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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Okay, I want to thank everyone for being on tonight. Uh, there's…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: 30 of us, that's a…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: That's right at what I was thinking. So I want to thank you for being on here tonight. A lot has happened in the last 30 days.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Um, which has brought about a big change within the Chickamauga Nation.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And we are making a concerted effort to communicate with our citizens. This is just the beginning of that effort.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Just in the last 30 days, we have accepted the resignation of one of our chiefs.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We have thwarted an attempted takeover of the tribe, and because of that, the actions of those involved, we reluctantly expelled those individuals in the splinter group that attempted the takeover.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We are going to have multiple chiefs, uh, speaking tonight.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And, um…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Our first one is our priest.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: So, Chief Richard, would you like to say a few words?
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Richard: Oh, I don't have anything on the spot right now, other than it has been very interesting.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Okay.
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Richard: Did you hear?
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: But it's been very interesting.
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Richard: Yes.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Um, so…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: I do want to encourage everyone that we…
19:04:16 --> 19:04:21
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Do have a plan for where we're going. We know where we're going, and we want.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: everyone to be happy with where we're going. So that's why we are sharing with you exactly what we are doing.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Chief Tammy Alexander.
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Tammy Alexamder: I feel like that the dark cloud that's been over the tribe for the last few years, as I've been in it several years now, it feels like a whole new lightning has lifted.
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Tammy Alexamder: I feel like that we are working together.
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Tammy Alexamder: And encouraging each other more than we ever have. That I feel like the progress is really going to take off. And I feel like the people are in the right places that need to be there.
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Tammy Alexamder: I can tell a big difference just in the atmosphere and the working of it with the last week.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Well, thank you.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Chief Justin Flanagan.
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Sherri: Thank you.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Did I take him off of mute? Where did he go?
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Well…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Did that help?
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: How about that?
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Well, there you go.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Well, um…
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Yes, it has been an interesting and trying last couple of weeks, but I think that those things were necessary.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Umm, that was a necessary period to go through and I think that.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: you know, the…
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: The past two years has been kind of hindered by some obstacles, and hopefully now we're clear of those.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Um, okay.
19:06:13 --> 19:06:19
Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: I've prepared a speech just to kind of…
19:06:19 --> 19:06:28
Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Talk to people about, you know, my intentions, my responsibilities, and things here within the tribe, for those of you who may not know me.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: And Chief Jimmie, if now would be a good time, I'll go ahead.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Go ahead.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: I just want to say thank you to everyone attending this meeting, and I want to thank you.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Uh, for allowing me to be in the position of Regional Metal Chief.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Acting as the steward of the needs of our tribal members west of the Mississippi River.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Yet while I'm specifically charged as a chief of the West Region, I can assure you that I'm here not only to serve the people of the West Region, but all citizens of the nation.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: I would also like to express my respect and appreciation for all tribal government officials and volunteers who have taken the time out of their lives to serve the Chickamauga Nation.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: The one non-replenishable resource in this life is time, and those of you that have served this nation have given so much, and for that, I'm grateful.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: I believe that we all share the same dream of creating a way of living that benefits the health, peace, and prosperity of our family.
19:07:34 --> 19:07:39
Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: I'm sure that, like myself, you consider the tribe one big family, and you are right.
19:07:39 --> 19:07:41
Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Family is what we are.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Most of us go back to the same chiefs and ancestors. Most of us…
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Some of us are very closely related, some less so, but we are all kin.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Whether you're blood, adopted, or confederated, you are just as important.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: You are part of our family, you are in our care, and you are loved.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: On your behalf, my efforts include trying to better our communities, services, opportunities, and infrastructure.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Through diplomacy, legislation, hard work, and love for our people, I endeavor to improve the West Region and help strengthen the entire Chickamauga Nation.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: We in leadership are not only responsible for the immediate needs of our citizens, but also the needs of the land, its agriculture, its water, and wildlife.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: I strive to find ways to improve all of these parts of our nation and live in harmony with the places that our creator has given citizens of the Chickamauga Nation to call home.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: As your West Region Middle Chief, I've been working and will continue to work hard to improve all of these things.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: This journey is not easy, but it is a worthy one for all of us. I owe it to the seven previous generations that made countless sacrifices for us to be here today.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: I owe it to the seven generations of the future coming on the winds of tomorrow.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: That they too may prosper and live in peace.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: I'm grateful for every soul in this room. I see you, I appreciate you, and I am honored to be in service to you.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Thank you.
19:09:06 --> 19:09:08
Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Now…
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Those have been my goals consistently. And…
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Like some of us have said here already.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: A lot of that has been hindered, and we all have a shared goal.
19:09:23 --> 19:09:26
Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: those of us in leadership that remain here today.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: We, as Chief Jimmie said, are working in concerted effort to improve the lives of our citizens.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: And we can now move forward unhindered.
19:09:39 --> 19:09:42
Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: in ways that we couldn't in years prior.
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Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Thank you.
19:09:45 --> 19:09:46
Chief Justin Flanagan - The Chickamauga Nation: Okay.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Chief Sherry.
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Sherri: Hello?
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Hey!
19:09:52 --> 19:10:07
Sherri: Well, I'm excited about the tribe and moving forward. I love what I'm doing to help the tribe. I'm honored to be one of the Gorge Chiefs of the Western Region, and I'm looking forward, as I said, to what's coming up and to help our tribe.
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Sherri: And nice to see everyone on here.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Thank you.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Chief Tim Kersey.
19:10:21 --> 19:10:23
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Wait, you're muted.
19:10:23 --> 19:10:26
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Let me unmute you again. There you go.
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Tim Kersey: Oh, I got it. I think we're good. Can you hear me? Perfect.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Yes.
19:10:29 --> 19:10:43
Tim Kersey: All right. For those of you who don't know me, I am Chief Tim Kersey, National Metal Chief, responsible for commerce and finance within the tribe. Glad to see everybody on tonight. Proud to represent you in this role.
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Tim Kersey: Which I accepted just… just over 2 years ago in Fort Smith. But tonight, I want to share something with you so that you understand more of what I'm charged to help do.
19:10:53 --> 19:11:06
Tim Kersey: for the Chickamauga Nation. My role covers a lot of ground, but tonight I want to talk about two specific things. One is communications, and the other is business opportunities for the people of our nation.
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Tim Kersey: Uh, communication is… is a big part of my life, and something I'm pretty passionate about. You can ask the other Chiefs that have been involved with me the last several months.
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Tim Kersey: Um, I'm gonna make a more proactive effort, and the nation, our leadership, is gonna take a more proactive effort to communicate with all of you.
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Tim Kersey: And to keep you informed, because nobody likes feeling like you're not in the know.
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Tim Kersey: So, one thing that we will do, uh, is to be more actively pushing information to you.
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Tim Kersey: We currently have two websites, and I'm sure you're all aware. You can go to those websites and find a tremendous amount of information, but that's what I call passive communication.
19:11:49 --> 19:11:54
Tim Kersey: We're not pushing it out to you. It's there. You have to go seek it out and find it.
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Tim Kersey: we're gonna have a newsletter from the Chickamauga Nation that'll be published a few times a year. I'm not gonna promise how many, but a few times a year that I want to gather information from everybody in the nation. If you have something that I'll call newsworthy.
19:12:09 --> 19:12:25
Tim Kersey: and, uh, something uplifting for us to share with the entire, uh, citizenship of the nation, please send that to me. Uh, my email address is pretty easy. It's chiefkersey, K-E-R-S-E-Y, at gmail.com. So I welcome all of your input on that.
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Tim Kersey: And my role, by the way, is not…
19:12:29 --> 19:12:44
Tim Kersey: for the state of Arkansas, despite what, uh, I think some things to the contrary have been said. My role is for the nation. That's everybody. And when I say nation, that's not just the United States. That's any citizen of the Chickamauga nation anywhere in the world.
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Tim Kersey: My role is in business development and communication for this nation.
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Tim Kersey: So that's a big part of it, communication. Second part is to find business opportunities for the Chickamauga Nation.
19:12:58 --> 19:13:05
Tim Kersey: Everyone on this call needs to, I hope, hear me loudly and clearly that I received this much money.
19:13:05 --> 19:13:20
Tim Kersey: into my bank account for working for the Chickamauga Nation. That was a big zero, if you can't see me on camera. I don't make anything to do this. 100% of any monies collected for anything that we do goes directly to our tribal banking account.
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Tim Kersey: And we do have a non-profit account. And one of those things that we'll talk about is donations.
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Tim Kersey: one of my duties, first of all, is to approve all expenses. So, anybody that wants reimbursed for anything, such as travel.
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Tim Kersey: equipment, supplies, what have you. Those have to be approved by me, and then those will be reviewed.
19:13:45 --> 19:13:51
Tim Kersey: monthly, as we're gonna start a new monthly finance report that I will share with the Chiefs in the Council meeting.
19:13:51 --> 19:13:58
Tim Kersey: And that'll make us more transparent so that you know what we're doing with any monies that we have within the tribe.
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Tim Kersey: So I'm honored to represent everybody across every region, across every country where we have citizens.
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Tim Kersey: And I want to thank you. You know, it's an honor to do this. Uh, it's something where I now have more time on my hands to help the nation, and even Chief Jimmie, maybe Chief Justin, Richard, we'll see. You're probably wishing I didn't have so much time now, but we'll find out.
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Tim Kersey: We'll find out. We've got a lot of work to do, and I just need you to understand that we have to do business.
19:14:28 --> 19:14:38
Tim Kersey: to have money to operate, and we'll talk more about that as we have time, but it's just a pleasure to be here with you.
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Sherri: Thank you.
19:14:38 --> 19:14:42
Tim Kersey: I hope we have questions at the end, Chief Jimmie.
19:14:47 --> 19:14:52
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Well, now it's my allotted time, so I guess I might as well say a word or two or ten.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We have had changes. Those were brought about.
19:15:00 --> 19:15:02
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Okay.
19:15:02 --> 19:15:04
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And those have…
19:15:07 --> 19:15:13
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: been taken care of. One of our chiefs decided he wanted to leave the tribe.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And during council, we accepted his resignation.
19:15:18 --> 19:15:20
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And wished him well.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Then we had a smaller group that wanted to do some things, uh, to take over the government, and we…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Did not allow that to happen.
19:15:33 --> 19:15:39
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: But as a result of these changes, we are stronger today as a nation than we were 30 days ago.
19:15:39 --> 19:15:49
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: The leadership of the Chickamauga Nation are now all in one accord, and in one direction, one philosophy, and importantly.
19:15:49 --> 19:15:52
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: One culture of our nation.
19:15:52 --> 19:15:59
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We all agree that the needs and the desires of the people must be at the forefront of everything that we do.
19:15:59 --> 19:16:07
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Not for an individual, not for a single region, but for all of the citizens of the nation.
19:16:10 --> 19:16:19
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We are, however, committed to each individual in our nation and their unique individuality.
19:16:19 --> 19:16:24
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Whether you were born and raised in the traditional ways, like Chief Richard.
19:16:25 --> 19:16:28
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Or you were just now finding out about.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Your Chickamauga ancestry and blood.
19:16:32 --> 19:16:34
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We are all equal and the same.
19:16:35 --> 19:16:39
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: No one is better than the other. No one is better than the whole.
19:16:39 --> 19:16:47
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Like many of you, I did not find out that I was a Chickamauga till I was well over 40 years old.
19:16:47 --> 19:16:51
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And like many of you, I was not raised in the culture.
19:16:53 --> 19:16:58
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: I came into this nation understanding that I was unique.
19:16:58 --> 19:17:03
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And that the blood of my ancestors go back before the founding of this country.
19:17:04 --> 19:17:08
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: I am beyond proud to be a Chickamauga.
19:17:08 --> 19:17:13
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: I am proud of how far we have come in the last year.
19:17:13 --> 19:17:14
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: few years.
19:17:15 --> 19:17:20
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And even more so, I am proud of where we are going as a nation.
19:17:22 --> 19:17:24
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We will love each other.
19:17:24 --> 19:17:30
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We will work to heal any differences that may have arisen, but make no mistake.
19:17:30 --> 19:17:37
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We are Chickamauga, and we will defend what is ours, and we will protect one another.
19:17:39 --> 19:17:44
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We previously had five different regions within the Chickamauga Nation.
19:17:44 --> 19:17:52
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: But effectively today, it will be easy to know what region you're in, because if you live east of the Mississippi River.
19:17:54 --> 19:18:05
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: you will be in the east region of the Chickamauga Nation. And if you live west of the Mississippi River, you are now in the west region of the Chickamauga Nation.
19:18:07 --> 19:18:20
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: As leaders of this nation, we are committed to providing our citizens across all 50 states of this country, our citizens that live in Mexico, and our citizens that reside in the country of Italy.
19:18:20 --> 19:18:28
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: There will be no favoritism. All geographies where Chickamauga citizens reside will be treated equally.
19:18:28 --> 19:18:34
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Bias based on a belief system or a political party will not stand.
19:18:36 --> 19:18:40
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We will instead favor one another.
19:18:40 --> 19:18:44
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We will stand within the bonds of our blood with each other.
19:18:44 --> 19:18:48
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Our only agenda will be to bring about.
19:18:48 --> 19:18:59
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: raising all of us up together in our standing in the eyes of the world. And tonight, I'm not here to give you a lot of platitudes about.
19:18:59 --> 19:19:01
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Good and bad and ugly.
19:19:02 --> 19:19:06
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Nor am I here to stroke anyone's ego.
19:19:06 --> 19:19:17
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: I am here to say that we are the Chickamauga Nation. We are stronger tonight than we have been in many years, and we are moving forward united.
19:19:18 --> 19:19:23
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: To bring prosperity to our people and our nation.
19:19:23 --> 19:19:27
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And I want to say thank you again for being here tonight.
19:19:30 --> 19:19:36
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: While we were speaking, a couple of people sent a couple of questions in for chat.
19:19:36 --> 19:19:38
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And, um…
19:19:38 --> 19:19:40
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: The first question…
19:19:40 --> 19:19:47
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And this is kind of an important question. This is part of what led to a change in our government.
19:19:48 --> 19:19:52
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: What are the roles of the women in the Chickamauga Nation?
19:19:54 --> 19:19:59
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: If you, um, know our culture and history since 1780.
19:19:59 --> 19:20:06
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: 1760, excuse me, we have been in what is called a red government, where the chiefs.
19:20:06 --> 19:20:09
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: of the nation run the government.
19:20:09 --> 19:20:18
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And the Women's Council takes a back seat, but they always are able to speak and talk and advise.
19:20:18 --> 19:20:19
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And so…
19:20:20 --> 19:20:29
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We have one female medal chief. That is our highest level of chiefs. That is Chief Betty Williams.
19:20:29 --> 19:20:32
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And she serves in the East Region.
19:20:33 --> 19:20:42
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We have numerous female Gorget chiefs. Chief Sherry Hale Smith, Chief Tammy Kersey Alexander.
19:20:42 --> 19:20:44
Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Chief Cammie Burton.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Now, I mentioned Tammy's.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: I'm…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: maiden name, because her and Chief Tim are first cousins.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We have numerous headwomen in each of our regions. If you think about the headman and headwoman role, they represent.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: the people to the to the tribe, and they represent the tribe to the people. When you think about their role.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: It's almost like.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And I hate using a church analogy, but it fits. It is almost like what a deacon does in a church.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: They serve the people.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Then, after long studies of the mound-building culture in the Southeast Ceremonial Complex.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Um…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: which was a combined government and religion, the Southeast Ceremonial Complex was, we could not find a position.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: in the Southeast Ceremonial Complex, and that is stretching across 650 years of there being a role of a grandmother.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And so the role of the grandmother, we removed it. And that is part of what caused the issues.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: The next question is…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Um, so…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Do we still have a priest in our tribe?
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And Chief Richard Botts is our priest. Chief Richard, would you like to tell us a little bit about what's…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Involved with being the priest of our tribe?
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Richard: Alright, um, well, I guess the easiest way to explain it, similar to Chief Kersey stated earlier.
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Richard: Just like his responsibility is to the whole.
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Richard: Not one region or another, it's to the whole of the people.
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Richard: I have the same responsibility to all of the people.
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Richard: even…
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Richard: If it were the questions asked of me of another tribe.
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Richard: I would…
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Richard: give the same respect, and um… you know, I have to respond. I have to treat them just like I would any of our members. And that's expected. Um…
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Richard: It's part of it.
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Richard: And one of my main duties is…
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Richard: keeping up with, uh, educating people as needed on the culture, the history. This kind of goes along with it, because it's a little hard to explain.
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Richard: our traditional religious teachings without getting into the historical aspect of it. So, in a sense, it serves double duty.
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Richard: And…
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Richard: you know, we have people of every walk of life and religious ideology, I'm pretty sure.
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Richard: even in Georgia here, we've got all kinds, and…
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Richard: So it's those that want to know the details. I try to help them learn and understand.
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Richard: Many people?
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Richard: could care less, and that is fine, too.
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Richard: And…
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Richard: it's… it's an honor to serve in this position, and be available for the people, and… and to be able to answer those questions that they've… maybe they've always wanted to ask, or afraid to ask.
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Richard: And, uh, my job is to try to facilitate that. It doesn't matter if it's religion, history, or what have you. Even, you know, as…
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Richard: Coming up as a holy man, you have to learn about everybody's religion so that you can have a discussion from their perspective.
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Richard: And I think to do so would put…
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Richard: everybody at a disadvantage, so I've spent many years learning a little bit about everybody's historical, uh, religious.
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Richard: things, because it just makes it easier. And, uh, I had mentioned before, I mean, I've been in a sweat lodge, a proper one, on Crow Reservation, with, uh.
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Richard: with a Catholic priest at the same time. So, even some of them have great respect for our traditional ways of doing things.
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Richard: Praying's praying. God doesn't care.
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Richard: So…
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Richard: We try to educate our people to how we've done things traditionally.
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Richard: And, uh…
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Richard: And as I mentioned in some previous meetings, it's evolved over time. Our government has evolved over time. All of this adjusts and changes, but it doesn't go extinct.
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Richard: That's the point.
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Richard: So that it can be passed on, and teach other people.
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Richard: To, uh… learn the teachings, and…
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Richard: pass it on. That's another one of my obligations, is to pass what knowledge I've gained.
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Richard: Onto the next generation that wants to learn it, preserve it.
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Richard: and carry it forward.
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Richard: That's some of one of our highest obligations. So it's only because of all of our wonderful chiefs.
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Richard: And their support…
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Richard: makes all of this possible.
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Richard: and to benefit our people takes all of us together. Now, sometimes we are going to have conflicts. I mean, I was asked.
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Richard: You know, a very stressful time by a couple of people in just the recent history.
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Richard: um…
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Richard: that, uh…
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Richard: How difficult this is, and yes, it is difficult.
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Richard: but I've got.
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Richard: 35 years of experience in tribal government, I've seen a lot of crap, let me tell you.
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Richard: And this was difficult.
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Richard: it can get worse, I promise. And we don't want to go there. We've done an excellent job of…
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Richard: of…
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Richard: addressing all the issues that we need to address as quickly as that they needed to be addressed. I'm very proud of our council.
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Richard: for acting when necessary and decisively.
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Richard: And it's very important that we do that so that we don't dwell on the negatives and we keep moving forward.
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Richard: This is all about lifting each other up, teaching each other, educating each other, because learning to be a chief is not an easy thing. It takes time. It takes effort.
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Richard: But we do have quite a few chiefs that have a lot of experience that even comes from their daily lives.
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Richard: And in their professional lives. And that, too, is a benefit to all of us. That's why we should always remind ourselves to shut up and listen.
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Richard: Because it's good advice, and then take that, and it betters everyone.
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Richard: That's what we're supposed to do.
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Richard: Not use…
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Richard: One's tribal identity is a weapon, or one's tribe is a weapon, or use political ideology as a weapon.
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Richard: That's… that goes against everything that…
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Richard: A chief learns, and when he takes that oath of office.
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Richard: or the Oath of the Chief.
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Richard: it lays it out for you. If you can't uphold that, then you don't need to be in that position. It's very simple.
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Richard: But we never should forget.
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Richard: All the words of that oath or agreement that we took to support the people.
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Richard: Because it's all very important.
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Richard: And it's sacred, so we should keep it that way.
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Richard: So that's…
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Richard: That's pretty much my spiel for the moment.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Thank you, Chief Richard.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We have two more questions. The first one, are we a tribe or are we a business?
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And Chief Tim Kersey?
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: I think this would be a great one for you.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: You're on mute again. Let me get you out of there.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: There we go.
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Tim Kersey: Okay, great. Yeah, I couldn't do it myself. I tried. Well.
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Tim Kersey: The easy answer to that question, are we a business or are we a tribe? It's really easy. We're a tribe.
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Tim Kersey: Uh, there have been some recent… I'll use the word accusation, that this governance change, and some of these recent changes, that we were trying to turn this tribe into a business.
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Tim Kersey: Absolutely not. We're the Chickamauga Nation, and our goals are the same. You've heard it multiple times tonight, and one part of my communication training is to be repetitive. So, I hope we're saying things numerous times tonight.
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Tim Kersey: So that you understand we're all, as he says, in one accord. Our goals are the same. My goals are the same as yours. I want to be able to provide for this nation so that everybody can live.
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Tim Kersey: in a healthy, educated, and peaceful environment. That's our goal.
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Tim Kersey: But guess what? We need to do that.
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Tim Kersey: We need money.
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Tim Kersey: And in order to provide the things for the nation that we would all love to do as chiefs and leaders here.
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Tim Kersey: Uh, there's different ways to provide income to this nation.
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Tim Kersey: And one way that's available to everybody.
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Tim Kersey: is to donate, and we do have a non-profit organization set up, and I don't know if everyone's aware, but it's called TCN Preservation A.
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Tim Kersey: And all the… all those, uh, donations to that TCM Preservation A are tax-deductible.
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Tim Kersey: In legal terms, it's a 501c3.
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Tim Kersey: The tribe needs your donations right now to operate until we can bring business partners into.
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Tim Kersey: cooperation with the Chickamauga Nation. So that's one way, is donations. And we do get some of those every year that help us keep moving forward.
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Tim Kersey: But in order for us to really hit the marks that we want to hit for you.
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Tim Kersey: We're gonna have to find business partners, and they have to operate under the umbrella of the Chickamauga Nation. These can be individuals, or they could be corporations, companies.
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Tim Kersey: Uh, in the case of those wishing to do business with the Chickamauga Nation, we will be implementing a project initiation fee.
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Tim Kersey: that will be collected to cover the tribe's due diligence, because if you're not aware, I've been in business a long time.
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Tim Kersey: And you have to do background checks, you have to make sure the people you're doing business with are not gonna, you know, take something from you instead of giving something to you. It has to be a partnership where both partners gain.
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Tim Kersey: from that, uh, the cooperative business. And the fee will be substantial. In order to do these things, we're talking, in some cases, you know, $25,000.
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Tim Kersey: And some smaller projects, it could be a little less. But trust me, for big business, that's nothing.
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Tim Kersey: Uh, even for general contractors, that's nothing.
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Tim Kersey: So, we will vary the fee depending on the scope, and that money, 100% of that initiation fee, will go into the tribal bank account.
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Tim Kersey: So that we can in fact do the checks that we need to do to make sure that we are, we're protecting the tribe's money. And uh again, I want to thank all the chiefs and everybody that's been involved over the last few weeks. It has not been easy.
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Tim Kersey: Uh, but as, as I told them, and I want to share with you as I, as I leave tonight.
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Tim Kersey: I'm not here to fight the tribe.
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Tim Kersey: I'm here to fight for the tribe, and for all of you. And again, I welcome you to reach out to me if you want to discuss anything about what we're doing on the commerce and finance side, so…
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Tim Kersey: Chief Jimmie, Chief Richard, Chief Justin, and all the other chiefs and head men and women, thank you so much for what you do for us.
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Richard: Thank you.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Thank you.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: The last question that I have from the chat.
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Sherri: No.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: is one I get asked at least once a day, sometimes two or three times a day.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: What is the latest information about being recognized in a serviced tribe by the US government?
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Richard: Oh, I'll recover it.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We are daily…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: getting new information that we can give to the United States. Uh, we give it to congressmen, we give it to senators.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Uh, we give it to the Secretary of the Interior.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Um, okay.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: There are…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Governors?
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Um…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: These people get our information, and it…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: From when I became chief, I can tell you that the.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: The information that we are able to give now.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: I don't like to use the word damning, but it's damning. It damns the US government.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: for failing to put us on the list. We are legally, according to statute and code, we are legally required to be on that list, and they refuse to put us on it.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: That…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: falls at the feet of the Secretary of the Interior.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: The Secretary of Interior could take 20 seconds of his time, sign a piece of paper, and put us on the list. That's how close we are to being put on the list.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: But he refuses to do it.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: And…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: To be able to sue him?
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: would take an awful lot of money. We have been quoted in the mid…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Six figures just to get started.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: So…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: That's where we stand.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: We have people who are trying to get the information to multiple other people, but right now that's kind of where we are and where we stand.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: I do, again, want to thank you for being here tonight. I want to thank all the Chiefs for speaking. We went 5 minutes over the time I promised I would try to get us out, and um…
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Again, we want to say thank you for being here, and we will be posting this on both of the websites and then sending a link out through an email to everyone so you can give it to everyone who would like to see it.
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Antler Chief Jimmie W. Kersh of the Chickamauga Nation: Thank you again. Have a great evening and good night.
