Cherokee blood isn't necessary

More on Cherokee debateArguing against the freedmen for cultural preservation concerns me most, because this implies that those citizens who have one drop of blood (or a fraction thereof) are instilled with Cherokee culture, while the freedmen are not. If one understands the social dynamic of the modern Cherokee Nation, one will see this is not the case. Our nation is diverse, with most of the citizenry being culturally Anglo. The nation has approximately 280,000 citizens; 60 percent live outside of the jurisdictional boundaries, in other states and 90 percent of tribal citizens have a blood quantum under one-quarter with the lowest blood quantum at 1/9,064ths. Enrollment has grown exponentially since the 1980s through the tribe's many citizen recruitment fairs where the enrollment department travels around the country and signs up new Cherokee citizens. The nation then teaches culture and language classes, which is the depth of many citizens' cultural experience. During the first eight years of the current administration, full-blooded whites whose descendants bought their way onto the "by blood" roll were allowed to enroll, yet there were no cries of "cultural preservation" until the freedmen won their case in Cherokee court.

The Cherokee ancient religion is still practiced by a minority of citizens in Oklahoma within the Kituwvh (Keetoowah) nighthawk societies throughout northeastern Oklahoma. It is these societies, which operate outside of the political machinations of the nation, that most people would recognize as "traditional culture." The societies are intermixed with Cherokees from the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band, with many other full-bloods also practicing Christianity.