By: Grace Lauver

Grace Lauver — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 14:57:35 +0000

I am an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and currently live in Illinois with hopes of moving back to help my siblings as we are all getting older. My siblings have been taught to work hard and make their own way thanks to our mom who never had the benefit of social programs. Unlike now, we had no College option, join the Military or start a family. My mom took her eight children off the “reservation” to try and make a better life. She waitressed and showed us a work ethic, gave us responsibilities to keep our household running while she worked at whatever job she could find. Eventually she took us back to the boundary so we could graduate from Cherokee High School. Mom has since passed but has left a legacy for her family in that we still want to work together and hang out together and build each other up. My older sisters currently run their own businesses on the boundary and still struggle with making ends meet due helping other family members make their ends meet. They continue to make the most amazing pottery, beadwork and baskets. My brother still runs our small family campground and breaks even generally. Again, it is not making him rich, he has just got use to maintaining it. (If he is lucky he may catch the overflow from the Yogi Bear Campground down the road).
He spend his Per Cap Money repairing buildings and old pipes at the Campground. My point is that theirs are some of the better circumstances there on the boundary, but from looking in on the other side, they are barely above the national poverty level. This money could have potentially put them in a more even playing field.

Contrary to popular belief, those Big Per Capital checks didn’t make anyone rich. I’m thankful for them though, they have supplemented people’s income and have helped pay my taxes many a year.
So my question was, why pay $250 Million on a long-term investment in this current environment? And possibly another $120 million from Endowment funds? With a 25% return rate with possible caps on this revenue? We would have two out of five board members seated at are table? (Which could be overturned in future)? I read the article in One Feather Newspaper about Kituwah LLC’s mission to look into diversifying the Tribes investments as to not get caught relying on the Casinos. I’m not a lawyer but why move s so quickly based on their deadlines? I’m having flashbacks of our government passing the bill before reading it. Something about too many pages. Can we slow down here? I couldn’t help thinking back a couple of years trying to make sence of a boatload of money being invested in a Data Center. I still can’t figure out what happened to that investment! Anyone?
Can we acknowledge that we are in a different place than a year ago? People need help now.

This money could have made a difference now and for many generations to come… and yes, you would have the people who will use their money unwisely, human nature right. Again, we are living in unprecedented times. I just want to tell you about my older sister who has served her community, her country, and several terms in Tribal Council. She has benefited from available programs for enrolled members but even that has limitations (one-time help programs, long waiting lists).
I have watched her struggle to help her family, make repairs on her own aging home, try to keep her small business stocked with inventory. She is currently trying to rehab a place for her sisters to have a meeting place and do art classes but can’t afford a new roof or take care of ongoing mold issues. She calls this place the Common House. Boy, if they could have used that Indiana Casino investment money to help people like her right.

I am proud of the tribe taking for taking care of their members and prioritizing healthcare, education, and all the many necessary programs before giving to the enrolled members. When my mom was alive she was so proud of how the tribe took care of her, she would say “boyyyy, they sure take good care of us, they get us the best heart doctors in the country”. She couldn’t get over it and I’ve always loved how the tribe honors its elders. Honor them now.
EBCI leaders, if it’s not too late, please reconsider this money would be better served in this time and place to help your people pay off cars, credit cards,needed home repairs, and general cost of living. But mostly this would give our families a little piece of mind while stimulating the economy and small business on the boundary and benefiting businesses outside the boundary as well. EBCI leaders, Again, if it’s not too late, do we really need to invest that kind of money on a gamble for the future… or help your people now!

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By: Grace Lauver