By T.J. Holland
Cherokee NC – A few years ago I had a conversation with a friend about the concept and practice of tribal sovereignty. To be honest, I had never really given the concept much thought.
What makes a tribe or nation sovereign? Is it based on treaties? What caused these treaties to be written in the first place? I submit that the reason for tribal sovereignty is that each respective tribal nation has been viewed throughout history as a distinct social, cultural, and political group.
This “otherness” has lead to removal, assimilation, and various other attacks on the culture, beliefs, and legal standing of tribal nations for hundreds of years. But in spite of assimilation efforts, Cherokee people have worked hard to maintain cultural identity, which I believe is the cornerstone of asserting sovereignty.
One way in which the Eastern Band exerts tribal sovereignty is through self-governance. After years of outside influence, we are taking control of our land, language, culture, and even our knowledge. I have had the privilege and responsibility to act as Chairman of the cultural research review board for the past seven years.
The board reviews an average of 20 proposals a year from anthropologists, historians, documentary crews, and students who want to study us. The board gives the Eastern Band the ability to control what research is conducted and to safeguard tribal members from those who only seek to use traditional people for their own personal gain, often at the expense of the tribe.
I view sovereignty as not a legal term, but as a responsibility. If we as a tribe do not possess the language and traditions of our grandparents, then how can we claim a nationality? That is where the responsibility plays an important role. An elder told me that it was once seen as a crime not to pass down knowledge to our young people. In other words, to keep the knowledge of who we are away from the next generation is to steal from them.
Through my work at the Junaluska Museum, I am able to provide information, conduct research, and provide educational material to the area schools, civic groups, and interested individuals. In this way I am fortunate enough to be able to pass down what I know, and hopefully give the next generation a more complete understanding of what it means to be Cherokee. If I can do this, then I have done my part to keep us sovereign.
For more about Cherokee sovereignty, scroll through The Warriors.
For more about Cherokee history, read Keepers of What They Did.