By ANN TOINEETA
One Feather Intern
CHEROKEE, N.C. – Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) discussed Ord. No. 184 (26), which seeks to amend Cherokee Code Section 19-15 and Section 19-16 on caging Black bears at the Dinilawigi meeting on Thursday, June 4.
The ordinance, which was submitted by Mary Crowe, an elder of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) from Elawodi (Yellowhill), seeks to prohibit the caging and holding captive of Black bears on Tribal Lands.
The proposed addition of subsection (c) to Section 19-15 reads, “Any person or business within the territorial jurisdiction of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who shall cage or hold in captivity any bear for the purpose of exhibiting the bear to the public shall be guilty of a crime punishable by imprisonment of up to one year or a fine not to exceed $5,000 or both.”
When the item was brought up, Crowe spoke on how the current legislation that allows the caging of Black bears is a result of forced assimilation.
“We were forced to think and act and have the same attitudes as unega (white people),” she said. “When we translate this stuff, we talk about these laws that you’re doing right now, they’re unega laws compared to our traditional Cherokee laws.”
She explained that the conditions these animals are kept in in will affect how people view us and used Santa’s Land as an example.
“We’ve known Santa’s Land’s been up there forever and a day,” she said. “But how long does it stay open? When was the last time you went to Santa’s Land? And what did you feel and see there? Nothing’s done to make it look any better. Nothing’s done to really promote it or anything like that, right?”
Crowe also commented on the importance of bears to the Cherokee people and said we must remember that this land is their natural habitat.
“When we look at those things, you know, it’s just being number one, not just consciously aware, but number two, holding on to who we are truly as Aniyvwiya (The Principal People),” she said.
Dinilawigi decided to table the ordinance and schedule a work session, which Crowe was open to.
