The February issue of Cherokee Phoenix says on page A-2 in the article by Will Chavez:
Was the Cherokee Nation forced to sign the Treaty of 1866 with the federal government?
February 17, 2007 (Press Release) --
By most accounts, the Cherokee Nation was under pressure by the U.S. in 1866, following the Civil War, because the U.S. intended to PUNISH the Cherokee Nation for its alliance with the Confederacy...
During the Civil War, Cherokee Nation had more slaves than any other tribe in Indian Territoryhe U.S. was willing to RENEW IT'S GOVERNMENT-TO-GOVERNMENT RELATIONSHIP WITH CHEROKEE NATION if the tribe abolished slavery and incorporated its former slaves into the tribe "on an equal footing" with its original citizens.
It was under these conditions that the Cherokee Nation and the U.S. signed the Treaty of 1866 on July 19, 1866. The treaty caused the tribe's council to amend the tribe's constitution on Nov. 26, 1866, to provide Freedmen living in Cherokee Nation with citizenship.
1. Mr. Chavez states in this article that the Cherokee Nation had no government-to-government relationship with the United States. Therefore, Cherokee Nation cannot say they have had a continuous government-to-government relationship with the U.S. which is a requirement to become a federally recognized tribe.
2. Mr. Chavez also states that the freedmen were forced upon the tribe. Do Chad Smith and other Cherokee leaders like Cara Cowan also believe the Delawares and Shawnees were forced upon the Cherokee Nation when they became "adopted Cherokees?" Even though the Delawares did pay for their allotments and also into the general fund to be relocated into the Cherokee Nation? And will the Delawares be the next group to be targeted by a racially motivated vote to excluded them from the tribe for not being "Cherokee by blood" like the freedmen are being attacked now, even though a lot of freedmen do have Cherokee blood?
This is something anyone with common sense needs to seriously think about before casting a vote to oust the freedmen from the tribe.
Senator Tom Coburn recently told me officials in Washington, D.C. have still yet to determine if the current Cherokee Constitution is valid, and from what I have read of the rulings on Marilyn Vann's lawsuit against Cherokee Nation I predict that it will be determined that the current constitution will be declared invalid, just like the last election Chad Smith won, since the freedmen were prohibited from voting in that election.
Cherokee Chief Chad Smith is seeking re-election and this would be his third term. He wants to mislead the Cherokees who do not live inside Cherokee Nation into believing Cherokee Freedmen have no Cherokee blood, and therefore should not be tribal members.
Everyone in Oklahoma knows that most freedmen do have Cherokee blood because they intermarried with Cherokees. Some have more Cherokee blood than other Cherokee tribal members.
Vote "NO" at the March 3rd Cherokee election and stand up against Chad Smith who wants to illegally run for a third term as Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
During the Civil War, Cherokee Nation had more slaves than any other tribe in Indian Territoryhe U.S. was willing to RENEW IT'S GOVERNMENT-TO-GOVERNMENT RELATIONSHIP WITH CHEROKEE NATION if the tribe abolished slavery and incorporated its former slaves into the tribe "on an equal footing" with its original citizens.
It was under these conditions that the Cherokee Nation and the U.S. signed the Treaty of 1866 on July 19, 1866. The treaty caused the tribe's council to amend the tribe's constitution on Nov. 26, 1866, to provide Freedmen living in Cherokee Nation with citizenship.
1. Mr. Chavez states in this article that the Cherokee Nation had no government-to-government relationship with the United States. Therefore, Cherokee Nation cannot say they have had a continuous government-to-government relationship with the U.S. which is a requirement to become a federally recognized tribe.
2. Mr. Chavez also states that the freedmen were forced upon the tribe. Do Chad Smith and other Cherokee leaders like Cara Cowan also believe the Delawares and Shawnees were forced upon the Cherokee Nation when they became "adopted Cherokees?" Even though the Delawares did pay for their allotments and also into the general fund to be relocated into the Cherokee Nation? And will the Delawares be the next group to be targeted by a racially motivated vote to excluded them from the tribe for not being "Cherokee by blood" like the freedmen are being attacked now, even though a lot of freedmen do have Cherokee blood?
This is something anyone with common sense needs to seriously think about before casting a vote to oust the freedmen from the tribe.
Senator Tom Coburn recently told me officials in Washington, D.C. have still yet to determine if the current Cherokee Constitution is valid, and from what I have read of the rulings on Marilyn Vann's lawsuit against Cherokee Nation I predict that it will be determined that the current constitution will be declared invalid, just like the last election Chad Smith won, since the freedmen were prohibited from voting in that election.
Cherokee Chief Chad Smith is seeking re-election and this would be his third term. He wants to mislead the Cherokees who do not live inside Cherokee Nation into believing Cherokee Freedmen have no Cherokee blood, and therefore should not be tribal members.
Everyone in Oklahoma knows that most freedmen do have Cherokee blood because they intermarried with Cherokees. Some have more Cherokee blood than other Cherokee tribal members.
Vote "NO" at the March 3rd Cherokee election and stand up against Chad Smith who wants to illegally run for a third term as Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
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