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There Are No Indians in Tennessee
Some of the Cherokee in Oklahoma are on the warpath again.
In an effort to keep Tennessee open to possible expansion by the descendants of the survivors of The Trail of Tears, The Cherokee Nation has loudly supported Tennessee politicians who routinely repeat the mantra, “There are no Indians in Tennessee”.
In 1838 approximately 14,000 Indians were forcibly evicted from traditional hunting lands and home sites in parts of Georgia, Alabama, the Carolinas and Tennessee.
The Indians who reside in Oklahoma are – for the most part – descendants of the survivors of this tortuous march were it is estimated that thousands died.
The logic of the Cherokee in Oklahoma is quite twisted and would be an affront to any other ethnic and cultural group if they were to be faced with the same re-writing of history that the Cherokee in Tennessee have.
The Oklahoma Cherokee readily admit that thousands of families were uprooted, separated and tortured by the route to “Indian Territory” as Oklahoma was known then.
However, they say that anyone that was left behind – for any reason – is not a true Cherokee and does not deserve to receive recognition as such by the state of Tennessee.
That’s akin to telling Jews that avoided the holocaust by hiding out in the homes of friends that they are not Jewish since they didn’t go the entire route to Auschwitz.
By some estimates, the Cherokee from Oklahoma spent $14 million dollars to defeat TN House Bill 1692 which would have allowed for the recognition of all Indians living in The Volunteer State.
State recognition would open the door for arts and crafts they make and could mean substantial new sales as well as increase the chances of Tennessee Indians being able to eventually move into the casino business; a threat against the purse strings of the Cherokee out west and the primary reason for such an active fight against recognition.
The 15th Annual Native Cultural Circle Intertribal Pow Wow will be held October 13 and 14 in Clarksville, TN. For more information, contact Red Kirby @ 931-368-1246 or email him today: rotebard@yahoo.com
In an effort to keep Tennessee open to possible expansion by the descendants of the survivors of The Trail of Tears, The Cherokee Nation has loudly supported Tennessee politicians who routinely repeat the mantra, “There are no Indians in Tennessee”.
In 1838 approximately 14,000 Indians were forcibly evicted from traditional hunting lands and home sites in parts of Georgia, Alabama, the Carolinas and Tennessee.
The Indians who reside in Oklahoma are – for the most part – descendants of the survivors of this tortuous march were it is estimated that thousands died.
The logic of the Cherokee in Oklahoma is quite twisted and would be an affront to any other ethnic and cultural group if they were to be faced with the same re-writing of history that the Cherokee in Tennessee have.
The Oklahoma Cherokee readily admit that thousands of families were uprooted, separated and tortured by the route to “Indian Territory” as Oklahoma was known then.
However, they say that anyone that was left behind – for any reason – is not a true Cherokee and does not deserve to receive recognition as such by the state of Tennessee.
That’s akin to telling Jews that avoided the holocaust by hiding out in the homes of friends that they are not Jewish since they didn’t go the entire route to Auschwitz.
By some estimates, the Cherokee from Oklahoma spent $14 million dollars to defeat TN House Bill 1692 which would have allowed for the recognition of all Indians living in The Volunteer State.
State recognition would open the door for arts and crafts they make and could mean substantial new sales as well as increase the chances of Tennessee Indians being able to eventually move into the casino business; a threat against the purse strings of the Cherokee out west and the primary reason for such an active fight against recognition.
The 15th Annual Native Cultural Circle Intertribal Pow Wow will be held October 13 and 14 in Clarksville, TN. For more information, contact Red Kirby @ 931-368-1246 or email him today: rotebard@yahoo.com
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