Notice

It has been brought to my attention that there is a web sight titled

"Chickamauga or Western Cherokee"

that is soliciting Green family members to enroll in a newly formed group calling themselves the "Green Band." Included in the web sight under the heading of "background" is an alleged testimony by a Scott Anderson, also, calling himself Blue Otter.

Much of the information allegedly authored by Mr. Anderson is erroneous. For any part that is true, he displays no knowledge that has not been previously published by me concerning our Northern Cherokee history and the Green family of Cherokees.

The group purports to be seceding from the Northern Cherokee Nation of the Old Louisiana Territory and other splinter groups for traditional reasons. There is no evidence in the web sight that they were ever a part of us.

Like groups who have broken away from the original Northern Cherokee Nation and/or have been formed by the inspiration of the existence of the same, this one again is evidently trying to nibble away at the membership of the Northern Cherokee Nation of the Old Louisiana Territory.

For example, he says they are breaking away for traditional reasons, and I would venture to say that the authors of this web sight have no idea of our Green family traditions. In his list of chiefs, Benjamin Franklin Green is wrong. Benjamin "Franklin" Green was not the father of James Green. The middle name is erroneous.

Benjamin Green, James Green and John Harvey Neal were my direct ancestors, and I am very aware of their tradition, which values we follow closely today.

Isn't it ironic that those who wish to break away from us, attempt to display continuity to the old nation through the ancestral leaders of those whom they are allegedly trying to break away from. These groups evidently are not aware that they can never attain federal recognition by using our ancestral leaders. If they are legitimate Cherokees, they must do the research to find their own bonified leaders, and not piggy back on us.

I am not aware of a Scott Anderson on our membership roll; he certainly has never taken a leadership roll or assumed a role of influence among the original Northern Cherokees. This appears to me to be no more than another Indian membership-card mill which, like others, may be to only get funds for a card, identifying one as a Cherokee, but doing no research of genealogy to affirm such to be true.

It would be nice if all these groups who know nothing about us, yet try to steal away our identify and history, would at least come and learn something about us, so that instead of having 100 fragramented groups, we could be united again into a great nation.

Beverly Baker-Northup
Principal Chief
Northern Cherokee Nation Old Louisiana Territory
Jan. 4, 2001