During Budget Council on Feb. 1, Tribal Council engaged in a discussion of banishment law. They talked about how hard it would be to banish a tribal member because, in our Cherokee Code, it has been made clear that any tribal member permanently banished by Tribal Council will also be disenrolled. Some have stated that they “just couldn’t bring themselves to remove someone from membership in the Tribe.”

Cultural appropriation. From the tomahawk chop to the Jeep Cherokee to car dealership, cigar shop style Indian statues towering over a heavily trafficked road, it is interwoven into American society. Some Indigenous members of our communities are outspoken and repulsed by it. Others just chuckle and say that it is part of living for Natives in America.

First, I wish to thank Mr. Robert Jumper for his article and sharing his memories and perspective of the commodity program. As the manager of the Tribal Food Distribution (Commodity) Program, I would like to respond to his article.