Cherokee Wolf Clan in Tennessee

[William_Graywolf]

Here's another one someone asked me about.  http://www.cherokeewolfclan.org/  Their website.  

Apparently they WERE state recognized, but that recognition has been rescinded.  I found an article about it.  http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section=9&screen=news&news_id=30704

I was told this Chief Joseph Walters 731-986-9166 also known as josephmanycoats of the cherokeewolfclan.org sells indian recognition and membership in a "clan" (was $35, now $100/year) for personal profit.  I'm told he sells "tribal enrollment cards" & "CDIB certificates" to anybody who pays.  

I asked people in my group about frauds they know of and I'm surprised at the response.  Nearly half of the people I know have been taken in at least once by some of the frauds posted on this forum.  

[educatedindian]

Some of what this Joseph Manycoats believes is...interesting.

http://www.cherokeewolfclan.org/readarticle.php?article_id=36
"The New World was settled slowly, by driblets of people crossing from Siberia into Alaska from time to time over a period of fifteen thousand years or more....
The people who came over from Siberia were primitive. The tip of Siberia is an end place, one of those regions occupied by tribes too weak to force their way into more favored lands....
Most of the people crossed over into the New World before any of the inventions or discoveries that changed the story of the Old World had been made."

It's like he never heard a word of Cherokee oral traditions and substituted an archaeology textbook from the 1950s.

If you look at their forum, it's pretty empty, even though they claim over 1000 members.
http://www.cherokeewolfclan.org/forum/

One of their elders wrote a book.
http://www.tsolagiu.com/pages/books.htm

They seem to have started as "Cherokee Wolf Clan Universal Life Church." The ULC is basically an ordination by mail or internet outfit. Send them 20 bucks and you're a "minister."  

A discussion about their claims there was "fraud" when they failed to elect anyone to the TN Indian Comm.
http://disc.server.com/discussion.cgi?disc=199489;article=11290;title=Issues%20Affecting%20American%20Indians%20in%20Tennessee

Found this article:
Hold put on Native American "village" plans
By Clay Carey
Hendersonville Editor
A proposal that would allow a Native American "village" in Sumner County was put on hold by the county commission this week amid concerns that the project could lead to casino gambling here.
A contingency from the Yuma, Tenn.-based Cherokee Wolf Clan asked the county's Legislative Committee Monday night to recognize the clan as a Native American group in Sumner County.
Clan spokesman Pooch Shields told commissioners the recognition would clear the way for the Native American group to develop a "village" featuring a Native American museum, a library, a trade school, a church and offices for administrative personnel.
Shields said the clan would also help needy people construct homes in the village.
"This is the kind of thing the Cherokee Wolf Clan does," Shields told commissioners. He added that the village would not be exclusively for those of Native American descent.
"If a white person or a black person really needs help, we will help them," he said.
Shields said the clan would seek private donations to fund the project. He said the group needs to be recognized by the county in order to do business here.
However, a number of county commissioners at Monday night's meeting expressed concerns that the recognition might also clear the way for the clan to operate a casino in the county.
"This is a pretty conservative county," District 4 Commissioner Anthony Holt told the Cherokee Wolf Clan representative. Holt then asked for Shields' assurance that the group would not use the recognition "as a reason to put casino gambling or something like that" in Sumner County.
Shields said there are currently "no plans on the board" for a casino and noted his clan does not operate a casino.
However, he said he believed the clan's council could vote to open a casino if it so desired and would not rule out that possibility.
"I can't make any promises or decisions," Shields told commissioners. "We have no plans right now for a casino."
Concerns about the possibility of a casino opening and a desire for more information about the clan's proposal prompted the Legislative Committee to defer the group's request for recognition to its February meeting.
"Until I find out with certainty that they could not place a casino here, I can never vote for it," commission chairman and District 7 Commissioner Steve Botts said after the meeting.
Botts added he would be "fine with it" if the county was assured the recognition would not lead to the opening of a casino.
"We need more information," added District 6 Commissioner Kenny Pierpaoli. "The casino doesn't concern me, other than I don't want to make that decision for people."
District 10 Commissioner Jo Skidmore voted against the deferral of the clan's request and said Tuesday morning she supported their proposal.
"I think we should have gone on and recognized them — this was their country before it was ours," Skidmore said.
"I'm not concerned about it at all. If I was going to build a casino, it wouldn't be in Sumner County. It would be in Memphis or Davidson County," she added. "Besides, what's the difference between a casino and the lottery?"
The county Legislative Committee is expected to take up the issue at its Feb. 9 meeting. If that committee approves a resolution recognizing the clan, the recognition would then have to be approved by the full county commission in order to take effect.
Shields said the Cherokee Wolf Clan is comprised of several "different kinds of Indians," not just Cherokees.
"That's why we feel like we can represent all Native Americans," he explained.
He said the village would conduct "pow-wows" and would encompass between 50 and 75 acres.
According to a brochure distributed to commissioners Monday night, the clan works to "keep our heritage and culture from vanishing from the face of the Earth" by teaching Native American customs and the Cherokee language.
Originally published Wednesday, January 14, 2004
http://www.gallatinnewsexaminer.com/news/index.shtml

[frederica]

Joseph ManyCoats AKA Walters is well known and notorious in the state of Tennessee. He has changed his website since he tried to obtain State recognition in a State that does not recognize any Tribes or Nations. He conned a County Commissioner to put the group up for recognition, but there was such an outcry, it was receinded. His old website stated "you did not even have to be NDN to join", it had a State Seal on it which gave the impression it was recognized.  He was also backing Carl "Two Feathers" Whitaker in his run for Governer of Tennessee. That in iftself says a lot.  I have only seen him one time. He was supposably barred from the Pinson Mounds Powwow, but came anyway. He has bodyguards with guns. They walk in front of him burning sage. And there was a confrontation with the Park Rangers. And everyone ducked out of the way. But he stayed. He has a following like most of these people but the show he put on is really rather pitiful. I have been told he is a defrocked preacher of some sort. Most people call him a fake, and he calls them a liar. But that's about as far as it goes. There was some concern about this new Tennessee Commission recognizing all these "groups" in this state without documentation.  There has been a outcry about doing that.  frederica

[BlackWolf]

This group is one of the 6 that just got State Recognition in Tennessee.
 
http://cherokeewolfclan.net/index.html

Special Thanks and Congratulations goes out to Chief Joseph Manycoats!   He was able to lead our Family to a wonderful victory in State Recognition.

http://cherokeewolfclan.net/current_events.html

http://www.nativetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3822:tennessee-commission-of-indian-affairs-recognizes-6-clubs-as-tribes&catid=54&Itemid=30

Is this for Real?!  A group such as this is offical in Tennessee now??  They enroll anyone who “feels they are native American ancestory”?  Since they are now officially Cherokee now, I guess they can now sell their Craft Work as Cherokee Made, and speak on behalf of the Cherokee people at Historical and Educational events in the state of Tennessee.  Not to mention the Federal dollars that they will now benefit from since thay are "Indian people" now.

Membership is open to anyone who feels they are of native american ancestory.  It does not matter which tribe you may be from.  We welcome all.  If you would like to join the Cherokee Wolf Clan  Please fill out an application with your completed ancestory chart.  Send in your 35.00 Dues fee and a recent headshot photo like  the size of a passport or driver's license id.

http://cherokeewolfclan.net/membership.html

[Keely]

I know this is a old post... but I will bring it up to date.

I knew a brother of Joseph Walters, who asked me to do some genealogy work. This family is not Cherokee. Their claim to Cherokee blood comes from a mythical woman who never lived.

The State of Tennessee revoked the state recognition that the comittee gave to several groups there. It was all a bogus plan by Tammera Hicks, to get groups of nons some recognition, these people on the comittee were also members of these fraudulant groups of which they decided to recognize on the day of their last meeting before their comittee was sunsetted... They are back to being what they were before... nothing.....

[ten-skey]

As I relate MANY  BLACK Dutch  AND BLACK IRISH WORK the state of tennessee , AT removal there were less than 100 documented Cherokee .  EVEN there locations were documented !!!!!   Ten-skey

[Keely]

You say that at removal, there were less than 100 documented Cherokee. What documentation do you refer to?

Black Dutch, and Black Irish are terms people have used for years... please provide proof that either of these groups were of Indian origin.

[Defend the Sacred]

We've had some discussions about the misconceptions surrounding "Black Dutch" and "Black Irish". If you search on either of these terms from the main page, a number of threads will come up, including this one: http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=2344.msg19278#msg19278