Section on Law and Anthropology
Torrance, South Tower/Level 4, San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina
Origins and Solutions to the Indian Freedmen Disputes
In 2006, the Cherokee Nation's electorate voted to amend the Cherokee tribal constitution to change its membership requirements so as to exclude a number of tribal members who are descendents of the Cherokee Freedmen and who have no American Indian blood quantum. This resulted in a firestorm of national controversy and litigation in tribal and federal courts. The dispute is the latest in a long line of recent disputes involving the Cherokee Nation and other tribes with Black Freedmen tribal members, including Seminole, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Creek tribal nations. This panel will offer a broad variety of legal, historical, civil rights, and anthropological assessments of these disputes.
Business Meeting at Program Conclusion.
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