Cherokees expel descendants of slaves from tribe

[proud2BlibKansan]

TULSA, Okla. | One of the nation's largest American Indian tribes has sent letters to about 2,800 descendants of slaves once owned by its members, revoking their citizenship and cutting their medical care, food stipends, low-income homeowners' assistance and other services.

The Cherokee Nation acted this week after its Supreme Court upheld the results of a 2007 special vote to amend the Cherokee constitution and remove the slaves' descendants and other non-Indians from tribal rolls. The 300,000-member tribe is the biggest in Oklahoma, although many of its members live elsewhere.

Olive Anderson, 70, of Kansas City, Mo., called the letter she received "a slap in the face."

"It tears me up to think they can attack my ancestors," Anderson said.



Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/09/09/3131763/cherokees-expel-descendants-of.html#ixzz1XbQw009b

[dionysus]

1. goes to show, classlessness knows no creed.

[enough]

2. An article I read earlier suggested that this was a political move to influence an upcoming election

This article alludes to the same thing but doesn't go into much detail.

Snip from the article>

Along with losing services, Nash and other descendants of freedmen won't be able to vote in the hotly contested Sept. 24 election for principal chief that pits Smith against longtime tribal councilman Bill John Baker. The election is being held after the tribe's Supreme Court tossed out the results of a June election, saying it could not determine with a mathematical certainty who won. The results had flip-flopped between the two during weeks of counts and recounts. Baker had twice been declared winner, but so had Smith.

end snip>


Apparently someone is trying to remove a certain group from the ability to vote.

[cherokeeprogressive]

3. This is terrible. Native Americans were the first "friends" on this continent the slaves had.

I think this is a case of certain members of the tribe coveting the almighty dollar. I also see it as another symptom of the ills white europeans have visited upon the indigenous peoples of North America since their arrival here.

Indians would have never on their own mistreated family or friend because of the influence of gambling money. The Indians never wanted gambling casinos on their lands, and those casinos, regardless of their name weren't their idea and are not run/owned/influenced by them.

Now they're purging rolls trying to make sure no one without the right quantum of Indian blood gets money because everyone knows Indians are making a mint from gambling, right?

Yeah, fuck that. I'd bet that few voting members of the Cherokee tribe actually support something like this, but have been assured by their elders that they'd get more (though lots of them get NOTHING) if they didn't have to spread the pickings so thin.

Mislead by white people, there is no end to the ills tribal elders and elected officials can visit upon their tribes in search of the dollar.

[glinda]

7. Cherokee Tribe is largest because they have the poorest record keeping of blood quantum

They cannot for the most part prove their own lineage in many cases. That is why they are so large.

[jwirr]

9. What you write may be correct about Native Americans in the west

but it is not correct about all tribes. The casinos in MN are owned and operated by the tribe. It provides employment for many who want it and would not have been hired in any other business. I have watched this movement go from the 1970s when there were NO jobs for most of the people to today when most work for the tribal businesses including the casino and the enrollees each get a monthly dividend from the profits. It has been a long time since I have heard any tribal members complain about having a casino.

I do believe that this is a political issue regarding this one tribe. It is going to cause a lot of hardship and a lot of anger. Not good.

[iamtechus]

4. That was down right white of them!

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. They are Cherokee.

If there is any tribe which rednecks love to be a part of, its the Cherokees. Don't know exactly why.

[glinda]

8. Because anyone can say that and they do. Very sad. Many are married into many others.

[white_wolf]

6. They've been hanging around us(whites) way too long.

They are starting to act just as bad as us.