Changes at Lost Cherokee

In case you haven't heard, there have been recent changes at Lost Cherokee that none of us expected or take pleasure in. In fact, we are angry about it. Several of the leaders decided on their own whim to "remove" other leaders and to illegally remove enrollment files from the Lost Cherokee tribal office in Dover to a facility outside the old Arkansas Cherokee Reservation boundaries. Since these unethical actions were done "in secret" outside of business hours, these people were unfortunately successful in removing the files.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) was contacted immediately regarding the actions taken by this splinter group. The BIA concurs that the Lost Cherokee tribal headquarters and office remain at the Dover location. (Note: The mailing address was changed, however.)

While legal action has been initiated to remedy the current situation with our files, the tribe remains intact and as strong as ever. A large number of our people attended the Green Corn Ceremony in July and more people than ever are attending the language classes. The new sense of openness and honesty is very refreshing. The tribe is going forward with integrity and pride.

We encourage our people to print a copy of the petition to have your Lost Cherokee file returned to the tribal office in Dover. Completed petitions should be mailed to the tribal office at PO Box 1322, Dover, AR 72837.

You can get more facts about the recent events from our new newsletter, the Arkansas Cherokee Phoenix or by contacting the office at (479) 331-0322.