Oh, certainly not - my husband’s great-grandmother really was Cherokee, we have pictures, names, documentation, etc. Nothing about “passing” - I’ve seen photos, the woman looked like a Native American regardless of what she wore or what age she was. Really, there is no question that she was Cherokee. However she never claimed to be a “princess” nor did she want to be a member of the tribe - she was a fully assimilated into the mainstream society person of Native ethnicity and that’s exactly how she wanted it to be. Nor has any of her descendants (so far as I know) expressed any interest in asserting any claim on any tribe, though some certainly could have.
LoHD, you’ve made some great contributions. Thank you! Same to to you, CateAyo (Red Hawk). And really, almost everyone! I was sort of surprised that Ms Hull was as sympathetic as she was. She talked about what a tragedy it was when the nation became divided, and understood completely why (and the fact that) the Baker Roll is incomplete. Like CateAyo touched upon, registering on these rolls depended on your being informed and/or found first of all. And then, there was fear of lynchings and rapes and beatings and just plain becoming outcasts in their communities, that put an awful lot of people in a really big pickle.
My great-grandfather was half Cherokee, and certainly looked it, in his old age. He had moved to California and passed as White enough to be a Postmaster of Los Angeles. good position for the times. In his old age, he kept telling my mom that we were Cherokee, to not forget that. Yet, I have no knowledge of his full-blood Mom, I don’t know her at all. He was born in N. Mississippi, on the way to Missouri. The photos as young man, had the cheekbones, as do I. There’s the family lore,looks, and compassionate tales, which I cherish. And i truly wish I could know that part of my blood.
But, I would never presume to get benefit from claiming Cherokee blood, no way. My forbears went to California at the turn of the century, and went on from there. They did not live on the Rez and know that hardship. I am very proud of my Cherokee blood, and wish I could know my great-greats in their minds, but, I have had every opportunity as a person of all passing blood. No problem with The Tribe making a statement now of giving membership to newly born, to negate , “Yep. I’m Cherokee, too!”
I have no trouble at all with the Eastern Band’s decision.
I agree with your assessment of “Dr.” Churchill. I once jokingly asked another Indian academic (whose name most would recognize) how his colleague was doing. My dear friend’s office was in the same department as Churchill’s. My friend’s response, in his usual understated manner, was “Who? I don’t believe I’ve ever met the man. An Indian, you say?”
Churchill was pegged as a fraud a very long time ago, by some.
I attempted to send you a PM regarding this. Your inbox appears full. Send me a message when you get some room. You suggest that the important thing is to know who you are, not tribal affiliation. I must agree with that.
My father’s family completely buried their Native American side. Not surprising in those days, when they could have been marginalized as “half-breeds” and other such idiotic terms. I’m 1/16th. Big whoop. I’m also German, French, Irish, Scots and English. Also big whoop. As far as I can see, all that makes me “American”.
I really don’t know why anyone would consider it strange that so many people claim/have Cherokee blood. My great-grandmother was half Cherokee. She had 8 kids. Those kids mostly had 2-4 kids each. Each of those kids had 2-5 kids each. Many of those have 2-3 kids apiece (except me and two cousins who have none, and my brother who has one.) And one of those kids is already having kids. And that’s all from ONE woman.
And that’s just one one side of the family. My mom had a Cherokee ancestor (great-grandfather?), too–her family is from North Carolina–and I don’t even begin to know how many descendants he has.
It was the nature of the Cherokee themselves to blend with other populations. They were, in a sense, the original non-segregationists. They built homes like the White man’s homes. They took up gardening and tending domesticated animals. They even devised an alphabet, so they could write down their words — just like the White man. And so, when they were evicted from their homes in Georgia, the Carolinas, and elsewhere, white people moved in and just pretty much carried on. There was no major work to be done to make it more “homey”. Plus, they had the possessions that had been left behind, like pots and tools and things like that.
I do agree, in the end, with elelle. The fact that the Eastern Tribe is “cleaning things up” so to speak is good. But it is at the same time sad for those of us with ancestors not on the Baker List. But I’ve said enough about that.
I used to claim to be fractionally Cherokee. I now claim to be possibly part Crow. But I look Kree.
Whoa.
It sees to me that Cherokee has to be the most latch-ed upon tribe; everybody in the south seems to have a “cherokee great grandmother”. Melungeons claimed to be Cherokee, in some cases, as well, back when they needed to. I can’t really blame the Cherokee tribe for being strict these days; however, from what others have posted, it wasn’t so strict back in the old days, so it’s a bit of a sticky wicket here.
White Kree, the mutts of the Kree race. 