Cherokee Nation Votes To Boot Freedmen

A Blow To African American Cultural Identity
March 5, 2007


JACKSONVILLE FL --- In a recent move which came as a shock to many, the Cherokee Nation recently voted to remove the descendants of freed slaves from their citizenship roles. This is a decision that has a direct impact on more than 3000 African American descents, and an indirect -albeit social-impact on hundreds of thousands more.

After the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, and the subsequent freeing of those held in the bondage of slavery, the Federal Government forced he Cherokee Nation to include freed slaves as members of the tribe. Basically, many freed slaves went from one form of slavery into another as the Cherokee still regarded the freed slaves as servants.

Freed African slaves have lived as part of the Cherokee Tribal Nation for more than 100 years, an arrangement that produces a notable mixture of the two races. Without a doubt, very few African American can actually claim not to have any affiliation with the Cherokee Nation, or other Native American communities for that matter. This writer's own Grandfather was a full blooded Cherokee named Arthur McIntosh.

In a sense, the vote is understandable when we consider the relationship between the Cherokee Nation and the freed African Slaves was one of a forced convenience to the Federal Government. The inverse is in the fact that bother cultures were essentially regarded as throw away entities by the Federal Government. The fear that many African Americans express as a result of this recent move is in that although the Cherokee Nation will regain it's identity, the African American culture will be left with one, again.

-- Numinous Owl - The All Seeing Owl - March 5, 2007