Hi Lucas, Well said! Thank you for putting things into order for all of us. I for one want to learn and can not asorb it fast enough. I made plenty of mistakes but that comes with learning. I have had a life time of being white and still make mistakes. Sometimes the mistakes I make is because I do not know enough about being Choctaw to know what to ask. I have to understand at least some of the basics before I can ask questions and get answers on any subject be it white or indian. Thanks again, Ellen ----- Original Message ----- From: "Graywolf" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2000 7:36 AM Subject: Re: [CHAHTA] Blood Quantum, or Card Carrying > I have been watching all of the postings about "card carrying Indians" and > am deeply concerened that some feelings have been hurt. > > I write occasional pieces for Bishinik, our tribal newspaper and frequently > get requests from people who are trying to get their cards. So many times > it just isn't possible for one reason or another. Within my own family, > because my father's people chose to leave the trail of tears and come to > Texas (and thus were not signers of the Dawes Treaty) I have a brother who > cannot get his tribal card; yet I have one because my mother's people were > signers to the treaty. That doesn't make him any less Indian than I am. > > Nevertheless, as has been pointed out, the card system was necessary because > of every nut who came along claiming to be "heap big chief Indian" and > wanted tribal benefits. And the new agers cashing in on Indian crafts and > medicine have been an abomination to us all. I teach classes in comparative > religion ... specifically "Native American Spirituality and Catholic > Christianity." And, although I am a registered member of the Choctaw Nation > of Oklahoma, I still get threatening phone calls and letters from other > tribal members who think I am a "wannabe" Indian cashing in on the tribe. > Those of you who do not have cards need to understand the history of the > tribal registry program in order to understand the on-going animosity to the > wannabes. > > On the other hand, we card holders need to understand that the U.S. Army > destroyed exactly one half of the tribal rolls of the Mississippi band > because they didn't want to feed them. Also, not all Choctaws signed the > Dawes Treaty. Hundreds asked permission to immigrate to Mexico instead. > They were denied permission by the Mexican government and most of those > families did not get on the Oklahoma rolls; but they are still very much > Indians, some full-blooded. Add to that number the hundreds who disappeared > into the brush rather than be dragged off to Oklahoma, who settled in > Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas. My father's father often said that any > Indian who settled in Oklahoma was a "camp-around-the-fort-Indian" and that > the true 'braves' resisted resettlement to government lands. > > Somewhere in all this there needs to be a great deal of compassion for all > sides. Those people without any hope of getting their cards may still attend > pow-wows and keep company with the rest of the Native Americans. I know a > nahollo who has no Indian blood at all; but he was so kind and gentle that > the Indians at the pow-wows took him in as one of their own and he was > ultimately adopted by one of the spirit leaders of the Comanche Indian > Nation. Ont he other hand, he NEVER attempted to benefit financially from > this association in any way and he never told anyone he was an Indian. > > If you don't have the card yet, don't give up hope. Keep tracing your > ancestry. Use the census records and don't forget that the Native Americans > were listed on different cards placed at the end of the local rolls so they > may not show up on the regular records. (Soundex should locate them, > however.) And I would hope that we card holders can show some compassion > here in dealing with the others. > > God's blessings. > > Lucas Graywolf > > > ==== CHAHTA Mailing List ==== > To Unsubscribe: > Send msg. to [email protected] > Put "one" word in "body" of message:... "unsubscribe" without the quotes > Nothing in the subject line... Turn off signatures....... > >