CHEROKEE GADUGI
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREAMBLE
FOREWARD
All adults assisting or teaching anyone under the age of 21 years old will need to comply with a federal background test at their own expense, for working with children. No adult shall ever be alone with children at any time and an assistant must always be present when working with youth.
GADUGI
GADUGI AUXILIARY CONSTITUTION
FORE WORD:
A committee is to be appointed by the incorporated and organized state chapters to review this constitution, to make necessary corrections, and to submit it for ratification to the National Assembly.
This constitution and bylaw is to be in agreement with the Handbook of the Constitution and By Laws of the Constitutional Cherokee.
The Gadugi is an organization of Cherokee people that is designed to meet the needs of the Cherokee people and of their neighbors living with in the boundaries of the historic homeland.
PREAMBLE
The Gadugi facilitates and mediates spiritual, intellectual, human, social and financial resources to enhance and support the people of the Constitutional Cherokee, to respond to natural disasters, reduce poverty, eradicate disease, enhance access to education and connect individuals to their clan and community.
The Gadugi works in partnership with our Creator and Cherokee people everywhere, from all walks of life, to meet the needs of the members of the Constitutional Cherokee and of our neighbors who are found living within the boundaries of the historical homeland.
The Gadugi will endeavor to create awareness, develop resources and build capacity within its network of donors and resources.
HISTORY
Ga-du-gi ᎦᏚᎩ means "working together" in a community sense. Historically, the word meant working together towards a common goal which would benefit all of the Cherokee, such as working together to build a community council house, Gatiyo Grounds, or working together to bring in the harvest or to fill the community storehouse.
The storehouse was in the center of every community, village or town. The storehouse was an important part of village life. It was used to make sure that no one was in need.
Every Village and town had a storehouse where the citizens would bring their surplus food, clothing, baskets, tools, weapons, medicines and anything else they had more than one thing of and it would remain in the storehouse to be taken out by anyone who had need of it.
It was a sign of great honor to leave items in the storehouse without taking anything out and people vied to see who could bring the most into it to leave there. Artists and crafts people were often the most giving of items and they often left a design on the things they made in such a way that it others knew who made the item (such as the pattern of a woven basket, the stamp pattern on a clay pot, the dye used on a fabric and so on).
Those who had to take from it were not shamed, but they endeavored to reverse their situation as soon as possible in order to be able to put something in rather than take something out.
Most often, those who did need to withdraw something would also bring an item with them to leave so that they were not just taking from it. A woven basket left in place of a clay pot, a large bag of sassafras root in place of a blanket, honey in exchange for corn, newly made arrows in place of a tool and so on. Gardeners who found themselves with too many potatoes might exchange that for corn if they were low on that. Firewood was piled neatly at the sides of the Storehouse also.
In times of war, everyone in the village could usually arm themselves from the storehouse.
Another interesting aspect was that you did not take an item from the Storehouse to give as a gift to another not even if you left something in its place. The only known exception to this was a clan mother could remove something and take to her clan members who were too ill or unable to go retrieve a needed item for themselves.
It was taboo to take anything out that you did not really need.
Children and elders were encouraged to use the storehouse for food and clothing whenever needed.
The storehouse was kept clean by volunteers in the community and the leaders of the community who made certain that items were distributed before they spoiled (in the case of food) or if something was there a long time or there was plenty of it, these items were sometimes given as trade items to other villages and towns and even other tribes in exchange for things the village might need and not have.
Today, the Gadugi has additional responsibilities as providing fuel for cooking and heating, cleaning yards, digging wells, installing water lines, scholarships for the education of Cherokee people, providing job training, providing shelter for the elderly and the homeless, repairing homes, winter home maintenance for low income and elderly, spring cleanups, garden plowing, medicines and hospital bills, car repairs and providing transportation, planning emergency response and dealing with disasters and meeting the needs of the people in the community.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LOCAL
STATE
NATIONAL
CLAN GADUGI- COMMUNITY CHAPTER GADUGI
PURPOSE:
NAME:
is to reflect the clan, community or state chapter of the group with which it is affiliated and must include “......Gadugi of the Constitutional Cherokee”
(Examples of how some of these names may look:
National: “National Gadugi of the Constitutional Cherokee”
State: “Tanasi Gadugi of the Constitutional Cherokee”
Community: “Red Clay Community Gadugi of the Constitutional Cherokee” a
Clan: “Anitsisqua {Bird Clan}Gadugi of the Red Clay Community Chapter of the Constitutional Cherokee” )
MEMBERSHIP:
Only enrolled members may hold office. However, any person who is an enrolled member of the Constitutional Cherokee or on the roll of Prospective members may work in the Gadugi and donate to it. Additionally, donations from outside the community may be accepted with the approval of the Community Council or the Council of Clan mothers.
UN-enrolled non Cherokee neighbors who live in the historic homeland may be assisted by the clan gadugi if unanimous approval to do so is obtained from each of the 7 clan mothers and also from the principal clan mother in writing prior to the proffering of assistance.
Each clan at the community level is to operate a Gadugi. Gadugi means that all in the clan will work together to get the job done.
The Gadugi will be responsible for the storehouse. Each Gadugi will be under the supervision of the Clan mother and the principal clan mother. Clans may exchange surplus in their storehouse for that of another clan’s surplus. All trades are to be approved in writing by the clan mothers whose clans are involved in the trade and the principal clan mother prior to the exchange.
ORGANIZATION:
The Gadugi is to be incorporated as a non profit organization under the Constitution and Bylaws of the Handbook of the Constitutional Cherokee.
Each Community will have a Community Gadugi where the clan Gadugi makes its report their activities. The Community Council will have oversight of the Clan Gadugi.
The state chapter will have oversight over the Community Chapters.
Each State Chapter is to have a State Gadugi.
The National Chapter of Gadugi is responsible for oversight of the financial disbursements of all levels of the gadugi.
FUNDRAISING AND DONATIONS:
Fundraising that is in agreement with any applicable laws is allowed.
All funds are to be accounted for to the treasurer of the local community where it is raised.
An annual audit of all financial records is to be performed at local and state levels, and an audit every 7 years prior to the national assembly for the national level.
Anonymous donations are acceptable.
Donors who need a receipt:
Donations are to be handled in accord with current IRS regulations.
At present, every such donor is to be given a receipt that includes our organization’s name, the date, and the amount (in the case of cash) clearly stated.
If it is not cash,
As a general rule a non profit organization should NOT place a value on what is
donated, that is the responsibility of the donor, rather it should have make sure it DOES HAVE a statement of what was donated.
Also, a non profit organization should NEVER state that a contribution IS deductible -- contributions MAY BE deductible, based on the donor's particular tax situation.
If the person receives anything in response to the donation, that too is to be clearly noted with a description and the fair market value of the item that is given.
