Copyright © 2000 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

CHEROKEE, NC - The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), North Carolina held a joint council meeting last week in Cherokee, North Carolina. The two nations passed resolutions supporting increased funding for Indian health, and committed to work together on issues of common interest in Washington, D.C.

The Oklahoma area receives the lowest per capita funding from the Indian Health Service, despite the fact that Oklahoma has the more Native Americans than any other state. The Eastern Band is the third lowest funded nation in the Nashville area of the IHS. Both tribes resolved to request that congress address the funding disparities by using a need based formula to appropriate any new funds in the IHS budget.

"It's got to where people get sick and they keep getting worse before we can help them," said John Ketcher, a council member for the Cherokee Nation. "With more funding, we could practice preventative medicine and begin treating people before they start losing digits and limbs to diabetes."

Both councils also passed a resolution requesting an increase in funding for diabetes grants to $200 million a year. Native American Indians suffer from diabetes at three times the rate of non-Indians in the United States.

Another resolution indicated that the two nations might combine some of their lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. The two nations also passed a resolution re-affirming their commitment to protecting the gift of the Cherokee language.

"They pronounce some of the words a little differently, but we can understand each other," Ketcher said. "The meeting was rewarding and something that we need to do more of."