I don't think it's actually getting that much attention and will probably be a huge failure.
Al, I think you're being overly optimistic.
I don't think so. As others pointed out, what can they possibly hope to achieve by this march? The feds will never recognize them and neither will the three actual Cherokee tribes. Playing NDN in public for three days won't change much, and likely some of the actual activists who show up will go away from this knowing better than to have anything to do with the so called Chickamaugas again.
Look at who they list as showing up anyway. Basically themselves, their own drum groups, honor guards, etc. Also...
"The United Kingdom, Russia, Austria, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Greece, has joined us to march and speak in their country."
I'm guessing that the whole country is not coming over...likely they found a few naive people in each place.
"Jay NightWolf from WPFW radio"
He runs a one hour a week local radio show on Native issues. How could he not show up? Say's he Taino.
"Russell ‘StrongBow’ Cooper, Michael Bucher, Joseph Strider"
Strider's a musician who likely thinks he's there for a good cause. Being Lipan (there two unrecognized Lipan bands in south Texas) probably makes him sympathetic. Bucher is also a musician, Cherokee. Also a Mohawk musician, Ed Koban, and a Hochunk one, Greengrass.
Cooper's from the Tallige Cherokee, an unrecognized bunch in Ohio. They have a dubious history themselves. See this older thread.
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=870.5;wap2"Pam ShiningStar...David ‘Storm Wolf’ Watts"
These two are Chickamaugas. Big deal. Do they have even one notable speaker for this event? Even one credible group backing them up?
And these musicians, are they being paid to come there?
"...the following Tribal Families represented, Cherokee, Lakota, Cheyenne, Souix, Odawa, Ho-Chunk Nation, Oneida, Cree, Mohawk, Metis, Shawnee"
Basically, that's the musicians, dubious people claiming to be Cherokee, and "Souix" and supposed "Metis tribe". Anyone else think they're not likely to be credible people?
Also... "Head Sachem of the Notoweega."
That's yet another unrecognized bunch in Ohio. Their "tribal" homepage is actually...a myspace page. And it hasn't even been logged into in two years. They do sell their "tribal flags" on the Manataka website for 120 bucks. And they were part of a shared powwow in Logan OH four years ago.
http://www.melungeons.com/union/Tribal_Gathering2006.htmhttp://www.myspace.com/notoweeganationBut other than that, little sign of them.
Really, how likely is it they can get even 1000 people there? And most of them will be there to see the musicians.