Promoting Ancient Rights

Support for Thunderbolt Tsikamagi National Recognition by State of Kentucky

    Wednesday, 18 March, 2015, Steven Wall, T4781 Director out of Elkhart, IN, accompanied a tribal delegation from Elkhart, IN, to Lexington, KY, to show support for a potential decision by the Commonwealth of Kentucky to right ancient injustices by granting state recognition to Thunderbolt Tsikamagi Nation.

    The Tsikamagi trace their ancestral lands to Kentucky and Tennessee, where they have been recently granted title interests to privately held lands for the purpose of establishing a core community and tribal administrative offices, including private residences, ceremonial grounds, an administrative building, a cultural center and museum, a tribal community farm and services such as a tribal infirmary.

    While not all of the 1,500 tribal members will be able to live on the land allotments, the ability to define a geographic presence on the cultural footprint of the tribal ancestors is an important psychological asset to the diasporic people.

    Tsikamagi elders take great pride in establishing the fact that the historic chiefs were never defeated in battle and have not signed a treaty with the Federal United States government.  But, that lack of a settlement treaty has also prevented access to Federal grants, cultural privileges and rights that Federally-recognized (or “treaty”) tribes were granted in exchange for guarantees of peace, resettlement agreements or other often very one-sided, often militarily-enforced agreements.

    In seeking state recognition, the Thunderbolt Tsikamagi will not receive Federal monies, but will be better able to maintain the tribal identity, enforce efforts to prevent cultural appropriation by others, be better able to defend its citizens against abuse and discrimination, and have an established headquarters to facilitate both communication within the tribe and efforts to help state and local authorities identify, preserve, and protect the ancient Tsikamagi archeological heritage in the area.

    There has been a renewed interest by states in recognizing non-Federally recognized bands and tribes in order to encourage economic development, to extend social outreach and programming, and to better preserve an area’s historic and archeological heritage.

    T4781’s role in this process is one of providing organizational support in three key areas:  establishment and management of agricultural assets, establishment and management of farmers and ethnic craft markets, and working with other non-profits and universities to provide effective organizational support to preserve the ancient Tsikamagi narrative dialogue while communicating it effectively to future generations, and to non-Tsikamagi students, neighbors and tourists.

    T4781 has committed to help represent the tribe’s intentions in these regards to the Kentucky Native American Heritage Commission and to work with the hereditary chief in Elkhart, IN, to facilitate implementation of envisioned agricultural and traditional craftsmanship enterprises.

    Wall is working to re-establish traditional crops.  Will Lipscomb will be focusing on helping to develop and establish a marketing program for traditional handicrafts and artisanal skills.

    T4781 is also hoping to develop an expertise in these areas that could be extended to other tribes and ethnic groups.