Group is protesting Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith's recognition
Freedmen descendants say chief’s efforts shouldn’t be supported
SEAN ELY
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Published: June 5, 2009
A small group of the Descendants of Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes Association gathered late Thursday morning outside the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in protest of Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith.
Inside, Smith received a Red Earth "Ambassador of the Year” award — given to an individual who has made significant contributions to presenting a more positive image of American Indians.
But according to
Marilyn Vann, president of the protesting association, officials should not support his efforts.
"Chad Smith has done nothing but bring disgrace to Indian countries through his actions on the freedmen people — calling freedmen people, not Indians; treaty breaking, spending taxpayers’ money that ought to be going to services instead of actions against the freedmen.”
The controversy deals with the descendants of slaves. In 2006, however, the Cherokee Nation voted to limit tribal rolls to those with Cherokee blood.
Vann said that the freedmen came to
Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears with the rest of the tribes who suffered and fought hard for rights. The black freedmen have asked Congress to uphold treaties signed in 1866, allowing them access to tribal funding and continuing tribal citizenship — giving them health benefits, education and housing.
Smith said it was an honor to receive the award because he is working toward a "happy and healthy people,” where everyone helps each other through tough times.
But in response to the protesting, Smith said it is not a complicated matter.
"If they can prove geniality, they’re a member of the Cherokee Nation,” he said. "We have even paid genealogists in the
Tulsa area to help descendents of freedmen and African American heritage determine the truth through documentation. The real issue here is the freedmen who have no Indian blood.”
Vann said the freedmen think it’s a matter of not being able to give big gaming money from casinos as other tribes can do.
"We don’t operate casinos, but does that mean we shouldn’t have justice?” she said. "Does that mean our rights should be taken away from us?”
Smith said anyone can drive a
Volkswagen, do the chicken dance at Oktoberfest, drink German beer and claim German heritage, but it doesn’t make them German.
"The same type of thing applies for the Cherokee Nation,” he said.
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Maybe this time its early enough in the session we'll see the demise of the CNO...And the Cherokee People can set about to repair the damage by CNO. to see the bill click link http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-2761 its about the same as the old!
Hopefully the Weezle Smith is sweatin a little blood!
I know he already spinnin the lies and BS on http://www.cherokeephoenix.org/3744/Article.aspx
__________________________________________________________________________________ John Cornsilk Real Cherokee Citizen CNO member UKB too!
What the hay, tilde you got a special redneck dictionary or whut? reduntant is not in my webster or my ole trusty readers Digest Thesaurus neither!! that was what I was talkin bout you tryin to be a dang spellin cop when its evident you can't speel either!
__________________________________________________________________________________ John Cornsilk Real Cherokee Citizen CNO member UKB too!
__________________________________________________________________________________ John Cornsilk Real Cherokee Citizen CNO member UKB too!
shawnees and then after the civil war the Freedman. and this land in okla was the land that the Old Settlers of Ark. Traded a part of there lands for the counties of the oklahoma area ant the cherokee strip and as everything else was stollen from the old settlers they finialy after our last chief at gore which was the last strong hold the old settlers were forced to give up to John Ross and the Old settlers were being killed by our own people so we had no choice but to go back to what lands we had left in Ark. and then The Chief that John Ross so blatently stole the headquarters with the help of the Fed. Gov. Chief Bowels a1/2 blood had to give up chiefdom ship to a 1/8 who was nt enough indian to hold the position of chief. and sence 1839 there has been no one in the office that was enough indian to hold the position and the three or four that were were just like the one in office today Greedy and what he doesn't keep for himself and a group of his sturdie followers that get there cutof the funds that are comming into the Cherokee coffers now and which the Chief along with a few of his cronnies give away to the State or to the white eliment to of the state and the crooked Lawyers that has helped to change the Treaties to read as they want and the Constitution to be so they can keep robbing the other 5 tribes that are leagly a part of the CNO and the other five tribes are the old settlers or what is now called the WCNOM - the Kituahs - the Shawnees the Delawares - and last but not least the Freedman of Cherokee blood. People like this should be shunned instead of giventhem any kind of Honers.
Cherokee Nation News Release
Contact: Mike Miller (918) 384-7861
mike.miller@cn-bus.com
©2009 Cherokee Nation - All Rights Reserved
June 08, 2009
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Chad Smith is well-respected. However, John and Archie, are not. Losers...with a Big L on their foreheads. Now there is the shame and disgrace boys.
__________________________________________________________________________________ John Cornsilk Real cherokee
No fear here, Robin.
One set is much like Chad they are Bastards.
You see everyone knows Chad was adopted into the Smith family.
Just look at his Birth Cert. and you will see.
I think his people are Mexicans.
He may be good in you view but ask his other set of kid's what they think.
I talked to one of Bobbie Smith's inlaws and he say's everyone hates Chad 2wife Smith.
His other set of children are the ones really hurt by his Bigamist way's.
Many of the Cherokee Freedmen have Cherokee blood in their veins. Not all of the them are merely the descendants of slaves from Africa. Government treaty made the Freedmen members of the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory. __________________________________________________________________________________
I the Elder Cornsilk says! BUT that is totally inconsequential to the fact of the matter, they are just as all we Cherokee, Cherokee by fact of law, we are all descendants of the Cherokee Citizens enumerated on the Dawess Rolls and blood aint got a dam thaing to do with it.
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Have you read the 1866 Treaty? As I keep saying all this information can be found at www.cornsilks.com, and so you don't have to sort through the complete Treaty you can see the pertinent Articles to the Freedmen here; www.cornsilks.com.1866excerpt.html...And Joe if you will read and pay some dang tention, NO WHERE in ANY Document will you find a blood requirement to be a Cherokee Citizen, in the 1866 Treaty, nor in the 1839 Constitution, nor the revise 1999 version of the 1975 BS called a Constitution, the ONLY reference to BLOOD requirement is in the Constitutions:"Elected Officials will be Cherokee by blood". the Cherokee have NEVER had a blood quantum, and DO-NOT today no matter what Smith and the CNOT SUCKIN Fools may say.
__________________________________________________________________________________ John Cornsilk Real cherokee
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And folks this is all in MY family Story, YES I am related to the Smiths some of them, my maternal Grand mothers's sister Sarah "Holt" Smith wis married to Redbird Smith's #4 Son George Smith; Therefore the family tale was how did Khia impregnate this woman while over in Europe...He denied it, and Redbird proclaimed Nelson Johnson was NOT a Smith. Nelson changed his name to Smith after all had passed on that would or could object. Infact Nelson grew up hating the Smiths becaues they had denied him, and this name change was probably the weezle Smiths idea with him being a skuzzy lawyer!!
__________________________________________________________________________________ John Cornsilk Real cherokee
Got to wondering just what is his family genealogy? I hear some of the Smith family won't claim him, the very family he claims to descend from, isn't that odd?
The way you try to place the blame on me for bring up the fact is unfathomably.
Bigamy is still A crime in Oklahoma.