KSWO in Lawton reports that Friday about twenty "Freedmen," who are
descendents of freed slaves that lived with the Cherokees after the Civil War, demonstrated in front of U.S. Congressman Dan Boren's (D-OK) office on Friday, in support of House Bill 2824, which would,
...cut federal funding to the tribe unless the descendants' citizenship are restored permanently.
[...]
Cherokee Nation spokesman Mike Miller said the descendants have no claim to citizenship based on the law or history.
According to the
American Chronicle:
Oklahoma Cherokee Nation members have voted to exclude a group of African Americans going by the name of Freedmen and Intermarried Whites. Members of the Freedmen group claim to be descendents of runaway Black slaves, some claim Indian heritage. Some Eastern Indian Nations were forced by the federal government to give full tribal citizenship to the runaway Black slaves through the treaty of 1866 at the end of the U.S. Civil War 1861-1865.
Cherokee voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the Cherokee Nation Constitution in a special election Saturday, March 3, 2007 by a decisive vote of 6,693 (77%) for the measure to 2,040 (23%) against. The amendment limits citizenship in the Cherokee Nation to descendants of people who are listed on the Final Rolls of the Cherokee Nation as Cherokee, Delaware or Shawnee and excludes descendants of those listed on Intermarried White and Freedmen rolls taken at the same time.
The Oklahoman quotes Norman Hightower:
I was reading that treaty just the other day: it couldn't have been any more clear. It said the people who came here with you are going to be citizens, and you will treat them like citizens.
The Oklahoman also explains, "As tribal members, the group would have access to a plethora of services such as free health care and education for dependent children, in addition to a share of the tribe's gaming profits."
The Muskogee Phoenix explaines Congressman Boren was not present, and quoted Verdie Triplett, founder of the Choctaw Chickasaw Freedmen Association:
I wanted to make sure this issue goes beyond the Cherokee freedmen.
Labels: Tribal News
Posted at 3/02/2008 07:39:00 PM
