KAW, Tulsa (5/14/2007 3:14:45 PM)

In the words of Winston Churchhill:

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."

The Cherokee Nation should do the right thing in regards to the Freedmen issue. Where is your courage?

John, Las Vegas, NV (5/14/2007 9:54:05 PM)

I support the Freedmen!

Letalis, (5/14/2007 10:10:44 PM)

Isn't Nate Young Cherokee?

Cherokee Dawes Descendent, Tulsa (5/15/2007 1:10:33 AM)

I urge anyone out there who has an opinion about this issue to please study the Freedmen history well. Theirs is one entwined along side the Cherokee. They are among the dead scattered on the Trail of tears.

Its little known knowledge the descendants of Chief John Ross were descended from Freedmen slaves as well. Stick Ross served the Cherokee Nation beside Cherokee as an equal and tribal elder.

Stick Ross was the grandson of Chief John Ross according to one tribal source.

Chief Chad Smith mentioned another Trail of Tears surrounding the poverty of the Cherokee in present day. I say, the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council spending more than one half million dollars on a case that denies the most basic civil rights is a waste of money. I say, Chad Smith has just spent $520,000.00 on winning the up and coming election!

Shame on Cherokee Nation and Chad Smith!

Kristi H, (6/19/2007 5:41:05 PM)

I do NOT support the Freedmen...at ALL.

History CLEARLY shows you that the US Government didn't want us (Cherokees) OR blacks (freedmen) in their government, and came up with the Dawes and all of the treaties.

All of the Natives I have spoken to regarding this, Cherokee or not, all say the same thing.

IF you are related to us, WELCOME, if not, how DARE you!!!

This can get much bigger than the "black and white" issue the Freedmen are trying to make it.

My children are adopted, and not blood related...however, they WANT to know the culture and are learning it as I give it to them.

My nation doesn't recognize them, but yet, they recognize a black person whose family worked for the Cherokees and is NOT of blood relation?

The Freedmen need to get over it...if you're blood related, then you can stay, if you're not, too bad, so sad (like is told to ANYONE who cannot show descendancy to a blood ancestor on the Dawes rolls).

You can't favor one without favoring all, and rather than support the fact that the Cherokees are trying to exercise their FREEDOM from the US Government, the Freedmen cried foul and are turning it into a race issue, for their own self gain.

I have never heard one of these people stating they feel they'll lose their culture, but you SURE hear "I REFUSE to lose my BENEFITS"...well, I'd sure like to know WHAT benefits...I know I'm ON the rolls in Tahlequah, but live outside of the boundaries, and get NOTHING...

How many more years do they expect for anyone who is not black to keep paying for the actions of their ancestors???

We experience discrimination, too...but you don't hear us whining at the drop of a hat.

KW, Tulsa (6/21/2007 12:24:46 PM)

I am so saddened you feel this way. We are talking about basic human rights! The majority of the Black Cherokee Freedman DO have INDIAN BLOOD! There was no mention of blood quantum in the 1866 Treaty where they were made citizens. The racist Dawes commission put the the Black Cherokees on a seperate roll and did not list blood quantum even though they were interrmarried with the cherokee and had children. Many of the ancestors from those children are fighting for their legal rights today! You are entitled to your opinion Kristia, but I urge you to seek out an historian who can tell the the REAL story about the Freedmen. Or better yet, Google, Dan Littlefield and read his article regarding the black cherokees in the territory and how they have been disenfranchised. I assure you, you will be enlightened. I used to think like you too. But I've been educated about the true facts. Some in the Cherokee Nation are wrong, wrong, wrong! Shame, shame, shame. The chickens will come home to roost! I guarantee you!

Kristi H, (6/21/2007 4:05:43 PM)

Oh yeah, I am supposed to seek out history of the Freedmen by the racists Freedmen?

My opinions are based on facts, not twists of the truth that the Freedmen spew.

I again say...if you DO have Indian Blood...welcome...if you do not, SHAME SHAME SHAME, as you say.

Kristi H, (6/21/2007 4:08:45 PM)

And by the way, KW...all of the Freedmen I hear spouting off that they are blood relation to us in the same breath say that, and I quote one of the Freedmen descedants (or wannabes, that is) "anyone knows that ANY sexual relation between slave and slaveowner was not consensual"...ok...so if that's the case, and their ancestors were raped by my ancestors (which you know is not 100% the case), then WHY would your family want to even be associated with us?

How long do these freedmen or ANY blacks keep expecting anyone who is not black to pay for their ancestor's mistakes?

The time is over...

I am just saddened that you've bought the hype the racists that are black are putting out.

Dee, (6/22/2007 2:36:34 PM)

your assuming that freedmens don't have Cherokee blood. Cherokees and other tribes use the Dawes Roll to determined how much blood a person has. in 1898 (the signing of the roll) most people didn't have records like a birth certificate so, there's really no way to say for sure who was or wasn't blood except by looking. I'm sure they did the best they could but lets face it, blood or no bood if you was dark they called you a freedmen. At the time of the Dawes Roll singing if you had one drop of black then you called black no matter what precent. So please stop assuming that freedmens have no Cherokee blood. The Whole blood theory is flawed and a group of people could be exiled from there nationhood, culture and heritage on a flawed theory.

Kristi, "Every man has a right to be wrong in his opinions. But no man has a right to be wrong in his facts." Maybe you don't want to know the facts becasuse you like being wrong.

8, 7 (6/28/2007 11:21:48 PM)

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adrienne e. mccambry, Beach City (4/9/2008 12:47:57 PM)

I support Ms. Van and the others for the right to have citizenship. If history has anything do with this issue it should be.

And also did you know that native Americans born and raised in the United States of North America were not granted U.S. citizenship unitl some 75 years later?

It was around at the time of the early part of the 20th Century. Many of the young men obtained U.S. citizenship by entering the first and second world war.

Also did you know that native American children were not allowed to attend regualr public schools either. It goes to show that one has foregotten about it.

These children were allowed to attend school some 10 years later!

Disenrolling those who have rights to Indian is not only wrong it is inmorally sicking so when do so one dose not think about what happend to those in the past.