In the News

In the News

May 9, 2008	Obama weighs in against CBC legislation on Cherokees *(The Hill), Kevin Bogardus* Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, has weighed in against legislation proposed by the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) that would punish the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
April 28, 2008	A move to destroy the Cherokee Nation *(The Hill), Ben Nighthorse Campbell* Despite my years in politics, I'm still suprised by Congress's inability to learn from past mistakes and tendency to interfere where it should not.
April 25, 2008	Cole charges 'blackmail' over Indian housing bill *(Tulsa World), Jim Myers* Rep. Tom Cole has accused a House committee chairman of "legislative blackmail" by threatening to keep an Indian housing bill from a final vote if it does not include provisions punishing the Cherokee Nation in the long-running controversy over the tribe's freedmen descendants.
April 16, 2008	Congressional Black Caucus Attacks Sovereign Status of Indian Nations *(Huffington Post), Tim Giago* The Congressional Black Caucus, in attacking the sovereign status of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is placing in question and in jeopardy, the sovereign status of all Indian nations. At least that is the conclusion drawn by many tribal leaders across America.
April 10, 2008	Cherokees United Against Legislation *(Tulsa World), Clifton Adcock* The Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians had a joint tribal council meeting Wednesday at the Cherokee Nation Casino Resort to discuss issues facing both tribes.
February 13, 2008	Don’t Terminate the Cherokee Nation, Please stop her! Lisa Trice-Turtle My first conversation about HR 2824, the proposed bill to terminate the Cherokee Nation, with my daughters was held at the dinner table on the weekend of Nov. 16, 2007.
November 30, 2007	Jasper: Disinformation campaign undermines Cherokee rights (Indian Country Today), Suzanne Jasper In June 2007, legislation was introduced in Congress that would undermine the collective human rights of an Indian nation, by allowing Congress to determine citizenship in an Indian nation.
November 4, 2007	Congresswoman Watson Attacks the Cherokee Nation (Huffington Post), Tim Giago I must take exception to a column by Congresswoman Diane Watson (D-CA) published on the huffingtonpost.com on Oct. 25, 2007.Before anyone starts to complain about the perceived mess in the backyard of their neighbor, perhaps they should clean up their own backyard first.
November 1, 2007	Scorched-Earth Policy Again *(Huffington Post), Chief Chad Smith* In 1770, 5,000 American militiamen rode through the Cherokee Nation burning villages and crops to the ground driving thousands of Cherokees, young, old and infirm, into the mountains. Today, Congresswoman Diane Watson attempts to repeat history with another scorched-earth policy aimed at hurting the most vulnerable Cherokee Indians: the young, old and infirm.
September 6, 2007	Freedmen row is not about racism but sovereignty *(Citizen-Times.com), Joe Martin* It’s safe to say that my fellow Cherokees in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma have a mess on their hands. A referendum to remove membership from descendants of the Freedmen, freed slaves once owned by members of the Cherokee Nation, passed.
August 24, 2007	Race, not citizenship, informs Watson’s Cherokee Bill *(Indian Country Today), Editorial* The controversy enveloping the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and Cherokee freedmen recently has taken some interesting and unexpected turns. Americans, through the prism of this situation, are growing comfortable discussing Indian issues in dangerous terms of race and exclusion.
August 23, 2007	Watson’s distortion of history clouds issue *(Indian Country Today), Gayle Ross* I drove from my home in Texas to attend Rep. Diane Watson's public meetings on her bill to terminate the Cherokee Nation's relationship with the United States. It was a difficult experience. Despite her claims that this is about the ''rule of law,'' Rep. Watson appeared not to know or care what the ''law'' really is, since her bill ignores several 10th Circuit and Supreme Court rulings that emphatically state that tribes have a right to establish their own membership.
August 23, 2007	Watson brings her dog-and-pony show to Tulsa *Sara Hoklotubee* Diane Watson, a California congresswoman, brought her dog-and-pony show to Tulsa and Muskogee this past week to recruit supporters for her legislation to sever government-to-government relations with the Cherokee Nation.
August 23, 2007	Watson’s view: Congresswoman states her case *(The Oklahoman) Editorial* DAYS after a tropical storm blew through Oklahoma, some parts of the state were hit by Hurricane Diane. We give that nickname to U.S. Rep. Diane Watson, a California Democrat who felt it necessary to spend part of her August recess in Tulsa, Muskogee and Oklahoma City in order to voice her displeasure about goings-on within the Cherokee Nation.
August 18, 2007	Oklahoman Editorial THE chief of the Cherokee Nation used part of his third inauguration speech to make a not-so-veiled reference to those who would involve themselves in the tribe's business regarding the makeup of its membership rolls. The message: Buzz off.
August 12, 2007	Rep. Diane Watson of California Attacks the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma with Introduction of H.R. 2824 Legislation *Shelley Bluejay Pierce* Questions about tribal sovereignty and who can be a registered citizen of an Indian tribe in the USA became the focus for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma this past month.
July 10, 2007	Let Cherokees decide who’s Cherokee *(Los Angeles Times), Heather Williams* I'M PROUD TO BE a Cherokee citizen who is also descended from black slaves, and the Cherokee Nation I know is one of the most diverse, welcoming societies on Earth.
April 4, 2007	Vote purposed to build a great Indian nation, knit together by one thread *(Muskogee Phoenix), Joe Grayson Jr.* In a special election on March 3, 77 percent of Cherokee voters agreed that the Cherokee Nation is an Indian nation, united by blood to Indian ancestors listed on the base roll of our people. The Cherokee Nation sincerely regrets any misunderstandings that have occurred following the vote.
April 1, 2007	Chief Chad Smith’s Column *(Cherokee Phoenix)* In a special election on March 3, 77% of Cherokee voters agreed that the Cherokee Nation is an Indian nation united by our common bond of having at least one Indian ancestor listed on the base roll of our people.
March 23, 2007	Expelling Freedmen within Cherokees’ rights *(The Ottawa Herald), Tom Beaver* As citizens of the United States, we relish news of countries around the world conducting elections. We, the United States and its citizens, do everything we can to ensure elections free from violence and free from outside interference.
March 22, 2007	Issue of Cherokee rolls is Cherokee business *(Native American Times), Gayle Ross* My name is Gayle Ross and I am an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation. I want to respond to the remarks made by Marilyn Vann, but first I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak and to thank those who take the time to listen.
March 21, 2007	Letter to Editor response to Cherokee Freedmen comments *(Native American Times), Chris Russo* Marilyn Vann's letter to the editor regarding the March 3 vote by Cherokee people misleads readers and is filled with falsehoods through omission of facts.
March 20, 2007	My Black Children Are Cherokee Citizens (Muskogee Phoenix), Twila Pennington My three adult children are Black-Cherokee citizens and they have NOT been ‘purged’ from the tribe because of the color of their skin, or with the recent 3-3-07 vote of the Cherokee citizens, which was to amend the Cherokee Constitution to say that we want our citizens to be of Indian blood.
March 18, 2007	Let’s enforce all 31 articles in 1866 Treaty *(Muskogee Phoenix), Don Stroud* I read state Rep. Mike Shelton’s March 12 column in the Phoenix. Although I find it somewhat ironic that the representative would use the same tone used to counter the 1960’s Civil Rights and Black Power movements, I have to agree with his support of our Cherokee treaty rights.
March 12, 2007	Tim Giago: Cherokee Nation votes out Freedmen *(Indianz.com), Tim Giago* After she and 2,800 descendants of slaves once owned by the Cherokee Nation were denied membership or disenrolled from the tribe, Marilyn Vann, president of the Descendants of Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma said, “We’re not going away.
March 10, 2007	Cherokee Facts *(Washington Times), Sara Hoklotubbe* Bruce Fein writes in Resurgent Racism (Commentary, Tuesday) that racism is resurgent and as an example cites a recent election held by the Cherokee Nation. The article not only lacks objectivity, but is full of misinformation.
March 9, 2007	Smith: Cherokees Vote for Indian Blood *(Indian Country Today), Chief Chad Smith* On March 3, the citizens of the Cherokee Nation voted for the third time in the past 30 years on the citizenship clause of our Constitution. This time, the Cherokee people turned out in record numbers and voted overwhelmingly to exclude non-Indian members who had only enrolled in the Cherokee Nation within the past year. The Cherokee people voted to be just like almost every other Indian tribe in the country: an Indian government made up of Indian citizens.