Walela: Fake Cherokee Sisters Sing Their Way to Stardom
The group Walela, which includes Rita Coolidge is not a Cherokee group. None of the three members are enrolledin any Federally recognized Cherokee tribe and do not have an ancestor on the Cherokee Dawes rolls.
The Department of Interior and Bureau of Indian affairs issue CDIB cards to tribal members who can provethey are on a tribal roll, or who have an ancestor on a tribal roll. In this particular case, Rita Coolidge,her sister and her niece do not have that proof and are unable to gain membership in any of the three federallyrecognized Cherokee tribes.
Coolidge has also posted on http://www.walela.com in her bio, that her family was the only Indian familyin her neighborhood, then says they grew up on the reservation in Tennessee. That is impossible for tworeasons.
1) Indians live on reservations, so her family could not have been the only Indian family on the rez.
2) There is no reservation in Tennesse, Cherokee or otherwise.
Rita Coolidge has been caught in a lie again just like many other wannabes selling their music as Cherokeeor Native American.
It's time we stopped supporting these wannabes and time for tribal leaders to quit placing them on pedastals.They are creating a wannabe monopoly on film industry by getting their songs into movie soundtracks, beingbooked at Native events and even stealing Native American Music Awards which are earmarked for Native Americanartists.
Ask Rita which tribe she is enrolled in. I guarantee you she will not answer your email or phone call becauseshe is not a Cherokee or a tribal member!
Mary Youngblood, another recording artist and grammy winner, is not a member of any tribe either. She even gets around the law (Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990) by using the words "Native American Style Flutes" on her website http://www.maryyoungblood.com
Now you tell me, why these so-called Native Americans are not members of any tribe, federally or state=recognized and why they use the words "Native Style" instead of Native American.
They have been deceiving the public for far too long.
Walela even told a large audience before they sang "Amazing Grace" that it was the Cherokee National Anthem which is another lie.
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Totally agree. I am not Native, but saw both Coolidge and B St, Marie in person several times and was offended by their appropriation of Native regalia. They both wore feathers, beads, and fringe and had dyed their hair dark black. BSM even wore heavy orangey-brown face paint. They were like characatures. I knew BSM lied because her story changed so often, but I did not know that Coolidge lied about her upbringing until I read this piece.
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