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First link is to a site that has many articles discussing some people’s appeals to the Catawba tribe in SC’s denial of enrollements.
http://www.catawba-people.com/
Look at the bottom of that page for where it talks about “appeals” then click on that.
Next we have a really good history of the Catawba tribe.
I ran across this while I was looking up stuff on “old fields”….I’m trying to find out exactly what indian Old fields school drury dobbins went to…
But yea…interesting stuff on them two sites, I’ve actually already discussed my displeasure with the Catawba’s enrollment process before with their Chief.
I’m not sure what it’s about..but on that one website link..it has info on some FBI seizure of the Catawba nation’s paper work and stuff…. like for mis used funds or something I don’t know….
I’m pretty disgusted with all the tribes enrollment processes. I used to believe that it was the federal government that was holding us all back with the whole blood quantum issue, but its not. At one time it used to be, but the practice of blood quantum and some of the other messed up crap some of these tribes have in their constitutions are the biggest impediments. I’ve come to believe that the only things federally or state recognized tribes want is to hord federal funds for their exclusive use in their personal family. That isn’t a tribe and it sure isn’t looking out for the People. Looks like modern tribal sovereignty is a joke and used to hurt Indians, bolster one persons personal agenda, and make everyones life a misery. Mismanaged funds, hmm, sounds familiar.
The whole process and way of thinking when it comes to tribalism, recognition, and the maintenance of a tribe is very far fetched in modern times. I completely disagree with whole game, because it is just that a game. People playing games with the heritage and lives of thousands of Indians and the survival of our people. These leaders just don’t get it, that they are doing more harm than good. If the power of sovereignty was given to tribes to decide their own enrollment criteria then way are they all still using blood-quantums and localized community standards? Why are they not instead using genealogy and surrounding supporting material as their basis for enrollments.
The reason is greed. Well that money pot will eventually run out and those playing the underhanded games of exclusivity and nepotism will reap what they have sown. These unscrupulous lazy leaders and councils may not be accountable to their relations far and wide, but eventually the governments’ oversite committees will begin to turn to all the fraud and abuse. I intend to pick my battle here on this topic and send out one letter a month to these federal committees until someone takes care of the problem. I maybe one voice but by God its going to shout out as loud as I can make it. I already started by send a long draft letter to the Senate Acknowledgment Committee. I’ll post my letter at the other thread that I started on the subject.
Its not enough to be contented with the state of affairs and let things ride out. No, things have to change and nobody should be getting any piece of the pie when many others are left out.
You know….the Catawba tribe of SC (only catawba tribe I have found…and it is federal) is using a 1760 treaty to get their federal recognition. that treaty gave 15 miles of land. by 1820 not only was only 1 mile of land left but also the surveyer stated that most of the tribe was not found in the tribal area. You’ll find the same families that was listed before 1820 as catawba living in other states……there even some “indians” found in other states that was recorded as being “catawba indians migrated out of SC”.
The Catawba showed in their federal recognition that the federal government stated that the law says they could not have sold their land to anyone but the federal government……so this gave them their current land.
The treaty in 1760 that gave them their land of today stated it was for the tribal members of 1760 and their descendants….it never even stated a blood ammount. Well today the Catawba tribe took only a very small amount of the members…maybe 15 percent of the full tribe…made a roll with it and then said…anyone not on this list can not be part of our tribe or be part of the land ownership. So basically I see it as their current tribe is what I see as thiefs……because the land they are on is all of the Catawba descendant’s land. Seems like a bunch of the descendants could get together and sue the crap out of them for what is our land….I think the descendants thats not allowed to be part of the tribe would have more rights to that land since there is more of us than there is of them…..personally I see it as this…if you have a tribe and 85 percent of them move out of the area then that means the tribe itself moved.
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