Tribe shifts stand, acknowledges Churchill's alleged Cherokee ancestry
By Amy Herdy
Denver Post Staff Writer
DenverPost.com
In an abrupt change of tone, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians
replaced its harshly critical statement regarding Ward Churchill with one that
acknowledges the professor's "alleged ancestry" of being Cherokee.
"Because Mr. Churchill had genealogical information regarding his alleged
ancestry, and his willingness to assist the UKB in promoting the tribe and its
causes, he was awarded an 'Associate Membership' as an honor," the tribe's
website said Thursday. "However, Mr. Churchill may possess eligibility status
for Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, since he claims 1/16 Cherokee."
The new statement, while stopping short of endorsing any of Churchill's
heritage, veers from the sharp rebuke posted Tuesday on the tribal website. The
website said "Mr. Churchill mocks the basic fundamental principles of Tribal
Sovereignty when he consistently refers to enrollment as a 'pedigree' and
compares enrollment to 'dogs' and 'Nazi policies."'
The University of Colorado professor has been at the center of controversy
since statements he made comparing some victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks to a Nazi became public.
In the ensuing furor, CU began an investigation of Churchill that included
allegations of plagiarism and of falsely identifying himself to be Indian. That
inquiry is ongoing.
The conflicting views on Churchill within the Keetoowah band are a likely
indicator of the difficulty a CU committee faces in rendering a decision on his
ethnicity and how it relates to his scholarship.
On Thursday, Churchill said that while the new statement supports his
contention that the tribe verified his genealogy, it changes nothing. "As it
stands now, I am an enrolled associate member of the UKB," he said. "If they
would like to disenroll me, they have the prerogative, but they haven't done
so."
Or, he said, "I'll resign. All you ever had to do was ask. If you're so
ashamed of me, hell, I don't want anything to do with you. But it was never
honorary," Churchill said of his associate membership, "and it did require
enrollment."
One point in which Churchill and the tribe appear to agree is that
Churchill did not meet the standard to be a full member.
"He was not eligible for tribal membership due to the fact that he does
not possess a 'Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB), which is under the
jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Interior/Bureau of Indian Affairs,"
Thursday's statement said.
Churchill has repeatedly said he has never asked for a CDIB as the idea of
being "vetted" by the U.S. government is offensive.
Former tribal chief John Ross, who issued Churchill the associate member
degree in 1994, could not be reached for comment. Chief George Wickliffe did not
return repeated phone calls Thursday, and a woman who answered the phone at the
tribal office said the statement spoke for him.
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