The united Cherokee People

The Forgotten Ones

 


We have joined together as Human Beings to work together to:
1. Protect and care for Mother Earth and all creation.
2. Render aid to any Native American Indian regardless of Tribal affiliation.
3. Educate not only our descendants, but all who desire to learn the Indian way.
4. Set an example through our lives and actions for all to see what an American Indian really is and what it means to walk the Path.
5. Work together, with hope and prayer in our hearts, to bring all Native American Indians together, as one, for the common good.

We are NOT federally recognized, we have not filed for, nor do we have any desire or intention to file for federal recognition. We know who we are and we do not need the federal government  to tell us who we are. We have no desire to deprive anyone of money or benefits they receive from the federal government

The United Cherokee People
 Declaration of Independence

We the people, who comprise “The United Cherokee people”; being descendants of many separate Indian tribes, join together with the men of all nations in standing before the threshold of time; we acknowledge  our desire for this document, and the actions of our leaders and our people to stand as a beacon of hope unto any man, woman or child, who is of Native American descent, whose family or themselves may have been denied admission into the limited tribal roles which were acknowledged and established by the conquering government of the United States: we recognize also that their roles were not written to truly be a record of all of the descendants of the indigenous tribes of the United States, but rather to establish and limit the degree of their responsibility unto such persons both then and in the future; and considering that the objective of their methods was to annihilate any tribe or any people, who by their own standard “had no written language or constitution and to erase all memory of them and their people from the face of the Earth forever, we feel compelled by the spirit of grace, to open the doors of admission into our tribe unto any man, woman or child who can demonstrate that they have even one Indian descendant in their family line, and in so doing, to afford these descendants of this unspeakable tragedy the opportunity to re-establish at least some semblance of their people, and the ways of their people; among and with, other indigenous people, who themselves strive to establish the same thing; and in unity to combine our knowledge, our strength, our hope, our education, and our resources, to secure for ourselves and our prosperity justice, peace, and liberty which with the blessing of our creator may afford us the opportunity to not only set right one of the worst tragedies in the history of this world, but also to live as a nation within a nation, and in peace among those, who in the age of their own ignorance and having the eyes of their understanding darkened and being blinded to the true outcome of their deeds, did engage in and create this holocaust; and together to strive to build such a future, that all future generations as long as the sun shines, and the moon gives its light, may witness our actions this day and the deeds of those who help us in this endeavor to stand as a testimony of the healing grace of our creator, and prove to be a blessing for both our people, and theirs as well, and our prayer before our creating in doing these things is that our efforts may prove to be the memorial unto our fallen that shall enable their memories and their names to be remembered and to stand forever throughout all the generations; and that this may well become the flame or the fire of desire that will burn in the heart of each of our people both today and throughout the ages AHO.

Darryl "Soaring Eagle" Watkins

 
THE "GATHERING"
The purpose of The United Cherokee People
"Gather The Lost American Indians Into One Tribal Membership Organization"

Our goals are specific; to gather all those who claim the right to be recognized as American Indians, under one international tribal membership organization. We will teach our children and grandchildren to appreciate the sacrifices of our ancestors, to respect their many hardships and to learn and teach our culture to the future generations before it is lost forever.

With your help, The United Cherokee People will become the largest American Indian tribal membership organization in the world.  We invite you to be a part of our future as we continue with THE "GATHERING".

 

PURPOSE AND FUNDING 

The organization is organized to plan, implement, and administer, operate, and evaluate programs to carry out the object and purpose of the organization to assist in and promote the “Gathering” of all Indians and to promote, teach and study the heritage of its people for the general benefit and good in the community, in the state and in the nation and to improve the quality of life, to promote cultural events, and to preserve the heritage of the American Indians.  In carrying out its purpose, the organization may seek out and accept voluntary contributions, obtain city, county, state and federal government grants, awards or other funding, public funding, private funding and grants, awards or other funding from private or public charitable organizations and foundations. 

Indian Reorganization Act

The Indian Reorganization Act of June 18, 1934, also known as the Wheeler-Howard Act or informally, the Indian New Deal, was a U.S. federal legislation which secured certain rights to Native Americans, including Alaska Natives.[1] These include a reversal of the Dawes Act's privatization of common holdings of American Indians and a return to local self-government on a tribal basis. The Act also restored to Native Americans the management of their assets (being mainly land) and included provisions intended to create a sound economic foundation for the inhabitants of Indian reservations. Section 18 of the IRA conditions application of the IRA on a majority vote of the affected Indian nation or tribe within one year of the effective date of the act (25 U.S.C. 478). The IRA was perhaps the most significant initiative of John Collier Sr., Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs from 1933 to 1945.

The act did not require tribes to adopt a constitution. However, if the tribe chose to do so, the constitution had to:

  1. allow the tribal council to employ legal counsel;

  2. prohibit the tribal council from engaging any land transitions without majority approval of the tribe; and,

  3. authorize the tribal council to negotiate with the Federal, State, and local governments.

Evidently, some of these restrictions were eliminated by the Native American Technical Corrections Act of 2003.[2]

The act slowed the practice of assigning tribal lands to individual tribal members and reduced the loss, through the practice of checkerboarding land sales to non-members within tribal areas, of native holdings. Owing to this Act and to other actions of federal courts and the government, over two million acres (8,000 km˛) of land were returned to various tribes in the first 20 years after passage of the act.

In 1954, the United States Department of Interior began implementing the termination and relocation phases of the Act. Among other effects, termination resulted in the legal dismantling of 61 tribal nations within the United States.

This act was based upon the thought that tribes should be in existence for an indefinite period of time. [3]

 

 

 
"Just to make sure everyone who is considering joining with us understands who we are. This is The United Cherokee People; we are a Tribal Membership Organization, not a Federally recognized tribe. We are your Brothers and Sisters and all of American Indian decent and blood. We stand on our own feet, we pay our taxes and do not receive any government handouts.

You will be able to meet and learn about your ancestors from those who are just like you. We are some of the 750,000 "Un-documented American Indians"; we wish to "Gather" all of those who want a place to call home and a family to celebrate their heritage with. It's what is in your heart that makes you an Indian, not the card issued to you by the Federal Government that says you have enough blood quantum and / or your ancestors were counted like sheep in a specific place, at a certain time in the 1800 or 1900's. Although we do have some Federally registered members who have also joined The United Cherokee People, some due to dissatisfaction to what is now happening with the Federal tribes. Any and all Indians are welcome, period. We do not discriminate in any way. We do not care from where you come, or how you got to this place in time, as long as you now are on the White Path with us.

The right to call yourself an Indian, specifically an American Indian is guaranteed to you by the Constitution of the United States and may not be limited in any way by those that do not agree with you or who are so young or so foolish as to remain brainwashed by the very leaders that lead them down the path to their own final destruction, as a Nation. Ask the Creator and you will be shown the "White Path of Peace", seek and ye shall find. I would hope some day to have one million American Indians as members."

 

The United Cherokee People:                                  

Excerpt from By-Laws

3. PURPOSE AND FUNDING 

The organization is organized to plan, implement, and administer, operate, and evaluate programs to carry out the object and purpose of the organization:

 (a) to assist in and promote the “Gathering” of the Cherokee People and to

(b) promote and study the heritage of it’s people for the general benefit and good in the community, in the state and in the nation and

(c) to improve the quality of life,

(d)  to promote cultural events, and

(e) to preserve the heritage of the Cherokee People. 

In carrying out its purpose, the organization may seek out and accept voluntary contributions, obtain city, county, state and federal government grants, awards or other funding, public funding, private funding and grants, awards or other funding from private or public charitable organizations and foundations. 

 

We, as members of the United Cherokee People, Florida Clan, who seek the outlined purposes above should extend our efforts to try to encourage all who possess native blood, and especially Cherokee, to consider membership in the UCP.

As members of the UCP we should be proud of those who have come before us and given so much to try to keep the heritage alive. We need to promote and study the ways of our ancestors and try to integrate the lessons learned to benefit the members of the UCP, our community, our state, and our Nation.

The ways of the Cherokee promoted good stewardship of the resources of Mother Earth and the kinship of all living things. We should promote this goal and pass the teachings to those who follow us. Life is measured by quality not quantity.

Individually and collectively we need to promote our cultural events that includes not only Pow Wows once a year, but attending meetings whenever possible and sharing  knowledge (that we know to be truly based in fact) .Stories, songs, and methods of the Cherokee must be preserved or it will forever erased from our lives. That would be a tragedy.

This is a non-profit organization, but the reality is that we need funds to promote cultural events, basic operating expenses to for Pow Wows (vendors, dancers, drummers, etc. Just showing up and enjoying the Pow Wow or other activities helps with a portion of the cost that the Florida Clan incurs.

I joined the United Cherokee People to follow the purpose that is outlined here and together we will work toward that purpose. We are not a business; we are a gathering of like minded brothers and sisters who see the benefits of preservation of the way of the Cherokee.

When you speak to the Great Spirit, remember us all.

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