Your own investigation into Ward Churchill

Ward Churchill, the Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, claims to be a member of an Indiana tribe. Mr Churchill may have been building a career, using as one pillar, his Indian ancestry.

It is reported the keetoowah Indiana Tribe gave Ward Churchill an “associate membership” prior to 1996 when the associate memberships were revoked due to “abuse” according to the tribe. President Bill Clinton has an associate membership to the Keetoowah tribe and may be just as Indian as Ward Churchill.

It would be interesting to know what other individuals interviewed for the Assistant Professorship position Mr Churchill was granted in 1990. At some point, those who hired him as professor made a judgement about Mr. Churchill and the others interviewing and decided Mr. Churchill was more qualified, or possibly represented something the university wanted at the time. Having an Indian professor sure looked nice for the university. Who was passed up for this post in favor of Ward Churchill? I hope these people come forward soon.

Ward Churchill Exploits Indians
By David YeagleyFrontPageMagazine.com February 28, 2005
(excerpts)
“…Ironically, today, the Cherokee Nation has no blood quantum requirements for membership. To be recognized as a member, one proves genetic relations with someone who was in fact enrolled during the 1899-1906 census. That is the sole requirement. This is why there are so many “white” people who are members of the Cherokee Nation today, and why many real Indians are not. It was all about law and land.

Interestingly, Ward Churchill never sought membership in the Cherokee Nation. Though he claims his mother was Cherokee, she apparently wasn’t on the 1899-1906 rolls. The Keetoowah Band of Cherokee however, a separate and federally recognized group (as of 1950), offered Churchill a chance to make good his claim. Although their membership requirement was enrollment on the 1949 lists, which Churchill and family apparently weren’t, the Keetoowah were issuing “honorary” tribal membership cards in the 1990’s, and Churchill got his then, the same year Bill Clinton got one. John Ross, chief at the time, later decided the program was inadvisable, and in 1996, all such memberships were revoked, and the records were destroyed. This, according to Keetoowah tribal employee Marilyn Craig, is the state of affairs.”

Churchill's membership in tribe honorary only
By Stuart Steers,Rocky Mountain News February 4, 2005
“The former chairman of the Keetoowah band of Cherokee Indians says University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill was given an honorary membership that required no proof of Cherokee heritage.

John Ross led the tribe for several years in the 1990s. He says the Keetoowah established an "associate member" program to recognize friends of the tribe.
"If somebody helped out in a certain way, to honor them they'd give them an associate membership," Ross said Thursday. "There were 300 or 400 associate members."
Former President Clinton also was given an honorary membership in the tribe.

Ward Churchill Information;
Everything known about Ward Churchill to date seems to be at Answers.com
http://www.answers.com/topic/ward-churchill