Poll Shows Cherokees Do Not Support Cherokee Chief Joe Byrd

Information Provided by the Cherokee Press Association

Cherokee Press Association
Press Release
September 11, 1997

SURVEY RESULTS SHOW OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF CHEROKEES
DO NOT SUPPORT CHEROKEE CHIEF JOE BYRD & HIS COUNCILS ACTIONS.

The following survey was initiated by Barry Thomas an undergraduate student with the Office of Minority Affairs–Retention Services Ohio State University.

Thomas felt that a poll was needed to find out where the majority of Cherokee stood regarding the Cherokee Nation leadership and subsequent actions that evolved into what has become known as the Cherokee Nation Crisis. The results are as follows:

Total number of respondents: 1605 (to date)
Total number of Cherokee respondents: 1195
Total number registered to vote in CNO: 735
(several more indicated that they will be registering soon)
Total number of male respondents: 728 (45.4%)
Total number of female respondents:877 (54.6%)

1. I support the actions of Principal Chief Joe Byrd.

86.7% DISAGREE 7.8% Unsure 5.5% Agree

2. I believe the termination of the Cherokee Marshals was an appropriate and justified act.

92.3% DISAGREE 7.2% Unsure .5% Agree

3. I believe that Principal Chief Joe Byrd should recognize the Judicial Appeals Tribunal’s reinstatement of the Cherokee Marshals.

0.0% Disagree 6.4% Unsure 93.6% AGREE

4. I believe that the impeachment of the Judicial Appeals Tribunal was an appropriate and justified act.

83.1% DISAGREE 16.8% Unsure .1% Agree

5. I believe that Principal Chief Joe Byrd should recognize the Judicial Appeals Tribunal as a valid tribal court.

1.3% Disagree 7.2% Unsure 91.5% AGREE

6. I believe the Byrd administration has consistently upheld the Cherokee Constitution.

79.1% DISAGREE 20.9% Unsure 0.0% Agree

7. I believe that it was appropriate and necessary to invite the Bureau of Indian Affairs into the Nation to assume Cherokee law enforcement duties.

94.0% DISAGREE 5.0% Unsure 1.0% Agree

8. I believe that the actions of BIA and other outside law enforcement personnel have been appropriate and justified.

91.8% DISAGREE 7.3% Unsure 0.9% Agree

9. I believe that Chief Joe Byrd’s performance of his official duties has been excellent.

90.5% DISAGREE 9.5% Unsure 0.0% Agree

10. I plan to vote for Joe Byrd in the next election.

93.1% DISAGREE 6.9% Unsure 0.0% Agree

More responses from CA are due in. Some correspondence received indicates some people would like to help by distributing the surveys at pow-wows and other functions around the country.

So far, the majority of the sample was taken during the holiday in Tahlequah (random opportunity sample at the courthouse and the heritage center–also the Murrell House) so anyone that was at the holiday had the opportunity to complete a survey (cuts down on selection bias), other respondents range from Oregon and California on the west coast to NY and Baltimore on the east coast.

The majority of the respondents were Cherokee and the majority of the non-Cherokee respondents were white from NE Oklahoma. The age range of respondents ran from 20 to 87 years-of-age.

The survey contained some basic demographic questions (age, sex, tribal affiliation, etc.) along with ten forced choice opinion questions on the crisis–the responses were on a 7-point Likert-type scale ranging from Very Strongly Disagree (1) to Very Strongly Agree (7). If you need a more professional description, I can put it in journal “Data and Measures” and “Results” format if requested.

Wado, Barry

Barry Thomas
Email: bthomas@postoffice.chrr.ohio-state.edu
Office of Minority Affairs–Retention Services
Ohio State University