What do you think?

Question

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6416735.stm

Members of the Cherokee Nation of native Americans have voted to revoke tribal citizenship for descendants of black slaves the Cherokees once owned.
A total of 76.6% voted to amend the tribal constitution to limit citizenship to "blood" tribe members.

Supporters said only the Cherokees had the right to determine tribal members.

Opponents said the amendment was racist and aimed at preventing those with African-American heritage from gaining tribal revenue and government funding.

The Cherokee Nation has 250,000 to 270,000 members, second only to the Navajo.

'Right to vote'

The list of descendants stems from the Dawes Commission, established by Congress more than 100 years ago.

This is a sad chapter in Cherokee history

Taylor Keen,
tribal council member

It created two lists - one of "blood" Cherokees and one of black freedmen.

Principal Chief Chad Smith said about 8,700 people had voted - more tha

Answer 1

Someone else asked this question earlier too.

I'm a Native woman. I am so appalled at this decision.

I think that some Native people are so oppressed that they get caught up in government stereotypes and institutional racism. Native people still determine enrollment based on blood quantum standards set up by the government. As a Native woman I've never agreed with that either.

Please know that this doesn't represent all Native people. It doesn't even represent the Cherokee nation necessarily, sometimes tribal governments make decisions that not many agree on.

I know some of the history between African Americans and Native Americans. I know that we often helped each other. I don't see why this should change now. These people they are not allowing to be enrolled probably have Native blood. So then it wouldn't make any sense at all. We should support each other, that's what I think.

I do think Natives should retain their right to determain their own enrollment standards. However, I think this is definately a step in the Wrong direction.

Answer 2

this isn't new. decades ago, people in my family left the nation because they wanted to marry a spouse that had African blood and thus looked more black than Cherokee. I have no idea why the five nations are doing this but they are losing both a lot of children, and a lot respect this way. It's their business though. This is a type of bloodless genocide- taking away someone's heritage like this does kill a part of them. Can't even really call it racism, as these people are Cherokee, they just don't look Cherokee (a look decided by racists over 100 years ago). oh well. this type of division will always cause a society to fall, after a while