From Staff Reports 

An address on“Cherokee Sovereignty: Issues and Institutions” by Mitchell Hicks, principle chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, drew a large turnout of more than 150 people April 11 at UNC Asheville’s Highsmith University Union Alumni Hall.

Upon his introduction, Hicks garnered enthused applause from the crowd. “Thank you, guys. What a great crowd,” especially for a sunny, balmy midday.

“I’ve got a historian, a CPA and a member of the media sitting here, so I’m going to try to put everything very precisely,.” Hicks said, prompting laughter from the audiece.

“I am married and have five children from ages 5 to 18. My oldest daughter is (enrolled) at University of Tennessee. They’re talking about bringing a native American sorority to UT.”

With a note of pride, Hicks said, “One of the chancellors of Wake Forest (University) was a member of the Cherokee Nation. He was there for 10 to 12 years.”

Hicks pointed out that “I’m in my third fourth-year term. It’s nonpartisan politics. However, any of you who have ever been involved in (such things) know that it’s the most brutal politics.”

He added that “those who are from a small town know that everything you say is picked up on.”

What’s more, Hicks said, “I’m a CPA by trade. I’m with a firm out of New York City. I spend a great deal of time traveling. We focus on the apparel industry. I was fortunate to be the auditor for my own tribe.

“How many of you have been to Cherokee? (Many hands were raised.) How many of you visited Cherokee 20 years ago? (Fewer hands).  It’s changed a lot, hasn’t it?

“We have 4,600 employees. We have a hospital, police department, EMS, child care and a gaming facility. We’ve created diverse opportunities for our people. Even if you have moral problems with gambling ... we have about 125 tribal programs... Over time, things become more complicated.

“The work I have to do in Raleigh is very important. Being a sovereign nation, being an Indian nation, there’s a lot of rights that have to be preserved.”

Hiks noted that the Cherokee was officially recognized in 1858, at least from a federal perspective. “You can laugh, if you want,” he said.

“Anybody have any idea of how many federally recognized Cherokee tribes there are in the U.S.? He said there are three, including the Eastern Band, which is the strongest with 18,000 members.

“You wouldn’t believe how many people even in Raleigh don’t know” that the Eastern Band exists in WNC. He added that there are 567 federal recognized Native American tribes in the U.S.

“Going back to self-determination... We also have resources. We do receive some federal funds through grants for contracts.... Like with many tribes, our biggest resource right now is gaming,” which he termed a legal right that began in 1988.

“If gaming is OK in the state you live in, as long as you have a contract with the state, you can have gaming on the tribal land. (We share a small portion of that with the state of North Carolina. Right or wrong, in any business situation, there’s going to be some negotiation going on. In California, especially, they (the tribers) are giving more to the state than they probably should. We tried to make sure” that that was not the case in North Carolina.

A woman asked if the federal government has criteria one has to comply with to qualify for the benefits accruing to a Cherokee Indian.

“There are well over 230 groups who claimed to be Cherokee descent,” Hicks replied. “There may be some Cherokee descent there, but to be in a tribe is a privilege. … What makes a tribe – it’s a privilege. The difference is it’s a specific criteria.”

In answer to another question, Hicks said, “There’s a battle every day protecting who we are as a sovereign nation. Then there’s some people who don’t respect our sovereignty. Some people want to tax things we do. We’re in a protection mode all of the time. I spend much time in Raleigh and D.C., protecting” the tribe.

A young woman asked, “Do you share profits” with fellow Cherokees?

“Yes, maam, we do share the profits,” Hicks replied. “Fifty percent is sent out to the members and the other 50 percent to tribal management, including hospital, schools” and other operations.