David Cornsilk facts for kids

David Cornsilk is an expert in finding out about family histories, also known as a genealogist. He is a citizen of both the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. He also helped manage an online news website called the Cherokee Observer.

In the 1990s, he started the Cherokee National Party. This group aimed to make the Cherokee Nation a stronger political power. Even while working as a store clerk, he took on big challenges. He argued cases in the Cherokee Nation's highest court, even though he wasn't a lawyer. He had previously worked for the Cherokee Nation. He also worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is a U.S. government agency that works with Native American tribes. David Cornsilk also has his own business helping people with their family research. He ran for the top leadership position, Principal Chief, in the 2023 Cherokee Nation principal chief election. He did not win, and Chuck Hoskin Jr. remained the Principal Chief.

Supporting Cherokee Freedmen

David Cornsilk has been a strong supporter of the Cherokee Freedmen. These are descendants of formerly enslaved people who were freed by the Cherokee Nation. In 1866, a treaty with the United States made them citizens of the Cherokee Nation.

Cornsilk believes the Cherokee Nation should include these descendants. He thinks the Nation needs to be a strong political group. He also believes it should honor its promises to the Freedmen descendants. He has said that all Cherokee citizens should be thankful to the Freedmen. This is because the Freedmen helped show that Cherokee citizenship is based on legal agreements, not just bloodlines.

However, he also believes that Cherokee citizens should decide who can be a citizen. He thought that changes to the constitution about citizenship should be voted on by the people. He did not agree with the tribal court making these changes on its own.

Other Work and Views

David Cornsilk was a delegate at the 1999 Cherokee Nation Constitutional Convention. This was a meeting to help write the rules for the Cherokee Nation's government.

In 2015, Cornsilk was one of many Indigenous writers who spoke about Andrea Smith. She was a professor who claimed to be Cherokee. Cornsilk said that being Cherokee is based on being recognized by other Cherokee people. He explained that the Cherokee people have very good records of their families. He could not find any records to show that Andrea Smith had Cherokee ancestors. Smith had hired Cornsilk to research her family tree. Later, others revealed that she had no Native American ancestors. This led Cornsilk to speak publicly about his research for her.

See Also

• Cherokee freedmen controversy
• Chuck Hoskin Jr.
• Wilma Mankiller