This perspective is grounded in a long history of persecution, displacement and massacre. Over many decades of United States history, the government took the land of Native American tribes, including the Cherokee, and pushed them steadily west. President Andrew Jackson’s policies, continued under Martin Van Buren, forced the Cherokee into their current territory in Oklahoma in the Trail of Tears during 1838 and 1839. Administration after administration signed treaties with tribes and then violated them. It was not until the 1930s that tribes gained the sovereignty they now have on their reservations.
The Eastern Band Cherokee’s statement was supportive of Ms. Warren, saying that she “has not used her family story or evidence of Native ancestry to gain employment or other advantage” and that she “demonstrates respect for tribal sovereignty by acknowledging that tribes determine citizenship and respecting the difference between citizenship and ancestry.” It also listed Native-friendly bills she had supported in the Senate.