

He then crossed his arms in a huff and stomped off like a toddler.

[salin]

7. Three words:

Gambling money. Greed.

[proud patriot]

9. as a heinz 57 cherokee /seminole /english / scottish/irish

person . This pisses me off