Five prominent Oklahoma- based tribe officials are demanding an apology from the Atlanta Braves. On June 29, the Atlanta Braves celebrated “Georgia Tribe Night” and leaders of the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Tribes were not happy.
Theleadersannouncedon July 23 that they passed a resolution to request an apology from the Major League Baseball team for “honoring fraudulent groups that pose as tribes without federal recognition”. They also said the Braves urged the team to conduct “meaningful consultations” with federally recognized tribes on “how to properly engage with Native Americans.”
The Council is composed of leaders from the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole Nations and represents approximately 815,000 Indigenous citizens nationwide.
Asocialmediapostiswhat landed the MLB team in hot water with the Council. They posted on X that the team was ““honored to welcome representatives from Native American groups in the state of Georgia, including the Georgia Council on American Indian Concerns, the Cherokee of Georgia Tribal Council, the Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee and the Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe.”
Eventhoughthereare574 federally recognized tribes and Alaska Natives tribes, the three tribes mentioned by the Braves are not on that list. They are state-recognized by the Georgia Council on American Indian Concerns. The Cherokee Nation, United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina are.
The Cherokee Nation principal chief, Chuck Hoskin, Jr., called the action of the Braves “offensive” and “tone deaf at a minimum.”
Hoskin already takes offense with how the MLB team depicts Native American culture with their fans’ use of the “Tomahawk chop.” Many claim the MLB team’s name,the“Tomahawkchop” and fake battle cry are offensive to Indigenous groups and advocates and that it supports racist stereotypes.
Hoskin said that hosting the tribe night and refusing to change the team’s seemingly offensive name showcases the team’s indifference onissuesimportanttoNative communities.
“What the crowd is not understanding is that in doing so (promoting these groups), the Atlanta Braves are offending actual Indian tribes that represent actual Indians that have an actual demonstrable history of suffering with the state of Georgia,” Hoskin said. “But I think in doing so, they misplaced their resources and efforts. If they really wanted some healing, they know where to find us.”
The Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee council chair Rhonda Bennett said she doesn’t feel as if they did anything wrong.
“We are honored for the recognition,” Bennett, who also serves on the Georgia Council on American Indian Concerns, said.
Bennett said the tribe’s ancestors remained in North Georgia even after the forced removal of the Cherokee to Oklahoma Territory, and they have been fighting for federal recognition for almost 45 years. They were denied because they couldn’t prove they assembled after the removal. Bennett said that Tribal citizens faced prison time, expulsion to Oklahoma or death if they violated a state law banning assembly.
Bennett said she hopes that one day she and Hoskin canmeetandtalkaboutwhat unites them and their shared Cherokee heritage.