>The Problem is that Ward Churchill is NOT a Native American he is causing
>much disention between our people and that is exactly what the whiteman would
>like to see. If we are to busy fighting among ourselves than we can not do
>what needs to be done. Ward has claimed all these different bloodlines but
>none has checked out.
Ward Churchill's ancestors appear on the Dawes Roll of the Cherokee Nation.
As such, he is eligible to be an enrolled member of the Cherokee nation. He
has chosen not to be an enrolled member, as he believes that the enrollment
requirement, as defined by the Federal Government, is racist and contributes
to the genocide of native nations. Further, Ward is very open about his
heritage; he does not claim to be a full blood, but he does claim his
ancestors (both Native and European). Further, if you read Ward's writings,
you'll see that he does not cause dissension; again, he is very open about
his beliefs. He believes that all Nations should be autonomous, not the
'dependent nations' they are currently defined as by the Federal Government.
He believes that in order to survive, all nations must claim their own
destiny. He does not believe that assimilation into the dominant US culture
is the way to go. For more clarification, I suggest you read his books
(Indians R Us?, Struggle for the Land, and Fantasies of the Master Race).
Finally, you state that Ward has claimed all these bloodlines but none have
checked out. Unless you have personally checked the Dawes Roll, and have
done a geneological study of Ward, I suggest that you not perpetuate this
myth, as it only harms an honest person, and it also discredits yourself.
Each time we unknowingly parrot inaccurate information, we leave ourselves
open to charges of slander and disunity. I'm sure that this is not your
intention. Thank you, Lisa Hellwig, LPSG/McHenry County, IL
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Mitakuye Oyasin, Waya Gola-JT Shupe. (shupe@rchland)
The above text contains my opinions, not IBM's. Unless otherwise stated.
External Responses to JT_WayaGola_Shupe@vnet.ibm.com
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Comments from NativeNet moderator, Gary Trujillo (gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us):
For whatever it's worth, I spoke yesterday with Paul DeMain, publisher
of _News from Indian Country_ and president of the Native American
Journalists' Association at the "Spirit of Unity Gathering" at Yale.
He told me that Ward Churchill had not claimed to be Indian until ten
years ago, and had specifically disclaimed being Indian in answer to
a direct question prior to that time. Mr. DeMain has promised to send me
copies of articles that have appeared in his newspaper with permission to
transmit them to this list. I will do so when they are received.
I think this controversy is one that's going to last for some time, and
that it will not be settled easily.
Gary