Cowan's 'Indian wars'First, I’ll go to the question of my Indian-ness; then it’s only fair I touch on Cara’s Indian-ness, and a bunch of people’s Indian-ness. On my dad’s side, I’ve got a good bit of Kentucky Cherokee blood, also some German and hillbilly. I never refer to myself as an Indian. I have never said I was a member of any tribe. But I will never, no matter how vicious their attacks, deny my ancestry. I’ve met very few folks who are actually “Indians.” A card doesn’t make you Indian.
“Kowan’s Kulture Komittee” removed all my artwork and books from both the Cherokee Nation Heritage Center and the little CN gift shop because I do not have a federal tribal membership card. In her little world, I have become a persona non gratis (even though I’ve been painting the Cherokees for 40 years), just as the new law mandates (passed by Chad’s hand-picked council).And:
Cowan, the keeper of Chad’s most recent sacred fire of racial purity, is a scant 1/256ths Cherokee on her CDIB card. Only in the wacky world of CN does she receive all those tribal benefits, plus a $50,000-per-year salary, plus mileage and expenses, and Cowan, 1/256 Cherokee, attacks me from the impenetrable position of tribal sovereignty.
There are thousands of CN tribal members with such laughable, minimal blood quanta, some as low as 1/2048. “White” Indians is what they are most often referred to throughout Cherokee history. You’d never guess they were Indians if they didn’t have that card. In the United Keetoowah Band, a person must be at least one-quarter Indian to be a member. The Keetoowahs bear the most attacks from the Cherokee Nation and its Southern White Indian Supremacist leadership. But the UKB’s membership is growing as more actual Cherokees switch, leaving the CN’s DNA spread even thinner.Comment: Perhaps Americans should invent a category similar to the Canadian
Métis. Then people like this writer could call themselves something more accurate and less prejudicial than "white Indian" or "half-breed."
Writerfella here --
ReplyDeleteAs a 3/4 Kiowan by birth and by blood (1/4 Wichita), writerfella knows from where that person is speaking. Yes, a card DOES NOT make one Native American. Rob, who is ALL EuroMan, does not understand that 'legal' language does not make one Native, either. Rather, it is your own family history that allows you to know who you are. Natives alive today are descended from survivor groups and thus had to know their own heritages in order to prevent too close familial relations. So, either you know, or you don't. Period...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
It doesn't take Indian blood or history to understand the federal recognition process. Or the tribes' own rules and regulations for enrolling members. You've proved you don't understand these things even with your Indian heritage.
ReplyDeleteIf a tribe adopts rules declaring whom it accepts as a member--as every tribe has done--then yes, "legal language" is one thing that determines who's an Indian. That's the point you don't understand. Despite the fact that I've explained it to you repeatedly.
Let me reiterate this so it has a chance to sink in: We're talking about the language adopted by groups of Indians (tribes) themselves. That includes the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma. Are you too dense to realize your own tribe has exactly the kind of language we're talking about? That you're officially a Kiowa Indian only because of that language?
By the way, what happened to the "racial genetic memory" or "awareness granted by heredity" you said all Indians have? Now it's merely a "family history" that makes someone an Indian? I guess you forgot the standard you dreamed up before. Oops.
John Herrington is descended from a survivor group and has a family history of belonging to a tribe. He knows he's an Indian even if you don't. Thus, by your latest made-up standard, he is an Indian. Or didn't you think through your claim before you made it?
P.S. For more on the subject, see Educating Russ About Who's an Indian.
Writerfella here --
ReplyDeleteWow, apparently Rob believes that the US Congress can legislate behavior and even reality. Why, they could pass a law tomorrow outlawing war and everyone would have to drop their weapons! What egoists are EuroMen...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
What an egotist you are, you mean. As you've told us repeatedly, you know better than 560-plus tribes who's an Indian.
ReplyDeleteApparently your overwhelming arrogance trumps the rules of every tribe, even your own. Regardless of whom the Kiowa or any other tribe says is an Indian, you know better.
Writerfella here --
ReplyDeleteNo, uh-uh, sorry. writerfella said that NATIVES know who is Native and NOT EuroMan! Period. Put THAT in your offshore bank accounts and see what it earns you...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
POSTSCRIPTUM: Ahem, IRS, are ya listenin'?
As I've told you repeatedly, Natives know that the Pequots, Chickasaws, and other such tribes are Indians. As you've told us repeatedly, you know better than the Natives who know the Pequots, Chickasaws, and other such tribes are Indians. Therefore, you're the only egotist here.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, you didn't address my point about the Kiowa Tribe accepting members according to legal language, not according to whom they "know" to be Indians. Presumably that's because you couldn't address the point. Either that or you didn't understand it--I don't know which.