Second-largest U.S. Indian tribe expels slave descendants

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - The nation's second-largest Indian tribe formally booted from membership thousands of descendants of black slaves who were brought to Oklahoma more than 170 years ago by Native American owners.

And further on it states; Removal from the membership rolls means the Freedmen will no longer be eligible for free health care and other benefits such as education concessions.

Racism or fiscal? I would think fiscal myself. There is only so much money to go around. I wonder how this will play out.

But it does remind me of the old saying, “The good lord giveth and the good lord taketh away.”


news.yahoo.com...

The Indians should be allowed to govern themselves in peace.

I don't know what else to say about it. I am living where they once used to live- these same Cherokees. The white man did the Cherokees particularly wrong, IMO, because the Cherokees bent over backwards to show that they were civilized and could live exactly the same as their white neighbors, and STILL they were kicked out. The roots of the whole mess was racist, and I really don't feel like I can pass judgement on them because I know that they know what it is.

The descendants of the Freedmen are not Cherokee unless the descendants have Cherokee blood.
If they do have Cherokee blood they should be afforded every right as a tribe member.
If they do not have Cherokee blood, what right have they to file a grievance.
The Cherokee can not be held accountable for the actions of a few of their ancestors.

reply to post by D4Saken


I look at it as taking care of immediate family.

I would rather give money to help my brothers and sisters who need help, rather than cousins.

I know that is a simplistic anaolgy, but there are some hurt feeling going on and it will get worse either way the courts rule.

reply to post by TDawgRex


I have to agree with you there. With these economic times being as tough on everyone as they are, there comes a time when you have to trim the family tree when it comes to helping them financially.

Originally posted by hadriana
The Indians should be allowed to govern themselves in peace.

I don't know what else to say about it. I am living where they once used to live- these same Cherokees. The white man did the Cherokees particularly wrong, IMO, because the Cherokees bent over backwards to show that they were civilized and could live exactly the same as their white neighbors, and STILL they were kicked out. The roots of the whole mess was racist, and I really don't feel like I can pass judgement on them because I know that they know what it is.

So basically, their brown skin absolves them from charges of blatant racism. Only whites can be shouldered with that label!

The island of Guam has been trying to do the same exact thing.


Treaty with Spain only ceded Spanish military forts on Guam to the United States...the island is still sovereign and keeps trying to kick out allllll the people Spain-US brought in.

They are one of the 16 Colonies still listed on the UN Decolonization List of countries yet to be set free.



So the Indians can do it....but America/DOD ain't letting Guam do it?

too bad....

The Freedman will have to wait in line.....a loooooooooooooooong line......

Many of you may not realize this, but not ALL Cherokee and Creek were forced onto the Reservations...

The Natives that were forced onto reservations were afraid, beaten down, and had given up all hope....

LARGE, and do mean LARGE groups and tribes chose not go...My ancestors were among these....

And guess what?

If your Ancestors were brave enough to stay on their home land rather than be evacuated, you won't find your Ancestors names on the rolls...Your reward for bravery is EXCLUSION.

Thats right....The REDMAN himself has been excluded from the rolls, and has been fighting for a century to be recognized by the federal government.....In the south eastern United States, you'll find 'lower tribes'... tribes who have maintained their tradition in the face of being ignored by their own people....

My own people, the Muskgogee Creek, and the Ocmulgee Creek were sentenced to the camps, but many of them did not go, including the Seminole Creek of southern Georgia....

These small tribes maintain tradition even while being excluded from the rolls by descendants of COWARDS up on the reservation....

I'd love to say that the black man will have to wait, but this America, and the black man gets what he wants....

Some of the Cherokee, especially ones that inter-mingled with the French or white settlers had black slaves and used them as a mediator to communicate with the white man and I'm sure more. The Cherokee had the most slaves. A Cherokee can have Cherokee blood, but still have black descendents, which excludes them from membership.

The Seminole was the only tribe that allowed black slaves to join their community without becoming a slave to them and were free men.