Freedmen vs Cherokee Nation

TAHLEQUAH, Oka. — The Bureau of Indian Affairs has acknowledged that the federal government no longer has the authority to approve amendments to the Cherokee Nation Constitution. In a letter dated August 9, the BIA’s top official, Carl Artman, cited a June 23 vote of the Cherokee people and agreed that federal approval of amendments to the Cherokee Nation Constitution would no longer be necessary. “This acknowledgment of our sovereignty should be seen as a victory not just for the Cherokee Nation, but for all tribes who understand the importance of self-governance and crafting a Constitution by and for their own people, without interference from Washington, D.C,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. The letter ends an eight-year struggle by the Cherokee Nation to remove the BIA from its Constitutional process. “I have to thank Cherokee patriots like Jay Hannah, Ralph Keen Jr., and so many others who worked on our Constitutional Convention since 1999,” Smith sa...

Palin has talked positively of her husband and children's heritage in the past. When running for governor in October 2006, she wrote a letter addressed to rural voters, saying she ''so very much appreciates Alaska's First People, their proud heritage and diverse cultures so abundant in the communities throughout our state.'' ''I personally feel the language, stories, and traditions of Alaska Native cultures are a national treasure to be nourished and held close to our hearts,'' Palin added. ''It is our rural lifestyle and diverse cultural heritage that distinguishes Alaska from the rest of the world and makes it our wonderful home.'' She wrote, too, that her family has been ''blessed'' by learning Yup'ik traditions and stories from Helena Andree, her children's great-grandmother and a one-time Bristol Bay Native Corporation Elder of the Year. The Palins named their oldest daughter Bristol in honor of th...

In response to the document and Kendall-Miller’s statements, a member of the American Indians for McCain Coalition told ICT that Kendall-Miller “obviously has an axe to grind.” “She’s playing a bit of a political game with a popular governor,” said the Republican political observer, who asked not to be identified. “And she’s misleading American Indians, trying to make them believe that Palin is some kind of she-devil.” Other Republican Natives said it was interesting that the Kendall-Miller document was released unsigned to blogs, news outlets and e-mail. They wondered whether the Native American Rights Fund, the legal organization for which Kendall-Miller works, had any hand in the production of the document, which they said could be a violation of the governmental rules surrounding its nonprofit status. Kendall-Miller was adamant that NARF had nothing to do with the production of the document. In fact, she said “bring it on” to criticisms from Republicans about her research ...

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“With respect to the Cherokee Freedman issue, Senator Obama said that while he is opposed to unwarranted tribal disenrollment, congressional interference was not warranted at this point. ‘Discrimination anywhere is intolerable, but the Cherokee are dealing with this issue in both tribal and federal courts. As it stands, the rights of the Cherokee Freedmen are not being abrogated because there is an injunction in place that ensures the Freedmen’s rights to programs during the pendency of the litigation. I do not support efforts to undermine these legal processes and impose a congressional solution. Tribes have a right to be self governing and we need to respect that, even if we disagree, which I do in this case. We must have restraint in asserting federal power in such circumstances.’

Tribes need own meeting laws Rapid City Journal - Online 03/31/2011 When federal officials from the Department of Health and Human Services last week ousted a Journal reporter from a meeting with tribal leaders to discuss Indian Health Services, the reason cited was tribal leaders requested the meeting be closed. It turns out, that reason doesn't necessarily pass legal muster. The line between federal and tribal law regarding public records and open meetings is a murky one, with reams of inconsistent case law. In 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that information requested by the U.S. Department of Interior and turned over by Indian tribes was a matter of public record. The Federal Advisory Committee Act also requires that groups providing advice to federal agencies must hold open meetings, unless certain exemptions apply. The fact that tribal leaders request a closed meeting isn't sufficient reason, in and of itself, to close such meetings. (especially when it involves health...

(We get it from all sides!! Wannabees are really something!) CNE overhaul needed Cherokee Phoenix - Online 03/01/2011 I am an employee of Cherokee Nation and at one time was proud to work with and for my tribe. I am writing on an issue that is a tragedy that has been happening to us as a people, tribe and our self-being. Some managers at our new Hard Rock Casino, which we so proudly advertise, are mistreating Native Americans everyday. Management constantly say to our faces that if it were up to them they wouldn’t hire “a damn lazy Indian” and then laugh at the comment to each other. It’s one thing to run a huge business like a casino, but another to have it ran by 65 percent non-Native Americans who bought Missouri tribal cards and who look down on our people. If it weren’t for our people, there wouldn’t be a huge salary to give them. The majority of the employees barely make it on what is being paid to them. The managers remedy that by creating a program canlled a pickup shift, which...