Sep 042013
 

Father and Daughter

Some wonder why Capobianco supporters don’t side with a father whose child is being taken from him. Some have even questioned the authenticity of Christians who would support the Capobiancos. (Forgetting that even Jesus was raised by an adoptive father.)

One must understand that many Capobianco supporters have been there since the day they first saw, either in person or on video, the horror of not only having one’s child taken, but –

1) taken without the benefit of a caring transition, and –

2) taken solely due to 1% heritage, (as the father’s admitted abandonment of the child would have prevailed otherwise.)

Just 1.12% heritage.

Since then, the Cherokee Nation has put on a show, shaking signs that claim “genocide” and claiming that “white people” are stealing “Indian” babies.

1.12% heritage.

If a C supporter brings up the 1% heritage, their statement is twisted and they are accused of racism – despite that it was the Cherokee Nation that brought the 1% into issue.

1.12% heritage.

As much as the Cherokee Nation, ‘Indian Country Today’, NICWA, NARF, and others want to spin it as a “citizen” issue – it is not spinning. Very few people – including many tribal members in Oklahoma and elsewhere – are falling for the “citizen” claim – especially when “citizenship” is being forced on children.

At 1.12% heritage.

Ardent supporters of the Cherokee Nation, either purposefully spinning for PR or snowed by their own rhetoric, fail to see how disgusted many others are by the claim that “white people” are stealing “Indian” babies.. Many Americans can see that claim for the dishonesty it is – but few have wanted to speak it. While it is okay for a tribal entity to speak in terms of race and percentages, it is deemed “racist” for anyone else to. But I will say what is on the hearts of many. This was no Indian Child being stolen by “White” people.

It was a Caucasian/Hispanic child, stolen by a tribe.

That is the bottom line.

As the Cherokee Nation continues to encourage and assist Mr. Brown in defying state and federal law, it is an overtly obvious fact. And that is why the Cherokee Nation and tribal governments in general aren’t getting the traction on their genocide spin (outside of  ‘Indian Country Today’) that they somehow thought they would.

When you are talking about OUR children – which this child was – NOT an Indian child – you should expect hostility when trying to claim that child as the Tribe’s.

AND if 60 more tribal governments attempt to lower their membership criteria – as 60 are talking about doing – to CN levels and begin to target children of minute heritage – as the Cherokee Tribe has – they should not expect to get sympathy. They should expect a strong push back.

They should expect push back because now, due to the Veronica horror – a whole lot of Americans who would have otherwise remained oblivious to the issue, have woken up to what is happening and are outraged by the ICWA stories they are hearing. Many now want ICWA to be repealed.

Americans’ are not buying the rhetoric that tribal governments should have jurisdiction over children of 1% heritage. It is hard enough to justify ICWA jurisdiction over a child who is 25% tribal heritage – as the child is still 75% another heritage. Even children of a parent who is 100% – such as my own – have a right to be free from tribal government jurisdiction. Even individuals of 100% heritage have a right to be free of tribal government interference in their lives and families – if that is what they choose.

So do we feel angry? Yup.

Is there a Christian purpose and righteousness in that anger? Absolutely.

– “And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.” (Mark 10:13-16 ESV)

Having raised nine tribal members, five of whom are my birth children, and seen much tragedy, child abuse, sexual abuse, suicide, and other horrors on more than a few reservations – and having an advisory board and membership of parents who have raised, adopted and witnessed the same – we know far too much about tribal governments seeking children for the federal dollars, then showing little or no interest in what happens to them once they have been “retrieved” for the tribe and placed with a member. We won’t be bullied or intimidated.

We have known of far too many kids abused in ICWA homes, and some even murdered.

(Don’t even try to argue that point with me; I had been an ICWA approved home myself for 17 years. I know how little the tribal social services paid attention.)

So, concerning this particular case, in summary – for those who are flabbergasted that we would not be supporting the father – understand this: from the get-go,

1) Mr. Brown has been seen as an extremely selfish man.

2) The Cherokee Nation has been seen as an extremely selfish organization – using this child as a political pawn.

What appalls us is that not only were Mr. Brown and the Cherokee Nation willing to hurt this child deeply the first time a transfer took place – by taking her without any concern for her need of a transition – but even worse, Mr. Brown and the Cherokee Nation are now willing to do it to her a 2nd time.

How in the world are we expected to sympathize with people who do that?

https://caicw.org/2013/09/01/taking-veronica-from-a-loving-father/

Elizabeth Sharon Morris is Chairwoman of the Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare, columnist for Women’s Voices Magazine, and author of ‘Dying in Indian Country.’ http://dyinginindiancountry.com a dramatic true story of transformation and hope.

  9 Responses to “Why Are Some Not Supporting this Father’s Purported Rights?”

  1. I am from Michigan and my son whom is Native American, has had his son for over a year, after the mother, who is also Native American, decided that she was done taking a vacation from parenthood she used the tribe and the ICWA to come to another state and snatch the boy out of school. Now the tribe has issued a suspension of parental rights and he can’t call or see his son…Under the Federal Child Custody Act, , his son should be a resident of the state she abducted him from, but the tribe is using it’s tribal lawyers against him…he is a member, but has not ever lived on the reservation…his girlfriend left Wisconsin and sought shelter on the reservation….I am heart broken, who can help him…

    • Please email us or message us on facebook. We might be able to help find a good attorney – and we will most definitely add your son and grandson to our prayers.

  2. The article states that Veronica is 1.12% Cherokee. Do the Capobiancos have 1% heritage of any kind? Articles that state the child is Caucasian/Hispanic, typically provide no supporting documentation. Can anyone prove factually that the child is causasian? It is hypocritical that Indians are required to prove their heritage, but caucasians have the privilege of simply making a statement and having it viewed as fact.

    • LOL – All Caucasians have family trees – just as any heritage does. But you will need to complain to the tribe and BIA about the pedigreeing of humans. They are the ones that came up with that system. Not us. “Typically provide no supportive documentation.” LOL – thanks for making my day. I will be laughing about that for quite awhile. If she is only 1.12% Cherokee (which is documented by the tribal government) and it is documented that her maternal grandfather is 100% Latino – and that the maternal grandmother is what so many people like to call “White” – and Dusten Brown is documented to be 97% “White” – can you do the math? Veronica is 74% “White” if you prefer that term over the correct term “Caucasian” (We don’t call Native Americans “brown people” or “Red people”)

      • It must be a laughable question if you have the facts, but without substantive fact-based references, do readers just have to accept these statements as true? The blog entry indicates one grandparent is Latino – where can more specific info documenting the Latino heritage be found? Just doing the math means that the remainder is something other than Cherokee and Latino. The blog entry doesn’t indicate how it has been determined that the remainder is Caucasian. Couldn’t the remainder could be Asian, African, Semitic or anything else? Could you provide more information on the Caucasian part of the family tree?

        • If you don’t want to believe what both parents and the tribe attest to – you are free to go look for documentation. No one is stopping you. Do a little investigative work and prove the rest of the world wrong.

  3. Wonderfully written. I have been trying to get Cherokee DB supporters to understand that by the CN and DB pushing ICWA where it shouldn’t apply, will inadvertently cause the dismantling of ICWA. More and more people are talking. The majority of my friends knew nothing of ICWA until this case and they are questioning it. In the end, when everyone is in an uproar about the dismantling of ICWA, I will be sure to direct them all to talk to CN.

  4. Thank you for your topic. Finally, someone speaks the truth. Coming from a family that has strong Native American ties, it is hard to become enrolled into the tribe, unless you are Cherokee. Thank you for being a parent to those that were hurt by those that they trusted the most. 🙂

  5. Thank you for this simplistic breakdown. The lines on this case have been so blurred and so many different sprins are coming out of it with the main point being “the white people are stealing indian children”…which is SO offensive.

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