An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States

opposed to her likely believe that her stances in support of tribal
sovereignty are an affront to them. By extension, perhaps they think she
might be anti-Black? However, she has supported other bills that benefit
African Americans.
I do believe that Haaland deserves to be secretary of the interior. I
actually like her record. However, tribal sovereignty should not be used to
be anti-Black. Of course, sovereignty means much more than issues relating
to the Freedmen. However, as secretary of the interior, she should not bow
to the pressure of the Five Tribes and perhaps Indian Country at large. She
should be on the moral side of history and assert that the Freedmen should
be treated as free, full citizens.
The question people always ask is, what can be done? In my estimation,
as a non-citizen of any of the Five Tribes, the most basic thing they could
do is simply embrace the Freedmen as equal citizens. I don’t agree with the
language of proposed congressional bills stating that the government would
“sever” ties with the Five Tribes if they don’t restore the Freedmen’s
citizenship. That is reactionary and hypocritical because, in general, the US
has stayed out of tribal issues related to citizenship. This is why I would
like to see the Five Tribes exercise sovereignty on their own. If Indigenous
sovereignty means anything, it is not only a foundation to nationhood but
also a moral code for respecting human (Black people!) and non-human
relations. It is also an attempt to put into practice a better approach to living
free than US liberal democracy. For the Five Tribes, ending a direct form of
anti-Black racism is certainly in the top five best things to do. Until this is
completed in a proper way, everyday Black people who don’t know the
complexities of this history will continue to ask a question that I hate
answering: “Didn’t the Indians own slaves though?” I would love to be able
to tell them, “Yes, they did, but they have done everything they could to
make right their historical blunder.”
Months after writing this section, the Cherokee Nation did the right thing.
On February 22, 2021, the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court ruled that the
tribe’s constitution remove the phrase “by blood” so that the Freedmen