NAHM 2023: Indigenous Identity -- Oklahoma

I don't have links for all of this, but I will include a few links. Two different examples, with two different tribes, but the same state.

I had been aware for some time that Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt's membership in the Cherokee Nation may not be a result of actual Cherokee ancestry.

That was not completely surprising after reading Angie Debo's And Still the Waters Run, but I didn't pay a lot of attention to it. That original article pointed out that there is no process for removing someone's Cherokee citizenship.

His name would come up a lot for other things -- generally negative -- and that would make me think about the people attacking Buffy Sainte-Marie, Sacheen Littlefeather, and Lily Gladstone and wondering if there might not be a better use of their time.

Fairly recently, I saw an interview with the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, Chuck Hoskin Jr.

Although he was asked specifically about Stitt, and expressed frustration with how much he is going against the interests of the tribe, he never brought that up. In fact, when asked about it he declines to discuss it: 

https://apnews.com/oklahoma-governors-tribal-fight-raises-ancestry-questions-61f53c6a2094c89f90b1a4190f08a7db

After all, it's not that anyone questions whether Clarence Thomas is Black.

Governor Stitt is also a bad actor in this next example, but he is not the main point.

https://ictnews.org/news/students-death-after-attack-elicits-calls-for-accountability

Nex Benedict was at one point incorrectly identified as Cherokee. The tribe confirmed there was no record, but still expressed sympathy.

In fact, Nex's mother is a Choctaw citizen, but Nex was not enrolled.

Choctaw Chief Gary Batton later released a statement Wednesday saying Nex’s mother is a Choctaw citizen.

“The loss of a child is always difficult for a community and a family to accept. Although Nex does not appear to be affiliated with our tribe, their mother, Sue Benedict, is a registered member. Nex’s death weighs heavily on the hearts of the Choctaw people. We pray Nex’s family and their loved ones will find comfort,” he said.

Many issues have been raised about identity and how it is defined over this posts. Is the tribe defined as a sovereign nation or a group determined by blood? Is there federal recognition or recognition on lower governmental levels? Is there a means to change that? What would the benefits be?

I don't intend to pose any suggestions for that; it would be very inappropriate for me to do so. 

However, I think there are good examples from both chiefs here. There may be official connections that we don't want, and there will be people connected but not officially. Handling that with grace and caring and a focus on what is important strikes me as the best way forward. 

That is how we place healing over harm, and that is very needed.