By ROBERT JUMPER
Tutiyi (Snowbird) and Clyde, N.C.
“It is very important to get out and educate for this upcoming election. We need to take a serious look at all candidates. Take the “D’s” (Democrat) and “R’s” (Republican) off the candidates. We must pick the person who best represents the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). Not only EBCI but Indigenous people across the United States. We’ve got friends on both sides of the aisle. The Eastern Band is going to help the people who help us. We need to make that clear. The people who are running for seats in Raleigh. What these state groups are hanging their hats on is their state recognition that was received illegally or, at the least, unjustly. The Constitution of the United States provides that Congress is the only body that can give anyone recognition. We need to take these elections as seriously as we do our local elections here.”
- Bill Taylor, former Dinilawigi (Tribal Council Chairman) and current EBCI Governmental Affairs Liaison
Taylor presented his remarks at a recent Reports to Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) session. While it was unplanned, there was a glaring example of what Taylor was passing on to the community at that session. This candidate was asked about his position on state-recognized tribes. Please keep in mind that this particular candidate is standing before Dinilagwigi and the community via Channel 28 and Internet live streaming) to promote himself as the best choice to further the causes of the Eastern Band but ended his introduction with “I am eager to learn more about the Eastern Band of Cherokee. This is my first introduction to you.”
I, at first, thought he meant only that he hadn’t been “face-to-face” with us before. Also, keep in mind that we are less than 100 days from the America-wide general election.
Elawodi (Yellowhill) Representative Tom Wahnetah asked, “How much do you know about the Eastern Band?”
The candidate’s response, “What I understand is ‘dependent sovereign’.”
He thought that unspecified governments look upon the EBCI as more “dependent than sovereign”. And that there is, in his words, a “desire to be more sovereign”. He spoke about the “symbolism of Cherokee” built into local governmental buildings. And, having exhausted his knowledge of our tribe at that point, he stated, “I have to say I have a lot more to learn.” Indeed.
Rep. Wahnetah followed up. “What is your feeling on state-recognized tribes?”
The candidate, “I think state-recognized tribes as a sovereign entity. I think the entity should be sovereign and be able to go forward to the state and say this is what we are looking for. This is what we need your support to help with and expect that.”
Council Wahnetah replied, “We’re actually fighting against state-recognized because they are not federally recognized. There are only 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States. And all these state-recognized tribes try to steal our sovereignty. They try to use our culture. Everything that real tribes should be getting, their getting eaten up by these state-recognized groups that claim to be Indians, but they aren’t.”
Kolanvyi (Big Cove) Representative Perry Shell commented, “I think it would behoove you to learn more about our tribe, our culture, our position. I hope that you will learn more about that. I like your positions on a lot of issues, but I hope that you learn what our positions are, our relationships, our authority, what we have been empowered with to rule our people, and how that relates to other sovereigns.”
We must look at elections like they are critical to our future because that is the fact of the matter. Just a simple personal observation, but I do not want my representative to begin his representation of me by saying I need to do a lot of “on-the-job” training as they kick off their term. Looking at other critical need positions, would you feel comfortable with a surgeon doing a procedure on you saying, “I don’t know you or your condition very well, but I intend to learn as we get deeper into your surgery. I have a lot to learn.” I don’t know about you, but if I heard that, I wouldn’t be able to get away from that surgeon fast enough to look for another doctor.
Similarly, I would not like to be represented in court by a lawyer who said to me, “I really haven’t had time to review the facts of your case and, truthfully your situation is not my main focus right now, but let’s get before the jury and do the best we can.”
When you are standing before a sovereign nation’s tribal leaders and the community, it is not the time to learn.
I also have concerns when anyone tells me that they don’t know much about me and what I stand for, but they will follow my guidance and support me all the way. If they don’t know much about me, how does this person know that they can stand behind who I am and what I say? Are they going to walk away from their personal beliefs and those of their party when mine don’t line up with theirs? I think not.
We have seen time after time with the Catawba issue, the Lumbee issue, and the cannabis issue, among others, how true and important Bill Taylor’s words are. Tribal support and voting should hinge on whether a candidate or party has taken the time to learn who we are, what our positions are, and what their commitment to support really is. We are not ignorant or savages. We are a people who have survived and thrived in the face of some steep odds. We are a strong people who have adapted and overcome. We persist. We are an intelligent people who value honesty and integrity. We are more than symbols. Taylor said we must vote on Cherokee values and support the values of all Indigenous people. Sounds like common sense for people in Indian Country, right?
We will live with the leadership we allow to be elected, be it tribal elections, national elections, state elections, or municipal. Pay attention to those who court your vote. Learn about them or you will be at their mercy at the polls. Go beyond their rhetoric. Find out what they really stand for. As Taylor inferred, go beyond the D or the R beside their names. Candidates need to know their audience and their voter pool. They need to be able to express a genuine affinity to those they are seeking support from. And they need to be honest about the things they can support and those they cannot.
Let’s be as serious about selecting our governance as we are about our health and our finances. You want someone who demonstrates that they know what they are doing. You want to know that they have thoroughly looked at your situation and position and can expertly recommend and deliver the best options for you. These candidates will be vying for 2, 4, and 6-year elected seats, but the impact of your decision to put them there will last far into our future.
You may access the full video of the Reports to Council session (July 31, 2024) at the EBCI Communications and Cherokee One Feather Facebook pages. The quotes in this commentary are not in context, so I encourage you to view the exchange in its entirety.
