By ROBERT JUMPER
One Feather Editor
When I first heard members of the community discussing their desire to have their own vehicular license plate, I thought they were talking about a tribal tag like many other federally recognized tribes now produce and regulate.
Back in 2018, after negotiating with the state for it, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians was granted a “specialty” plate. Some refer to them as “vanity” plates. That put us right up there with watermelons, shag dancing, and NASCAR Race fans, which each have their own specialty North Carolina plate. We, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, in the alphabetical listing of 200 options available, are nestled nicely between “East Carolina University” and “Elizabeth City State University”.
And what the state giveth, it can taketh away. Just ask the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). Their long-held specialty tag featured the Confederate battle flag and was deemed inappropriate by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) in 2021. The NCDOT sent the organization a letter saying it would “no longer issue or renew specialty license plates bearing the Confederate battle flag or any variation of that flag” since the plates “have the potential to offend those who view them”.
Now, I am not saying whether the NCDOT was right or wrong in its determination. I am just making the point that it didn’t matter about the status of the SCV. When the NCDOT decided it was time for their specialty tag to go, it went. But they would never do that to a sovereign federally recognized tribal nation, right?
One of the itchy-twitchy issues with federally recognized tribes participating in state licensing programs is where the monies are going. Many tribes have opted to exercise their sovereignty through the creation of their vehicle licensing programs, including the Cherokee Nation.
According to a spokesperson for the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles, “All DMV fees are established by (state) statute, and all vehicle property taxes are assessed by local county tax offices. Money that is collected from vehicle registration fees goes to the North Carolina Highway Trust Fund and the state’s General Fund. That money is then used to improve roads in North Carolina.”
So, whether in Big Cove or Pembroke, the money that tribal members pay into the NCDOT is used to primarily maintain roads in the whole of the state. And even though there is no additional cost to EBCI members for the option of the tribal specialty tag, regular fees do apply, and Cherokee dollars still go into the general fund for the state.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it was a noble effort by our leadership to get a tribal license plate on the books and those who achieved it did so with the best intentions. But when I heard the clamor for a tribal tag from the Cherokee community, I was pretty sure I heard it saying something more than a vanity plate. Having the tribal seal on a North Carolina license plate is very cool, but it doesn’t scream “sovereignty!” in my opinion.
In a 1990 article in the Washington Post, columnist Susan Stanich noted, “A patchwork of Native American color is appearing on the nation’s highways, as state vehicle license plates make way for tribal counterparts emblazoned with eagles, shields, horses, and symbolic thunderbirds.
“Since the Red Lake Chippewas issued the first tribal plate in 1974 and were upheld by the Minnesota Supreme Court, more than a dozen Native American tribes have followed suit, most in the last three years.
“They regulate registration, design, and issue plates and seek reciprocity agreements with states. Where a state’s name normally appears on the standard 7-by-12-inch plates are tribal names such as Menominee, Absentee Shawnee, Kiowa, and Turtle Mountain.
“Most of the nation’s tribes may well have such plates within the next decade, and this prompts strong resistance by some states and delight among license plate collectors. ‘They are really in demand,’ said Milton Hill, a collector here. ‘People from as far away as Australia write, asking me to assist in making swaps-country plate for tribal plate.’ European aficionados regularly order collector plates from the Devil’s Lake Sioux tribe, according to tribal registrar Maxine Foss.
“The greater value of tribal plates, however, is that they are a public declaration and practical exercise of tribal government sovereignty, said Roger Jourdain, former Red Lake tribal chairman who developed the license-plate idea in the 1950s.
“Red Lake residents, he said, were spared the higher cost of the state plate and the 6 percent state sales tax for transferring titles, and the tribe, not the state, received the registration fee.”
Tribes that go for a true tribal tag surely face a bumpy road when it comes to states recognizing because of the necessity of getting one sovereign entity to provide reciprocation or recognition of another. “In South Dakota, for example, Oglala Sioux who drove off the reservation with only tribal plates were likely to be arrested, said Gerald Big Crow, a tribal councilor. So, members display state and tribal plates, he said. ‘South Dakota doesn’t want to recognize us. They think of us as nobodies. They treat us like kids.’ At the same time, South Dakota was honoring tribal plates from other areas, where state-tribal reciprocity agreements were in place.”
Our tribe has been and will likely continue to disagree with those who wish to appropriate Native culture and tradition, whether that is through the misuse of our images, language, and heritage, or the degradation of our tribal identity and sovereignty from groups and clubs who claim indigenous heritage who are not.
In 2013, Principal Chief Michell Hicks spoke at the UNC-Asheville new Native American Speaker series. “(Protection of the tribe’s sovereignty) whether it’s our court system, dealing with taxation issues, or simply educating on why we’re still sovereign (is a perpetual pursuit). There’s a battle every day, if you will, related to protecting who we are as a sovereign nation. We’re in a protection mode all the time.”
In a commentary last month, Principal Chief Hicks reminded us of the tribe’s position. “As keepers of our traditions and sovereignty, we vehemently oppose any attempts to exploit or appropriate the rich cultural legacy of Cherokee people. Our identity is deeply rooted in our history and connection to our land. Yet, despite our resilience, we face persistent challenges from individuals and groups who seek to exploit our culture and history for their own ends. This is not about defending ourselves; it’s about defending what is right. It is imperative to recognize that the protection of Cherokee land and identity is not a trend. It is a sacred part of who we are as a people. Falsely claiming Cherokee and other Indian identity and culture not only dishonors our ancestors but also perpetuates harmful stereotypes and erases the lived experiences of genuine Native communities.”
If the North Carolina EBCI specialty plate was a stepping-stone to move the tribe to the ultimate goal of developing and implementing a truly autonomous sovereign vehicle licensing system, then it should be celebrated and fully leveraged. If it was just to appease the masses who were clamoring for a tribal plate, then shame on us, for we participated in the degradation of our own sovereignty. After all, it has been roughly six years since the granting of that vanity plate. For now, it is comforting to know that we are right up there with the watermelons and shag dancing.
