Copyright © 2000 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

TAHLEQUAH, OK — Another week, another group claiming to be a Cherokee nation. Robin Mayes and a small group of followers claim to be the "real" Cherokee Nation and plan to open illegal smoke shops and sell invalid car tags.

"It seems like these groups are just crawling out of the woodwork," said Troy Wayne Poteet, a former Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma Council Member. "There are almost 220 of them out there. If Mayes’ group weren’t breaking laws, we wouldn’t pay any attention to them at all."

A member of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s office has been quoted saying that people found driving cars with the invalid tags could be towed and ordered not to drive without valid tags.

Mayes’ group has opened a post office box and solicited donations of money under the name Cherokee Nation, and sent letters to the Oklahoma Tax Commission and Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior, claiming that his group is the legitimate Cherokee Nation. This group has also has issued coins, which they claim are the official currency of the Cherokee Nation, have what they call an official Cherokee Nation web site, and issue membership cards from their bogus “tribe” which are imprinted with the seal of the Cherokee Nation.

"They are making misleading claims and have plans to operate as a government by authorizing and opening smoke shops," said Julian Fite, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma General Counsel. "They can’t do that any more than the Rotary Club can."

"Mayes’ group is preying on unsuspecting people and trying to convince them that he represents a real government when that is far from true," Fite added.

People associated with Mayes are already distancing themselves from his group. Paul Thomas, Ben Shoemake and Jasper Swake, three people that Mayes claims are on the board of governors of his small group, deny that they are currently involved.

In fact, Robin Mayes only recently decided that his group is the "real" Cherokee Nation. Mayes has acknowledged the legitimacy of Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma's tribal courts as recently as February 1999, when he was the plaintiff in a case before the CNO's Judicial Appeals Tribunal. In a 1995 JAT case, Mayes filed papers with the court stating that he is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and "operates under the control of a constitution adopted by the Cherokee people in 1976."

In past Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma elections, Mayes has supported several unsuccessful candidates for office, supporting Dwight Birdwell and then Joe Byrd in 1999, George Wickliffe in 1995, and the co-chair of his current group, Art Nave, in 1991. Nave also operated an illegal smoke shop and gas station which was later shut down by the State of Oklahoma.

"Mayes has been involved in Cherokee Nation [CNO] politics, he used to work here, but now he’s not happy, so he’s decided to start his own tribe," said Fite. "Things just don’t work that way."

"It’s just disturbing to see them undermine the sacrifices our ancestors made for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma," said Richard Allen, senior research and policy analyst for the CNO.

Mayes’ group’s activities come only a few weeks after a group of people who aren’t members of the Cherokee Nation, the so-called "Southern Cherokee Nation", made claims to gaming rights in Oklahoma and South Carolina. State officials assured local residents in these states that the group was not a legitimate tribe, and the group has abandoned its efforts to open gaming facilities for the time being.

"There’s always going to be a group out there trying to scam people," said Fite. "I just hate it when they use the name Cherokee to do it."

When seeking authentic information about tribal culture, history, traditions, genealogy and government, the public should carefully look into claims made by groups that are not recognized by the federal government, especially those that claim to represent an Indian tribe or a Cherokee Nation. For further information with regard to dispelling myths and exposing frauds, contact the Cherokee Nation of Okalhoma or the Bureau of Indian Affairs for a list of legitimate nations, tribes and bands.