Disconnected, insensitive and our own worst enemy

We Cherokees have a difficult time gaining respect from members of other Indian Nations. Do you know why? Because sometimes our people are so disconnected and so insensitive, they think they can do whatever they want and get away with it. 

The At Large Cherokees have a difficult time gaining respect from the "At Home" Cherokees that live in the 14 county service area of the Cherokee Nation. Do you know why? Because sometimes the At Large Cherokees are so disconnected and so insensitive, they think they can do whatever they want and get away with it. 

Guess what. You can't. Cherokees, both At Home and At Large, are tired of some of our people doing things that bring dishonor and shame to our nation. We can and will hold those who represent our nation, in any official way, accountable.

Below are clips from photos posted on the Colorado Cherokee Circle Facebook page. The Colorado Cherokee Circle is one of our Cherokee Nation affiliated At Large groups. 

 A description of the group from their page on the Cherokee Nation website:

"The Colorado Cherokee Circle is a community of Cherokees dedicated to Cherokee history, culture, heritage, tradition, and fellowship."

Excuse me, but can anyone from that group explain to me what is historically, culturally, or traditionally Cherokee about a person dressed as Santa "ho ho hoing" around in a war bonnet? This is embarrassing for a number of reasons, but for starters:

• Cherokees never wore war bonnets. If you want to honor our culture, don't do it. 
• Just because we are an Indian Nation doesn't mean we have the right to appropriate other Indian Nations' culture, especially in a frivolous, idiotic way. Have some respect!  
• Since when is "Santa Claus" supposed to be an Indian? Last I heard, he was a fat white guy in a red suit!

Apparently, while American Indians all over the US have been speaking out against stereotypes, cultural appropriation and Indian mascots, the Colorado Circle Cherokees were too busy to notice. I'm sure the people had fun at this party, but their appropriation and mishmash of other cultures' traditions for their own enjoyment is unacceptable.

Sometimes we Cherokees are our own worst enemy. This is one of those times. In no way, shape or form did this At Large group celebrate the traditions, culture, history or heritage of our Nation. Enough is enough. Repeatedly we've seen problems with the At Large groups. We have wannabes running them and playing Indian and we have real Cherokees acting like wannabes playing Indian. It's time to clean these groups up or get rid of them. Personally, I'm tired of people thinking they represent me, my family and my nation because they don't.

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.





*Note: If you are a member of another At Large community that finds my opinion upsetting or a threat to your group, then stand up against the groups that are not just making our nation look bad, but your community look bad as well (people At Home think of all At Large as one group.) I'm not a threat to you, but the poorly run groups are. Demand they clean their act up.

copyright 2014, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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Cherokees Demand Truth from Carolyn Emerson Durvin (aka Little Deer Durvin)

Carolyn Emerson Durvin (aka Little Deer Durvin) claims she is Eastern Band Cherokee.

On her facebook page, as of 5/21/2013, she says,

But she isn't from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina. Call them. Ask. I assure you, they have no one by the names Little Deer Durvin, Carolyn Emerson, Carolyn Emerson Durvin, Carolyn Durvin, etc...enrolled. This has been verified more than once by fellow Cherokees.

According to the definition at Merrian-Webster, a fraud is a person who is not what he or she pretends to be.

Carolyn Emerson Durvin (aka Little Deer Durvin) pretends to be Eastern Band Cherokee but she isn't. Therefore, she is a fraud.

This is not one of those cases of one saying, "I'm Cherokee but can't prove it." This is worse because she outright claims to be Eastern Band Cherokee KNOWING she isn't.

In 2010, she was presented a blanket from then Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Chad Smith.

From an article about the blanket dated October 13, 2010, Durvin is described as Eastern Band Cherokee. But, less than one month earlier, in an Ancestry.com message board post, she was looking for help with her "Cherokee ancestry". And two years later, in another message board post, her husband was still trying to help her connect to her "Cherokee ancestors." This means that, as of 2012, Carolyn Emerson Durvin, knew she still had nothing to connect her to the historical Cherokee Nation, but she continued claiming to be Eastern Band Cherokee.

To make matters worse, the woman has engrained herself into the Cherokee Nation At Large communities and fooled at least two of our Principal Chiefs of the Cherokee Nation, Chad Smith and Bill John Baker, by claiming to be Eastern Band. If she would have claimed to be a Cherokee Nation Cherokee, she would have opened herself up to their inquiries about her citizenship. I guess she couldn't risk that, so she went with something she saw as more "safe." Of course her lies started to unfold when, in November 2011, Durvin used words that would make it seem as if she was a citizen of the Cherokee Nation (instead of the Eastern Band) by using the word "our" as in OUR people and OUR new principal chief. I guess Miss Eastern Band Cherokee forgot Bill John Baker was elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, not the Eastern Band!

Check out the pictures of her with our chiefs and current deputy chief. Doesn't it just make you sick?

In another interesting turn, though Carolyn Emerson Durvin claims to be Eastern Band Cherokee, a few months ago, on a Facebook page for Deputy Chief Joe Crittenden, when a real Cherokee asked her, "Are you a citizen of the Cherokee Nation?" instead of claiming to be Eastern Band, or simply saying "no", she said,

"My 6 great grandmother was Elizabeth Pack the daughter of Chief John Lowery. She was on the Trail of Tears. I lived back in North Carolina and Va for the first 13 years of my life until I moved to Ca. with my first husband. I have been in Ca. for over 45 years now. My mother just passed away a little over a year ago. I just received this information about my family after my mother passed. My father's side of the family also has Cherokee heritage. I am working on becoming a citizen of the Cherokee Nation." [emphasis mine.]

 

Click to enlarge

While I'm sure Durvin thought that was a good answer, it backfired. You see, we Cherokees are used to the type of answers fakes give when questioned. They beat around the bush and avoid a simple answer of yes or no. Also, we knew she had previously claimed to be Eastern Band Cherokee. If she was already enrolled with them, why dig to try to register with us? She was fumbling for an answer and her lies caught up with her. Also, Elizabeth Pack is well documented and she only had two children. Durvin claims to be Cherokee through Isham Pack, but he was not a child of the Cherokee Elizabeth Pack. After a short debate on the topic of her purported Cherokee ancestry, Durvin deleted all her comments from the page.* 

Durvin isn't registered or enrolled as a Cherokee. She can't even prove she has Cherokee ancestry.  But for some reason, she believes she has the right to get up in Cherokee business, running an At Large group and rubbing elbows with our tribal leaders. She goes into her community and misrepresents herself as Cherokee. She even claims to be an Eastern Band Cherokee storyteller and goes to schools and community groups sharing what she says are our stories and legends! Fakes and wannabes, like Durvin, wiggling their way into our At Large groups is why real Cherokees are now leaving those groups. They are tired of wannabes thinking they know best and that they should be in charge of everything.

Enough is enough. Ms. Carolyn Emerson Durvin, aka Little Deer Durvin, has gotten on the last nerve of many authentic Cherokees. Either she is Eastern Band Cherokee and can prove it or she is a fraud who has been deceiving a lot of people for a long time.

Cherokees Demand Truth from you, Carolyn Emerson Durvin. Put up or shut up. You want your genealogy? We got your genealogy, and guess what...........

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.





*Several Cherokees made screen prints before the comments were deleted so we could show the inconsistencies in her story. We have been watching her for a while, well aware that she is not what she claims to be.

copyright 2013, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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