This has nothing to do with fear and prejudice.  This has everything to do with defining and enforcing membership requirements, with the decision being put before the membership in a valid and legal way and voted upon by that membership.  One either is eligible or one is not.  Political correctness requires that no one of any race, religion, origin, sexual orientation, blah blah blah, be denied membership in anything for any of those reasons, which ultimately means that no one can have a club, an association, or any gathering of any kind restricted by anything.  I’d bet my first-born’s inheritance that if only Caucasians were at risk, public outcry would be minimal (and unreported by the press) or non-existent.  Either the Cherokee are a self-regulating group or they are not.  “Sad” would be if the federal government decides to step in and wave its magic wand on behalf of the “disenfranchised.”


Anita Wills <[log in to unmask]> wrote:  My brother took a DNA test which showed our paternal line to be at least 1/2 
Native from Columbia South America. We were surprised at those results, as 
our forebearers were slaves in South Carolina. I have proved several Native 
lines and am a member of a State Recognized Tribe in Virginia. One of my 
friends has Sioux lines, but cannot join the tribe, because her mother was 
adopted out and her race was turned to white. I don't know what to think 
about this situation, but my hope is that we will all realize fear and 
prejudice are our greatest enemy. They will destroy us long before our 
enemies make it to the door.

Anita


>From: Coats Family History 
>Reply-To: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history 
> 
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: MSNBC.com Article: Cherokees may expel slaves_ descendants
>Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2007 20:12:23 -0800
>
>The Vote is to determine whether or not you must show that you have a
>Cherokee Blood line...some Freedmen can do that others can not...just
>as with the whites if they can not prove a Cherokee Blood line back to
>a Dawes Roll ancestor they can not be Cherokee Citizens...many full
>bloods can not trace back to an ancestor on the Dawes Roll and are not
>citizens...been like that for ions...
>
>This is an interesting issue since, it pits an 1866 Civil War treaty again
>modern day Self Determination by the Cherokee Nation...actually the
>Civil War Treaty is a badge of slavery for both the Freedmen and the
>Cherokee...
>
>If you think this is bad, you see what the California Indian Tribes
>are doing, that is sad....
>
>Charlotte
>
>
>

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