THE FOLLOWING IS NOT PART OF THE HANDBOOK
I SIMPLY WANTED TO SHARE MORE WITH YOU
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Last nights unity around the fire made me burn with a desire to see this before I leave this land and travel into the West.
We want to promote the UNITY of all Cherokee descendants.
The nation has been fragmented.
We pray for healing!
That is the primary focus of our prayer circles:
To UNITE all Cherokee again.
To HEAL our land and our NATION.
We are broken.
We need healing.
In some cases, healing has begun.
But in all too many, the fracture was not set, and the bones are joining unevenly- the signs remain revealing our fractures as we hobble along on broken bones.
AND worst of all
Our HEART was broken!
Our Heart has not yet been healed.
Signs of the fractures made in the heart of the Cherokee nation can be seen in the fact that there are 4 Federally recognized tribes (USA recognizes 3, Mexico 1) and it is even more obvious that the enemy has cut our body apart, separting limb from limb, like the enemy did to our great warrior Dragging Canoe because they feared that if they did not, he would rise again-- this cutting, wounding, dividing is obvious in the fact that there are so many of the numerous state groups that have tried to create a cohesive structure to welcome one another into.
This evidence exists in EVERY group that has established themselves as Cherokee.
Let me repeat that
This evidence exists in EVERY group that has established themselves as Cherokee.
NO ONE is exempt.
The UKB (United Keetowah Band) at one point had as many as 20 governments claiming to be the "right" one.
The CNO (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) has experienced upheaval after upheaval in their history- they passed legislation when they first arrived in Indian Territory (Now Oklahoma) proclaiming that the East was their true homeland and they did not acknowledge the right of the USA to move them, and in recent battles over the freedmen.
The EBCI too has struggled- they have a charter and no constitution, they have culled rolls and excluded folks based on quantum, the language is endangered.
But these 3 have persevered.
And in every single state of the homeland, Cherokees have been discovered and recognized- some as individuals (such as in TN) and others as state recognized tribes but the facts are obvious- our people have been scattered like coals kicked from a fire- but we still remain!
We still burn brightly!
We applaud the efforts of Cherokee descendants to regather the remnants of our people and to preserve the homeland, culture and language.
How did these Cherokee descendants come to be found remaining in states like Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky,North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and others??
Their ancestors obeyed Chief John Ross and engaged in passive resistence.
Their obedience earned them the distrust of other Cherokee, the hatred of their neighbors and the loss of contact with language and culture- but they never lost contact with the homeland.
We never forgot who we really are. We didnt "HIDE" like the EBCI- we resisted... but we were still here!
As Creator commanded, as our Chief Ross decreed- they remained in the homeland.
And they suffered for it and continue to suffer today.
These state recognized groups have identified local communities and have kept the flames of life alive in our homeland.
In many cases, they have sacrficed their funds, their life, their time, and their reputations in order to be Cherokees still living in the homeland.
We want to ask these groups to rise to a new challenge... to unite all Cherokee descendants living within their state into one state tribe.
This will not be easy and will pose many challenges.
Find a way to establish standards for recognizing Cherokee descendants and documenting that ancestry.
Find a way to meet and select representatives from each state recognized tribe to serve as leaders for every tribe in the state. (See our handbook for suggestions)
We ask that each state recognized tribe recognize each other and that after accepting each other as a local community of Cherokees, you work together to establish ONE state tribal government.
We call upon all Cherokee descendants in EVERY state where you find yourself to make this first step toward healing, toward the reestablishment of a national council, toward the recognition of all true Cherokee descendants.
We do NOT ask that you disband or lose your own identity!
That would NOT be healing!On the contrary, we ask that you find common ground, that you acknowledge one another as local community groups, and that we begin to work together for the healing of our nation.
We make this plea to all Federally recognized and State Recognized tribes.
Check your records. Go ahead- its ok-- Verify the documentation so that your records will with stand scrutiny. Because we will be scrutinized so we must do this
but don't stop there.
Once you are able to prove where you came from and how you came to be there,
Then open your hearts.
Open up lines of communication between one another.
Establish local communities- establish only ONE state government presence in each state... and then, work toward the forming of an interstate national council of represenatives of ALL remaining Cherokee descendants.
United - we will be stronger.
Divided-- we remain defeated.
We are looking for 100 Cherokee descendants to lead a PRAYER Circle and Potluck once a month-- every month--because Prayer is important and we have a great need ahead of us we should all be praying about...
do you think you would be able to either lead one or help someone else in your area to organize one?
Cherokee prayer Circles --
are usually on a Saturday night but can be any time your folks find convenient.... its just once a month-- and you can trade out with others so its not too big of a burden....
let me know please!-- on Facebook...we are "Cherokee Ancestors--Cherokee Descendants--Cherokee Heritage"
We are hoping to have 100 + prayer circles by the end of the year meeting to pray specifically for our Cherokee people and for all the descendants!
To find out more on how to host a prayer circle at YOUR house-- see that section of the HANDBOOK.
In addition to the requests by the people who attend, be sure to pray specifically for
1--the resolution of April 2008 at Red Clay to either be revoked or amended to recognize that anyone who has a Cherokee Ancestor should be able to speak about their Cherokee Ancestor even if the descendant chooses not to be placed on a roll.
2--the restoration of our homeland- that our Cherokee people will all be able to return to the land where Creator placed us and told us not to leave
3--the restoration of our Cherokee language
4--the restoration of our culture-that all Cherokee descendants will once again worship our Creator the way we were instructed to worship
5--the restoration of our people- that all Cherokee descendants will be welcomed and accepted
October 16, 2010
We have suffered much on this journey but we have also experienced tremendous joy.
In the late 80's (thats 1980's) we began holding potlucks and prayer circles feeling that we needed to unite.
We wrote articles and a constitution.
We didnt have much money so we only xeroxed a few copies of it.
Then the trouble started.
Back in the early 1800's, when the nation was fragmented by those who signed to go west, those folks were murdered and harassed for fragmenting the nation.
Now, 150 plus years later, we were being targeted for trying to bring unity.
What a tragic twist.
Our members were threatened, harried and persecuted.
Some of us lost possessions as homes were victims of arson, autos were vandalized.
Some of us lost more as health suffered from the attacks and some passed on to the west much earlier than it seemed they should have.
over and over again, we lost the documents of our meetings and plans to theft, fire, and "disaster".
The problems were so severe at times we took a break to pray and consider if this was what Creator really wanted.
We found no indication that Creator opposed unity.
and so despite what was lost, we worked diligently recreating them from notebooks and memory.
Everyone involved made copies of their copies that remained of the prior constitutions and our meeting notes and those were given to me. I copy from these notes, they all read them and I mark off as i go through them when they are added into their appropriate place and it is approved by those who were there to remember what was done.
today, we have compiled enough to begin again.
It takes courage to post these.
I have personally been the victim of hate mail and email attacks.
I am a real Cherokee person. I am an elder.
However, I have, along with many of our still living "Charter" members, gone "underground", obscuring my identity, not revealing personal details that would allow myself to be tracked down, moving in with and staying with other family instead of in my own (rebuilt) home after it was torched.
We stopped posting and advertising the addresses of our community chapter offices for safety concerns.
When we are able, we will repost those.
We kept our membership rolls private for those same reasons.
Are we hiding? Some might say yes. We are being cautious, as our ancestors surely had to also be, but we are not ashamed of who we are- and neither were our ancestors ashamed of their blood!
It is now time to bring our organization back in to light again. We will suffer for this.
If you decide to unite with us in this group, know that you are welcome here and you have every right to proudly announce (yes, even publicly) that you are a member by descent of the Constitutional Cherokee.
But consider carefully before joining!
There are many who oppose the uniting of the Cherokee people.
Not all of them are white folks, but all of them have dark hearts.
