After the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) altered its membership criteria to allow non-federally recognized tribes to join, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians were faced with a difficult decision: continue to support a vital organization whose resources and influence were likely to be co-opted by tribes that had no treaty rights and no valid pre-colonial history, or drop out of the organization and lose their own influence on the future of the organization. In January of this year, the dinilawigi (Tribal Council) unanimously agreed that the integrity of the organization was being unacceptably compromised and they could no longer support it. In the ensuing months, the NCAI met with the Eastern Band to hear their concerns, and agreed to make significant changes to refocus their priorities toward federally recognized tribes. Ugwvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks spoke for the Council, which voted unanimously to reverse the earlier decision and remain in the NCAI, stating that “we need to stay at the table.”
Read more at the Cherokee One Feather.