American Indian By Blood Or Treaty Indian Wantabe

It seems the American Indian community has been hit with another disease brought to our home land: Racism!

Some African Americans are lining up to tell news groups that Indians are racists and bigots over an abandon 1866 treaty between the Federal Government and Oklahoma Cherokee Nation. In each one of their reports it's clear that they do not know what it means to be an American Indian. It's all over the Oklahoma Cherokee Nation's citizenship vote.

The Oklahoma Cherokee Nation vote reinstated it's Cherokee blood quantum requirement relating to their citizenship rollbook. Now, all persons regardless of race or color have to prove their heritage linkage to a past family member listed on the nations rollbook by blood heritage.

The nation's people voted to exclude people of non-Cherokee blood. This action affected two groups of people that were given citizenship under an 1866 treaty between the federal government and the Oklahoma Cherokee Nation. One group was called Intermarried Whites and the other one was called Freedmen. The Freedman group has gone on the war-path over the nation's citizenship vote. Cherokee Nation officials state: They have always held that to be a citizen of the nation, you had to have a Cherokee blood quantum linkage to a citizen on the nation's roolbook.

No matter what side you're on in the Cherokee Nation's citizenship vote, one thing still remains a fact! There are people of another race with Indian blood quantum heritage that have proven their blood linkage to the Cherokee Nation's rollbook, and they will always be citizens of the Cherokee Nation! The Cherokee Nation's citizenship vote did not change that in any way. Indians are calling it "One shoe fits all" that want to be a citizen of their nation.

If you acknowledge that the Cherokee Nation is a sovereign nation and all that comes under the definition of the word, you have to acknowledge the Cherokee Nation can conduct its governmental duties without interferences from another government. The question should be: "What part of government sovereignty do people not fully understand?" The Cherokee Nation's citizenship vote issue should only be dealt with by the Cherokee Nation's government and it's registered citizens, not the U.S. government or any other government to include treaties forced on them.

The Cherokee Nation is not going around telling the federal government who can and cannot be a U.S. citizen. The Cherokee nation is not going around telling people what race they are and what racial group they belong to. The Cherokee Nation is saying, if you can prove your Indian heritage blood linkage to a citizen of the nation that's listed on their rollbook, you can become a citizen of the Cherokee Nation regardless what other race blood you have in you.

Have you ever "not" met an American and not heard these words: "I have Indian heritage?" The next question you ask is: "What tribe?" If the treaty of 1866 can make an African American, without Indian blood heritage, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, then today anyone proving by DNA test they have Indian blood heritage should be able to join the Indian nation of their choice. Because DNA tests do not, and cannot, tell you what Indian Nation you're part of.

Could you see the federal government enforcing DNA tribal nations citizenship? Why not? At this time you would be hearing these words from the federal government: "What in God's name have we done!" Indian Nation's citizenship would swell into the hundreds of millions. The federal government would have to allocate vast amounts of federal funds to Indian Nation governments just as they are required to for state governments and their citizens! Now the term "we're all Americans" comes into play big time, but the meaning of the words "government sovereignty" will never change.

Those crying racism, racist, and calling American Indians bigots, need to take a good look in the mirror and see themselves for what they really are. Wolves even have a social order. No wolf from another pack is allowed to join a wolf pack without their permission.

American Indians and African Americans respect and acknowledge what each group had to deal with in forming America, the country. Calling one another derogatory and hurtful names is totally out of line and needs to stop! The American Indian community has a history of thinking of themselves as a people, not a race of people. It's sad in today's times that if you do not like what someone else is saying or doing, the first words out of their mouth is: "You're a racist."

The American Indian community will not stand for or accept being branded as racist from any racial group! It's past time for all Americans to get off the "race-hate-name calling" and just agree to disagree on social and government issues. Then we can deal with each other through respect.

The American Indian community question to the Congressional Black Caucus is: "Are you ready to "demand" that the federal government "fully honor" the treaty of 1866? If so, when will all the land that constitutes the state of Oklahoma be given back to the American Indian people, plus all the tax revenue generated on that land? "

The U.S. government supports other world governments that restrict their citizenship through race and blood quorum with U.S. tax dollars. Where is the Congressional Black Caucus' outrage?

The American Indian community respects all nationalities of other people. In return all they ask is that they be respected as a sovereign people of their nations.

Letter listed below is in response to a letter from the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus sent to the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Carl J. Artman, concerning the Cherokee Nations citizenship vote:

Letter to: Honorable Carl J. Artman,

Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Affairs

Subject: Oklahoma Cherokee Nation March 3, 2007. Citizenship vote

From Citizens Of The Oklahoma Cherokee Nation, United Native America Group

Oklahoma Cherokee Nation citizens on March 3, 2007 voted to reinstate their historical blood quantum citizenship laws. The Oklahoma Cherokee Nation has historically required that a person have a Cherokee blood linkage quantum to register as a citizen of their nation. That requirement is the nations standing law today, it does not restrict against any race or color of person that proves their Cherokee blood quantum linkage to the nations rollbook.

We are aware that members of the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus have taken it upon themselves to request that you and your office intervene on this issue.

1. They are calling into question federal recognition of the Oklahoma Cherokee Nation.

2. They demand that you order withholding federal funds to the Cherokee nation over their citizenship vote held March 3, 2007.

3. They cite: The Cherokee Nation fought with the South in the U.S. Civil War.

4. They cite: The 1866 treaty between the Federal Government and Cherokee Nation.

The U.S. Congressional Black Caucus members go on to state: The most recent March 3, 2007 vote is an apparent attempt to override the March 2006 tribal court decision allowing descendants of a group called Freedman, full citizenship without blood quantum proof to the nations rollbook.

The tribal court's March 2006 decision made it a point to leave open a constitutional amendment election vote to reinstate it's historically blood quantum citizenship by the nations citizens. After one year, on March 3, 2007 Cherokee citizens voted to reinstate the nations historically blood quantum citizenship laws. This act fully equalize citizenship for all people past, present and future into the nation.

What side some members of the Oklahoma Cherokee Nation fought on in the U.S. Civil War should not be a part of this issue! In so stating this issue before you, the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus is inciting their racial prejudice of the Cherokees' past history and historical events forced on them as they viewed them at the time for their survival as a people and sovereign nation.

As to the 1866 treaty between the Federal Government and the Oklahoma Cherokee Nation, it's an historical fact that the federal government never honored any part of the treaty after the fact. The federal government went on to totally abandon the 1866 treaty responsibility in 1906. In anticipation of Indian territory becoming a state, now called Oklahoma. The federal government unilaterally dissolved Indian Nations' sovereign governments.

The U.S. Black Congressional caucus request demands: Limited enforcement of just one-part of an abandoned 1866 treaty that covers Freedman descendants not of Cherokee blood, by given them full citizenship to the Oklahoma Cherokee Nation. The March 3rd, 2007 vote also covered tribal Intermarried White descendants not of Cherokee blood quantum linkage proof to the nations rollbook.

Citizens of the nation regret that the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus felt it necessary to call upon you and your office to stop all funds appropriated for Indian health, housing services and Indian educational funds to include the Cherokee Nations sovereignty existence over the March 3, 2007 citizenship vote.

Oklahoma Cherokee Nation citizens have conducted a just and legal vote under their tribal nations sovereignty laws to reinstate their nations citizenship requirement laws. They did so without prejudice, fear of reprisal or harm from others. It is their request, that all concerned persons and governments honor the will of the nations citizens.

Mike Graham, Citizen Oklahoma Cherokee Nation

Founder United Native America

www.UnitedNativeAmerica.com