Central Band of Cherokee

[clearwater]

The TN Commission of Indian Affair's ridiculous action of "recognizing" cherry-picked organizations was self-serving, divisive and definitely controversial.

It seems that the action has been overturned by the TN Attorney General in September 2010. About time!

The following is found on the "unofficial" website of TCIA:

http://www.tncia.org/

The actions taken by the TCIA at its 19 June 2010 meeting in adopting Standing Rule 14 and in awarding state recognition as an Indian Tribe to the recently created six culture clubs that call themselves:

"Remnant Yuchi Nation" aka "Appalachian Confederated Tribes" of Kingsport TN;

"United Eastern Lenape Nation" aka "Upper Cumberland Cherokee" of Winfield TN;

"Chikamaka Band" aka "Chikamaka-Cherokee Band of the South Cumberland Plateau" of Tracy City TN;

"Central Band of Cherokee" aka " Cherokee of Lawrence County" of Lawrenceburg TN;

"Cherokee Wolf Clan" of Yuma TN; and

"Tanasi Council" aka "Tanasi Council of the Far Away Cherokee" of Memphis TN,
formerly known collectively as  "Confederation of Tennessee Native Tribes",

are declared void and of no effect by the Tennessee Attorney General in Davidson County (Nashville) Chancery Court on 7 September 2010, pursuant to the state Open Meetings Act, TCA 8-44-105. Other violations of state law committed by the TCIA, including conspiracy, fraud, and violations of the state Open Meeting, Open Records, and Uniform Administrative Procedures Acts, have not been prosecuted at this time.

(Emphasis added by me...)

Bascially, the Commissioners violated numerous state laws as they granted themselves state recognition on the way out the door. Bureaucrats at their absolute worst, IMO.

I also think it's funny the Attorney General called these groups "culture clubs." Now that's funny, and quite accurate too.

clearwater

[BlackWolf]

Here is the entire document on the Proposed Finding Against Acknowledgement of the Central Band of Cherokee.

http://www.bia.gov/idc/groups/mywcsp/documents/text/idc010308.pdf

[rickmiller]

I just popped into this topic,but does anyone really believe Cherokees are really from the Jewish?

[educatedindian]

Outside of this tiny little band of wannabes and seemingly a few History Channel producers, pretty much nobody. They're pretty much wacky non-Natives and pretty much wacky non-Jewish also.

From the BIA docs, pg 8:

...there is no evidence that the petitioner’s named ancestors were a part of the Cherokee nation in 1806 or at
any other time. There is no evidence that its claimed ancestors were identified as Indians or that
they were in Tennessee prior to 1806 and a part of the tribe identified by the treaty. There is no
evidence that a remnant of the historical Cherokee remained in Tennessee after the 1806 treaty or
that the petitioner’s non-Indian ancestors who migrated to Tennessee after 1806 married Indians
who were part of such an alleged remnant band of the Cherokee in Tennessee. All of the
evidence points to the petitioner’s male and female ancestors being non-Indians living as part of
the general population.
The petitioner claims that some of its ancestors living in Tennessee evaded removal or escaped
when the Cherokee were removed from North Carolina and resettled in what would become
Oklahoma in the late 1830s. The petitioner referred to maps of the Cherokee Removal routes
that showed that “Bell’s Route” passed through Lawrence County, TN, in 1838 (White
3/31/2007). The petitioner’s apparent belief that some of the Cherokee left their tribe and settled
in Lawrence County during the removal is unsupported speculation....

p. 10
....the bylaws do not require members to document descent from
their claimed Indian ancestors prior to joining the group. This governing document also states
that non-Indians may be “associate members” with full privileges (except holding office), and
that “spouses of full members are automatically accepted as blood members” (CBC Bylaws, 1).
Thus, the petitioner’s bylaws do not require members to be Cherokee descendants or to
document their claims of Indian descent.
Enclosed in that same submission was a page from the group’s website which states that the
yearly membership fee is $10.00, and explained the group’s membership requirements,
concluding with “If your Ancestors told you, and your oral history and your ancestry chart is
done and notarized that you have Native American Blood, and you believe them. Then you can
come share your Heritage with us. If you know in your Heart that you are Native American, then
to us you are” (CBC 7/21/2000). The very liberal terms for membership allow the petitioner to
include anyone who claims Indian heritage to join the group. Since the potential member is not
required to provide evidence to support the claim, it appears that the organization accepts selfidentifications
without question....

p. 17
....Although these descent reports illustrate the family lines of the various members, they clearly do
not demonstrate descent from the historical tribe. In fact, they do just the opposite: they show
that the petitioner’s claimed ancestors immigrated from the British Isles, France, and Germany
over long periods to the American colonies, in particular to Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia,
and that over time their descendants moved as individuals or small family groups to Tennessee.
Neither these descent reports nor other evidence in the record show that the immigrants married
into the Cherokee tribe or were otherwise associated with it, or any other tribe. After about
1818, descendants of the immigrants began to appear in what is now Lawrence County, TN. At
this time, some of the ancestors were also in Lauderdale or Limestone Counties, AL, situated just
south of Lawrence County, TN.
The petitioner’s claims of Indian ancestry in the genealogical descent reports are described
below. However, the petitioner did not submit, and OFA did not find, reliable original records,
either primary or secondary sources, to support these claims. The evidence shows that both the
male and female ancestors were, in fact, not Indians....
There is no evidence in the record that the women who married into the family lines
identified in the descent reports were Cherokee descendants. At best, these descent reports
include unsubstantiated claims that an individual in the family tree was supposed to be an Indian,

[educatedindian]

Got several emails from one of the CB leaders. He wishes to make it very clear they no longer have any association with Wm Anderson. First is his email, then my response, then some further points.

-------------

O’siyo,

I noticed a discussion thread about my website and involvement with Jimmy Tenrivers, Iglesia de Aztlan and “William Scott Anderson” who goes by Blueotter.

My credentials including Native American background (as mixed Cherokee) can be found at my website, www.torah-voice.org in the right-hand column.
 
Jimmy Tenrivers and I secured about $3,000 from the leadership of the LDS Church in Salt Lake City to help us out with the Sundance a few years ago when gasoline prices had again skyrocketed and there was concern about the extent to which Natives who would attend the Sundance would be able to help financially with the costs.

We had the help of Anderson who was living in Utah at that time.   But today, we have no association with Anderson who is fraudulently declaring himself to be my “spokesman.”  Let it be known that Maggid ben Yoseif has no spokesman and requires no spokesman.

I am a past ex-officio member of the Board of Directors of Iglesia de Aztlan (appointed by Tenrivers).    However, my duties as ambassador-at-large for the Central Band of Cherokee occupy most all of my time today.  I am also speaking to chieftains and council chairs as a “special messenger” on the pre-1967 lines and how they usurp the Birthright of Joseph and will lead to the death of untold millions of Palestinians if the Bible turns out to be true and Obama is wrong.   

Anyway, I want you to know that I value my reputation and if there are ANY concerns at all about ANY of my activities in the past or today, PLEASE contact me at benyoseif@yahoo.com.

Hoa Mitakuyasi and Gah geh you e,

Maggid ben Yoseif

--------

Hello,
We will post your message below to make it clear you have no association with Anderson.
 
You may also join and discuss yourself if you wish. All are welcome at the forum.
 
As to your "credentials", the sole claim the "Central Cherokee" can make is having conned the History Channel into feauturing their ludicrous claims, both that they are supposedly Cherokees and that Cherokees are supposedly Jewish.
 
Such ridiculous lies offend the actual Cherokee, of which there are very few among the "Central Cherokee" by blood, and absolutely none who know the culture or tradition.
 
The one favorable thing to be said about your group is you are not motivated by greed as so many of the frauds we deal with are.
 
There are also some other ludicrous claims you make:
 
"Intertribal elders" don't exist, and real elders don't proclaim themselves such.
 
There are no "Mimbreno Apaches" who sundance. Sundance is Lakota, and the MEmbrenos are at Ft Sill in Oklahoma, not in the Four Corners area, which is the Navajo rez. No doubt, much like the "Central Band", made up of a few distant descendants and many more who delude themselves, the "Mimbrenos" are similar.
 
I wish you would help yourself and others by learning accurate history rather than continuing to spread obvious falsehoods which offend actual Native people.
Al Carroll, moderator

---------

He then asked to keep anything further he said to me in confidence, but did say I could paraphrase much of it.

He apologized for any offense given to Cherokees. He also says he will take down from his site the claim that he's an "intertribal elder."

He admits that he and the CB were not raised in Cherokee traditions and were ignorant of most of them.

He also has some rather bizarre claims about what he claims is a conspiracy involving the CNO, the History Channel, and a DNA testing company.He says the CB does not claim that Cherokees are Jews but rather that Cherokees have distant ancestry from people in the Middle East. Yet at the same time he seems fascinated by the claimed Cherokee-Jewish connection and seems to have absorbed some of the stranger Biblical and Mormon fundamentalist ideas.

Probably the strangest claim of his is the the CB was chartered by the feds back in 1804 and somehow got cheated by the CNO. The CNO didn't even exist then.

[Smart Mule]

"On March 26, Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk released his final determination in regards to a petition by the Central Band of Cherokee (Petitioner #227) for federal recognition status as an Indian tribe.

Echo Hawk’s final determination found the Lawrenceburg, Tennessee group did not meet the mandatory criteria for acknowledgment under the Code of Federal Regulations according to a Department of the Interior press release."

"In an August 17, 2010 article by Cherokee One Feather the Bureau of Indian Affairs is quoted as stating, “The readily available public records clearly showed the petitioner’s members do not descend from any Cherokee group or any other Indian tribe. The evidence clearly shows the group’s ancestors were consistently identified as non-Indians, primarily ‘White’ settlers coming to Tennessee in the early and mid-1800s from disparate locations. At no time were they identified as Indians or living in an Indian community.”"

"Echo Hawk’s final determination will become final and affective “as provided in the regulations 90 days from publication in the Federal Register, unless a request for reconsideration is received by the Interior Board of Indian Appeals under the procedures set forth in Section 83.11 of the regulations within that time,” according to the release."

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/03/27/echo-hawks-final-determination-denies-central-band-of-cherokee-federal-status-104956

[milehighsalute]

ray "pearl seeker" pennington

mormon bishop

claims to be "central band of generokee"

while i dont think he sells fake ceremony.......he partakes in another form of charlatanism....selling fake history.......apparently he even writes childrens books on being cherokee

these twinkies getting into education at kids schools.....or even hireed by adults as historians are just as problematic as ceremony sellers

[Epiphany]

Proposed Finding Against Acknowledgement of The Central Band of Cherokee, 2010: http://www.indianaffairs.gov/cs/groups/mywcsp/documents/text/idc010308.pdf Includes info on Pennington and his genealogy claims, his ancestors in records always listed as white. His family history claims are said to be "vague family traditions and hearsay".

[educatedindian]

Merged the topic with the older thread on the Central Band, who used to be Cherokees of Lawrenceville.

Some of the other leaders of the CB are fundamentalist Christians. The CB site includes some Nuage imitation of Lakota beliefs. The CB claim to have bred their own version of the white buffalo calf.
http://www.cbcherokee.org/www.cbcherokee.org/Spiritual_Activities.html

Apparently there's been a struggle to get rid of the old "chief" Joe White or "Sitting Owl."
http://www.cbcherokee.org/www.cbcherokee.org/Signed_Final_Court_Order%28jpg%29.html

Their current elected leaders are listed as:
Principal Chief......Joy Little Wildflower Johnson
Secretary..............June Lytespirit Hurd
Treasurer..............Joy Little Wildflower Johnson    (Pro Temp Treasurer with no additional vote on Council)
Storyteller............
Spiritual Leader....John Pennington
Chief Historian.....Ray Seeker Pennington
War Chief..............David Winter Hawk Williams
Chief Clan Chief....Dale Lone Elk Casteel
Band Chief............Phillip One Feather Lovelace
Council Mother.....Ms Pete Stitchin Woman Thomason
Tribal Elder...........Ms Mary Ann Redwing Conn

As per usual, they felt they just had to include their alleged Indian names to seem more authentic.
Not clear what some of those positions are for besides making one feel puffed up to be a clan chief. War chief? Hopefully no militia group. Does he at least deal with vets' issues?
They hold their "tribal" meetings every month at Riley's Restaurant. Their front page claims they are "BIA Category 4" with no mention of them being turned down and found to be a "culture club" with no ancestry or evidence. Club dues are $120 a year.

FB page, mostly lots of Franklin Mint images of NDNs.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Central-Band-of-Cherokee/260565219193?sk=photos_stream&ref=page_internal
If you look farther down you'll see their older "tribal seal" includes a Star of David and an NDN with a Christian cross on his face.

Here's a link about Pennington's children's books, which seem to be trying to make Cherokee history fit with Mormon claims.
http://mormonmutt.blogspot.com/2014/01/lds-bishop-writes-book-about-cherokee.html