Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2015
Publication Title
Columbia Journal of Race and Law
Keywords
Cherokee Nation, Cherokee Freedmen, Native American, black slavery, sovereignty
Abstract
This Article addresses the Cherokee Nation and its historic conflict with the descendants of its former black slaves, designated Cherokee Freedmen. This Article specifically addresses how historic discussions of black, red, and white skin colors, designating the African-ancestored, aboriginal (Native American), and European-ancestored people of the United States have helped to shape the contours of color-based national belonging among the Cherokee. The Cherokee past practice of black slavery and the past and continuing use of skin color-coded belonging not only undermines the coherence of Cherokee sovereignty, identity, and belonging but also problematizes the notion of an explicitly aboriginal way of life by bridging red and white cultural difference over a point of legal and ethical contention: black inequality.
Repository Citation
Inniss, Lolita Buckner, "Cherokee Freedmen and the Color of Belonging" (2015). Law Faculty Articles and Essays. 844.
https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/fac_articles/844
Volume
5
Issue
2
Included in
Human Rights Law Commons, Indigenous, Indian, and Aboriginal Law Commons, Law and Race Commons
