IDENTIFYING AS NATIVE AMERICAN: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A MEMBER OF THE NORTHERN CHEROKEE NATION?
CLINTON, Mo.—Chief Grey Elk of the Northern Cherokee Nation has embraced his family lore since he was a young boy.
“I was taken to school and I was taught every plant out here that is good to eat. I was taught every way to harvest any animal there is—and the ceremonies connected to it,” Grey Elk said.
He references his grandmother as someone who played a pivotal role in teaching him the traditions and values of his people. Today, he is the chief of the Northern Cherokee Nation, based out of Clinton, Missouri.
Yet despite Grey Elk and his tribe’s claims of their Native American ancestry, experts and members of federally recognized tribes are skeptical of the Northern Cherokee Nation’s legitimacy, mainly due to their lack of federal recognition. However, the tribe is still fighting for federal acknowledgement—a passionate cause they are actively pursuing, despite the hurdles the tribe has faced.
The skepticism of the tribe’s legitimacy
According to Grey Elk, individuals submit the following to be admitted to the tribe: a five generation chart of their family, copies of birth certificates, death certificates, census records and family stories.
In terms of the tribe’s historical background, the Northern Cherokee Nation’s website says that most of the tribe’s descendants are Cherokees who did not emigrate into Oklahoma following the Indian Removal Act of 1830, where Native Americans were forced to relocate to unsettled lands west of the Mississippi.
Some experts are unable to confirm the historical accuracy of the Northern Cherokee Nation’s past.
Greg Olson, an independent scholar, author and former curator of exhibits and special projects in the Missouri State Archives, was hesitant to declare whether or not the Northern Cherokee Nation’s historical information was accurate.
He did say, however, that there could be a possibility that the tribe’s claims are true.
“I think especially the Cherokees, because they were such a huge tribe, they really got scattered into little different groups … [and] lost their cultural identity, lost connection with the rest of the Cherokee,” Olson said. “So I don't know, I can't specifically say that yes or no, that they have a right to that. But, I can see how it would happen.”
Some members of other tribes say, however, that the Northern Cherokee Nation is illegitimate.
Missouri Rep. Rocky Miller, R-Lake Ozark, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, voiced his opinion on Grey Elk and his tribe in The Missourian in February 2018.
Miller spoke out against Grey Elk in reference to a draft bill prohibiting non-federally recognized American Indian tribes from passing off and selling their arts and crafts as authentic American Indian work. The bill is currently in the Administrative Oversight Committee in the Missouri House of Representatives.
“He’s basically a fraud, and he’s stealing my family’s heritage, and the people who join him are doing the same,” Miller said.
Other members of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma refused to comment altogether on the Northern Cherokee Nation’s legitimacy.
The Northern Cherokee Nation’s fight for recognition
Currently, the tribe is not federally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs; instead, it’s recognized by the state as a non-profit organization.
According to the tribe’s website, the group filed “Letters of Intent” to petition the federal government for recognition in 1985 and 1991 under a different chief. However, new legislation in 2015 established additional requirements, turning their previous petition void, according to Grey Elk. They were required to produce more qualifying information in order for their petition to be valid.
Among the new requirements, the tribe must prove that the organization has been identified as an American Indian entity since 1900 and provide an official membership list of all current members of the group.
Grey Elk has sifted through dozens of books, Indian rolls and other sources to meet these new requirements. He has traveled to places such as Phoenix, Washington D.C. and even Seville, Spain to find the proper documentation needed for federal recognition. Grey Elk says his process of compiling information could take at least two more years, however, before they can petition again to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Expenses and manpower are two of the main hurdles the tribe is facing during its fight for recognition.
An excerpt from a letter from the Chief on the tribe’s website reads: “... Just think of the return on your money if you invest just one ‘Big Mac’ meal a month in your nation. Go large and super size, make it $20. If you can't afford that, your probably done for anyway ... Get excited and get involved ... Your grandchildren will praise your memory. Your elders will smile when they meet you.”
The tribe embraces modern technology to support its recognition process. PayPal is on their website and a GoFundMe account is on the group’s Facebook page. Grey Elk is hoping the donations can defray some of the expenses related to the administrative costs of collecting evidence.
Why is federal recognition so important to the Northern Cherokee Nation? It could provide the tribe with a number of benefits. For one, It would allow the tribe to operate as a “sovereign nation,” which would allow the tribe to work on a government-to-government basis with the U.S. government.
Federal recognition would also bring a sense of belonging to the Native American community—something that the tribe has long been struggling to achieve, according to Grey Elk.
Putting the tribe’s challenges of gaining federal recognition aside, Grey Elk continues to practice the same traditions he grew up learning; he enjoys sharing them with his fellow tribe members.
Tribe members participate in annual events, such as powwows, and convene over regular social gatherings; they say they enjoy being a part of something larger than themselves—federally recognized, or not.
“I have my immediate family and all of that,” tribe member David “Flying with Eagles” Bevett said. “This is different. We have found these folks here to be exactly like family. I have not seen an insincere face … I love being a part of this nation.”
Grey Elk believes it is their right to practice these traditions.
“Being Cherokee, to me, is everything,” Grey Elk said. “I cannot envision being anything else.”