Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama

The Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama is a state-recognized tribe of people claiming Cherokee heritage, based in northern Alabama.[1][2][3][4] It was among the first seven organizations that Alabama granted state recognition under the Davis-Strong Act in 1984.[1]

Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama
Founded at United States ( Alabama)
Official language
English
Websiteechotacherokeetribe.homestead.com

Recognition by an American state government is not the same as recognition on the federal level or recognition by continually existing Indian tribes.[5]

Both the federally recognized Cherokee Nation and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians oppose federal recognition of the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama, listing them among "fraudulent groups."[2][4]

Heritage groups
Main article: Cherokee heritage groups

Numerous organizations in the US identify as having Cherokee heritage, but have no documented ancestry or connection to the federally recognized Cherokee Nation, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, or United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. Some of these groups have applied for federal recognition but been denied.

The Supreme Court made plain the exclusion of states from tribal matters in the earliest and most important cases that make up the foundation of Indian Law. In Worcester v. Georgia, 31 U.S. (6 Pet.) 515 (1832) the Court stated: 'The treaties and laws of the United States contemplate ... that all intercourse with [Indians] shall be carried on exclusively by the government of the union.' Real tribes are governments similar to States and Nations.[5]

History

After the passage of the Indian Removal Act in the 1830, the majority of the Cherokee people were forcibly removed from the Southeastern United States. The approximately 1,000 Cherokee people who remained in the Southeast formed the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and their tribe continues to live in the community known as the Qualla Boundary.

In 1980 a group of people ineligible to enroll in any federally recognized Native American tribe set up a nonprofit heritage club known as "The Echota Cherokee." In 1984, when the Alabama Indian Affairs Commission was established to represent Native American interests in the state, the group attained state recognition.[1] The group is headquartered in Falkville, Alabama.[6]

In 1997 the Echota Cherokee organization reported that they had 22,000 members. Only 21 members participated in the cited survey.[7] They do not state what criteria they use for membership.[7] Their stated accomplishments and goals at this time were that they had elected a council, and hoped to offer "instruction in the Cherokee language through the Alabama public school system."[7]

The Echota Cherokee have a representative on the Alabama Indian Affairs Commission[1] and the Inter-Tribal Council of Alabama's WIA Program, to assist workforce improvement.[8]

The Echota are not federally recognized as an Indian tribe, nor are they recognized by any of the federally recognized Cherokee communities.[2][3][4]

See also

References
  1. 'State-recognized Tribes', Alabama Indian Commission
  2. Cherokee Nation Task Force (March 26, 2011) "Fraudulent Group List," What is a real Indian Nation? What is a fake tribe? Archived November 11, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Accessed Oct 20, 2014
  3. McKie, Scott (Oct 14, 2011) "Tribe establishes Cherokee Identity Protection Committee" in The One Feather. Accessed October 20, 2014
  4. "Fraudulent Tribes List (cached)". Cherokee One Feather. October 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2015. $45.00 - Annual Membership
  5. Government Relations, Cherokee Nation (2009). "Support the Federal Recognition Process to Protect all Tribal Citizens" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 7, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2015. "The Supreme Court made plain the exclusion of states from tribal matters in the earliest and most important cases that make up the foundation of Indian Law. In Worcester v. Georgia, Worcester v. Georgia, 31 U.S. (6 Pet.) 515 (1832) the Court stated: 'The treaties and laws of the United States contemplate...that all intercourse with [Indians] shall be carried on exclusively by the government of the union.' Real tribes are governments similar to States and Nations."
  6. "The Echota Cherokee Tribe", hosted by Alabama Indian Affairs Commission, accessed October 20, 2014
  7. Stacye Hathorn, 'The Echota Cherokee Language: Current Use and Opinions about Revival', in Teaching Indigenous Language, 1997
  8. 'Intertribal Council of Alabama' Archived October 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
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