The History of the Cherokee Freedmen - John Cornsilk

To help you understand more about the Cherokee Freedmen and what some on the Cherokee Council have perpetrated on their people.

http://www.pechanga.info/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1974

The Cherokee Freedmen Story as an article was submitted by email to American Chronicle as a response to an article on the issue, but it was never published so today I resubmit it via the process.

The Cherokee Freedmen are the descendants of African slaves who played an integral role in the Cherokee Culture during the 1700's and1800's. Many of the Cherokee Freedmen Descendants of today are Cherokee by blood, many with actually more than the Thin bloods White Cherokee that are trying to eliminate them from the Membership of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CNO).

However, the Freedmen were listed on the Dawes Commission Rolls during the enumeration of the Cherokee Nation by the Dawes Commission by an Act of Congress in 1893 and ending and the final Roll Closed by the U.S. Congress in 1906, in a Section called the Freedmen Roll that did not classify them as Cherokee by Blood, BUT, simply because their features displayed characheristics of African traits, i.e. black skin and nappy hair...it must be noted they were NOT classed any less Cherokee than any of the other entinicities or classes of Cherokee on the other sections of the Rolls, which has led to modern controversies, or it should be said the outright lie and fabrication of misinformation by Chad Smith and cohorts, as to whether or not the Freedmen can claim they are Cherokee.

Please click the link above for the rest of the article. AND, please look at this page of support from ELI GRAYSON:

One thing is becoming clear, that this is not a Indian issue but aCherokee issue along with a few other OK tribes, and Congress isbeginning to understand that the Lakota, Navaho and the other 500 plusfederally recognized tribes have NOTHING to do with this...everycongressional staff person or every Congressmen that I spoke with were shocked to even learn of slavery of among these particular Oklahoma tribes. The fact that the Cherokees are hypocritically screaming termination while terminating their very own slave descendants is laughing stock to the congressional members. Privately, even Indianpeople from other tribes are telling congressional members thatCherokees are not really Indians but just white folks with a Indianancestor five hundred years ago.....this whole thing has gone down adangerous path for the Cherokee Nation.....