The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #168182   Message #4063678
Posted By: Stilly River Sage
10-Jul-20 - 02:33 PM
Thread Name: Calling time on Blackface Morris
Subject: RE: Calling time on Blackface Morris
Actually one more, if you don't mind: Though the Trump antics are what drew the most attention to yesterday's Supreme Court decisions, this one in the long run is far more substantial:

Supreme Court says much of eastern Oklahoma remains Indian land

The Supreme Court said Thursday that a large swath of eastern Oklahoma remains an American Indian reservation, a decision with potential implications for nearly 2?million residents and one of the most significant victories for tribal rights in years.

The land at issue contains much of Tulsa, the state’s second-largest city. The question for the court was whether Congress officially eliminated the Muscogee (Creek) Nation reservation when Oklahoma became a state in 1907.

In a 5-to-4 decision invoking the country’s long history of mistreating Native Americans, the court said “we hold the government to its word” and the land Congress promised to the Creek Nation is still Indian land.

“If Congress wishes to withdraw its promises, it must say so. Unlawful acts, performed long enough and with sufficient vigor, are never enough to amend the law,” wrote Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, who was joined by the court’s liberal justices.

Most directly, the ruling means that federal officers, not state authorities, have the power to prosecute tribal members for major crimes committed in the defined area. Less certain is how the decision affects the authority of state and city leaders when it comes to imposing taxes, zoning laws and other regulations.


Now back to Morris. Red face or black face would be fraught here in the US. Blue face seems most appropriate in the UK, but I imagine not everyone is in love with woad. Is it a throwback to the Picts? ;-)