The Cherokee Nations desicion to kick out Freedmen has been upheld. What legislation is linked to the issue, and why is there a connection.
“Five black state legislators on Tuesday urged the Cherokee Nation to reverse a decision to exclude descendants of former Cherokee slaves from tribal membership. [ The lawmakers, all Democrats and members of the Oklahoma Black Legislative Caucus, said the March 3 vote excluding the descendants, known as Freedmen, is a violation of an 1866 treaty signed by the Cherokee Nation.... ‘The Cherokees’ action was wrong it's that simple,’ caucus members said.... In the special election, the tribe decided to amend the tribal constitution to limit citizenship to descendants of "by blood" tribe members,
removing an estimated 2,800 freedmen descendants. McIntyre and four other caucus members, all saying they had Indian ancestry, held a news conference ahead of a planned fundraiser for Smith at an Oklahoma City residence near the Capitol. Later, some of the lawmakers joined a demonstration by several Freedmen and their supporters on the Capitol's south steps. Signs carried by the Freedmen included: "My ancestors walked the Trail of Tears" and "Indian by the blood we shed." Marilyn Vann, a Freedman from Oklahoma City, said she could trace her Indian ancestry to the early 1830s. She said documents the tribe use to determine tribal ancestry do not tell the whole story.... Mike Miller, spokesman for the Cherokee Nation, said: ‘The truth is that with very few exceptions, people with Indian ancestry were put on Indian rolls. The Dawes roll is not perfect, but it is the best, most authoritative historic document we have for determining who our Indian ancestors were, going back 100 years.’” ]
