The 2011 Cherokee War in Alabama

     This story didn't get a lot of attention here in Alabama when it broke ten days ago, though the topics of slavery and Native American tribes would seem to make it relevant in Alabama, especially since the Cherokee Nation played a significant role in state history.
     The Cherokee tribal government has sent letters to thousands of its members, expelling them from the tribe, because the membership of those "freedmen" was based on their ancestors being held as slaves by Cherokee members before the Civil War.

     The U.S. expelled the Cherokees from Alabama ("The Trail of Tears"), but before that, the tribe had extensive land holdings in Northeast Alabama.
     The tribe is still active in that part of the state.
     As a result of the tribe's action involving the Freedmen, HUD has halted federal housing assistance to Cherokee tribal members.