BIA's Carl Artman Resigns Amid Controversy: Cherokee Freedmen, Snoqualmie Pechanga, Picayune.

Artman had done NOTHING for the individual Indian in this country. He was terrible. Good to see him go.

BIA leader resigns amid controversy

By JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau 4/29/2008
His 13 months in office were marked by the Cherokee freedmen dispute.

WASHINGTON -- Bureau of Indian Affairs leader Carl Artman, a major player in the ongoing freedmen controversy with the Cherokee Nation, is leaving office, U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced Monday. Artman, 41, was confirmed to his position 13 months ago.

His entire term in office has been marked by the Cherokee freedmen descendants controversy, which has drawn the interest of Congress. He said last year that an 1866 treaty that the Cherokee Nation signed with the United States affirmed the citizenship rights of the descendants of former slaves and that the federal government would consider taking the tribe to court to enforce that agreement. That was not enough for members of Congress who believed that the BIA should be doing more. OP: The BIA has done NOTHING to help the THOUSANDS of Indians terminated from tribes like Pechanga, which acted UNConstitutionally to disenroll Hundreds of members (Pechanga's OWN Constitution)

In March, four key lawmakers, including two House committee chairmen, met with Artman requesting further clarification. Others recently warned that the controversy could put all legislation supported by tribes across the nation at risk. Cherokee Nation members voted in March 2007 to remove freedmen descendants from tribal rolls. A member of the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin, Artman had been the Interior Department's associate solicitor for Indian affairs before being tapped for the BIA post, which carries the title of assistant secretary. Artman wrote in a resignation letter to Kempthorne, "I believe at the end of this administration, the work we have done within Indian Affairs will leave not just a legacy, but an infrastructure upon which American Indian and Alaska Natives can build to secure their governmental, cultural and economic futures."
In his own letter, Kempthorne expressed appreciation for Artman's insight on important issues. "The Indian Modernization Initiative, developed and launched under Carl's leadership, has upgraded communications between tribal leaders and the department on a number of priority issues," he wrote. Artman is scheduled to leave May 23.

Jim Myers (202) 484-1424 jim.myers@tulsaworld.com