Cherokee Nation Ejects Slave Descendants

Originally posted by benevolent tyrant
I have a rather mixed opinion on this. But, after some thought, all that I can say is that tribal membership is certainly something that the tribe should decide for itself. In the past, tribal membership was often determined by the government. That doesn't make any sense as how can the government make rulings upon a culture or society? At least this decision was made by the tribe itself.

I happen to be Lithuanian/American (living in Canada). When Lithuania finally broke free from the seventy years of Soviet occupation, one of the first things that the Lithuanians did was to deny citizenship to Russians who may have been born and raised in Lithuania. After all, the Russians were not Lithuanian. They did not speak Lithuanian or share in the rich culture of Lithuania. It may smack of racism but, nevertheless, it is understandable.

Now, in Lithuania and the other Baltic states, it is necessary for non-Balts to speak the language to have any right to remain in Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia. In Lithuania, it is necessary to actually be Lithuanian to be a citizen! I imagine that this example can be applied to the membership of the tribes in question. It only makes sense that the tribe itself can determine membership. While this might not seem "fair" to others (especially to non-natives), this is a viable response to maintaining the integrity of this tribes' culture, heritage and lineage/bloodline especially after being tainted by years of integration -- something that would have never occured had not the white man interfered in the affairs of the native-americans.

I think, if they had any integrity, the Cherokee nation wouldn't go by the 'Dawes Rolls' and look at the percentage of Cherokee DNA, even if it is 'tainted'!