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BY-LAWS
THE EASTERN CHEROKEES OF
CONSTITUTION
AND BY-LAWS
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
CHAPTER CONTENT PAGE Article I Tribal Name, Meetings, Location 3 Article II Purpose 3 Article III Membership 4 Article IV Committees 4-5 Article V Government 6 Article VI Officers 6-8 Article VII Appointees 8 Article VIII Meetings 9 Article IX Good and Welfare 9-10 Article X Members in Good Standing 10 Article XI Amendments 11
ARTICLE I
NAME AND LOCATION
The name of the organization shall be called The Eastern Cherokees of New York Tribe, a Not-For-Profit organization governed
under the laws of
MEETING PLACE The General meetings will be held once a
month and the Council meetings will be held four times a year.
The meetings shall be conducted within the vicinity of
ARTICLE II
PURPOSES
The purpose of
the Eastern Cherokees of New York Tribe is: 1. To foster a positive Native American influence in the communities in which we live. 2. To preserve and perpetuate the ideals, culture, and traditions of the Native American Cherokees and their descendants. 3. To inform the general society of the history and the current life and conditions of the Native American Cherokees and other Native American cultures. 4. To promote local and community wide services that assist individuals seeking information on native ancestry and culture by use of modern technology. 5. To support members in positive changes and to recapture the importance of tribal (group) rituals. 6. To encourage members to become more engaged in history and cultural awareness. 7. To cooperate and work with other agencies and organizations to ensure the removal of discriminatory policies and practices against the Native American community. 8. To encourage members to become representative of their Clan. The Clans of the Cherokee Nation is as follows: Deer, Wolf, Wild Potato, Paint, Blue (Panther), Long Hair, and Bird.
ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP
Members of The Eastern Cherokees of New
York Tribe of the State of
1. Native Americans and their descendants shall be accepted as regular members with full privileges.
2. Persons of Non-Native American descent shall be accepted as Associate Members with limited privileges. 3. Both Native Americans and Non-Native Americans have to pay their membership dues on time.
ARTICLE IV
COMMITTEES
COMMITTEES ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE ORGANIZATION A successful organization will involve all members in committee work. Nothing contributes more to the strength and vitality of an organization than active participation of its members in committee work. Being a committee member provides the opportunity for developing leadership skills. A new member has an opportunity to get involved and feel a part of the group. 1. The Clan Mothers and Council Members shall establish committees as it deems necessary for the efficient and sound operation of The Eastern Cherokees of New York. 2. Each committee shall prescribe its purpose, terms, membership, authority and duties. 3. The Clan Mothers and Council Members shall jointly designate the officers for the Sub-Committees. 4. Each Sub-Committee shall keep minutes of its proceedings and shall report the minutes to the Head Clan Mother who will inform the Council Members of the proceedings.
PURPOSE OF COMMITTEES Committees are the working groups of The Eastern Cherokees of New York. Committees perform tasks that cannot be performed as effectively by an individual or by the entire membership. 1. A Membership Committee should have at least four (4) membership drives per year. 2. Each Standing Committee should have a representative that will report to the Council Meeting all actions. 3. Need a committee to set up a way for funding, collecting monthly dues, fund-raising activities, gifts and donations and any other appropriate sources of revenue.
The Fiscal Year shall begin July 1st and end
June 30th for example
COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES FUND-RAISING: The Fund-Raising Committee shall be responsible for approving and overseeing all fund-raising activities entered into by and on behalf of the organization. The Fund-Raising Committee shall have primary responsibility for maintenance, distribution and policy implementation of the Membership Emergency and Community Charities Fund. EVENTS AND PLANNING COMMITTEE: The Events and Planning Committee shall be responsible for scheduling and evaluating all events attended by The Eastern Cherokees of New York members. The committee has the responsibility of planning and implementing the Eastern Cherokees of New York activities such as attending Powwows, lectures, museums, trips etcetera. The committee is also responsible for The Eastern Cherokees of New York calendar. PUBLIC INFORMATION AND HISTORY COMMITTEE: The Public Information and History Committee shall be responsible for the oversight of all information going to the public on behalf of the Eastern Cherokees of New York and shall advise the Council as to the appropriateness or inappropriateness of public communications. The committee shall also establish and maintain a written historical sketch of The Eastern Cherokees of New York activities. This committee will also write, edit and publish a bi-monthly official The Eastern Cherokees of New York publication. MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE: The Membership Committee shall be responsible for establishing, evaluating and maintaining the membership roster.
ARTICLE V
GOVERNMENT
The Eastern Cherokees of New York, Tribe of
the State of As one Council Member leaves, another one will be brought in as long as he/she has been in good standing with other members of the group and follows all rules and regulations of the By-Laws.
ARTICLE VI
OFFICERS
The Council Members of the Eastern Cherokees of New York Tribe of New York State shall be the Uku Leader, Co-Uku Leader and Spiritual Leader, Head Clan Mother and Assistant Spiritual Leader, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer.
The Uku Leader: 1. Attend Council and General Meetings offering his advice and opinions as needed. 2. Inform members of any pertinent decisions made by the Council. 3. Preside over all hearings and grievances; and if deemed necessary, present said decision(s) to the general membership for a vote. 4. Supply membership applications as requested.
The Co-Uku Leader: 1. Fulfills the Uku duties in his absence; when requested or if an unforeseen need arises. 2. Keep in contact with recognized organizations and other Tribal Councils, informing members of current events, up-coming events, and information pertinent to The Eastern Cherokees of
3. Shall be the Spiritual Leader to open at each Council and General Meeting. 4. Supply membership applications as requested.
The Head Clan Mother: 1. Shall help the Co-Uku Leader with
keeping in contact with other Tribal Councils.
2. Enroll members and send them membership cards and copies of the By-Laws. 3. Supply membership applications as requested. 4. Shall be the Assistant Spiritual Leader as needed to end at each Council and General Meeting. She can also assign one of the other Clan Mothers to close as a Spiritual Leader at the Council and General Meeting.
The Corresponding Secretary: 1. Shall type up all correspondence that the Uku, Co-Uku and Head Clan Mother needs and send all information out to the members. 2. Needs to keep records of each Council and General Meeting and read the minutes from the previous meetings. 3. Supply membership applications and By-Laws as requested. 4. Submit all donations to the Treasurer and assist with the Financial Record Keeping.
The Recording Secretary: 1. Shall take all minutes at the Council and General Meeting. 2. Enroll members and send them membership cards and copies of the By-Laws. 3. Supply membership applications and By-Laws as requested. 4. Shall help the Corresponding Secretary with his/her duties.
The Treasurer: 1. Shall initiate on all money or (monies) and transactions whether deposits, withdrawals or expenditures. The Treasurer must have three signatures when withdrawing from the bank. The members have to be Council Members only. 2. Collect, disburse, and account for monies to the Council Members and general members and shall be deposited in the name of The Eastern Cherokee of New York Tribe. 3. Keep an account of all current business transactions.
The Treasurer (cont.): 4. Present a current report of income and expenses at each General Meeting, submitting a copy to the Secretary for his/her records. 5. Present books for public examination at the fiscal General Meeting; submitting copies to the the Secretary for his/her records. 6. 7. Inform the Secretary of those members who are delinquent in the payment of dues for notification.
RESIGNATIONS,
VACANCIES AND REMOVALS
1. Any Clan Mother or Council Member may resign from office within a thirty-day (30) notification period in order to allow for replacement; therefore such resignations will become effective immediately. 2. A successor may be chosen by the Council Members to replace the position in order to complete the unexpired term of the vacant position. It has to be written by two-thirds of the membership. 3. Resignations must be done in writing to the Head Clan Mother and Uku.
ARTICLE VII
APPOINTEES
1. Appointees shall be held only when someone leaves unexpectedly from the Council and or Clan Mothers. As positions on the Council become available the Clan Mothers will nominate a member to fill that position and at the Monthly Meeting there will be a show of hands. 2. The Eastern Cherokees of New York Tribe
(Membership) of the State of must be conducted yearly (December).
ARTICLE VIII
MEETINGS Meetings of The Eastern Cherokees of New York Tribe shall be governed as follows: 1. Membership shall meet every second Saturday of each month, unless a special meeting(s) is/are called by the Uku. Notification shall be forwarded to the Members ten days prior to the meeting. 2. Only the Clan Mothers can call Special Meetings.
ARTICLE IX GOOD AND WELFARE 1. All members of The Eastern Cherokees of New York Tribe shall have the right to address the Uku Leader or Council Members by a scheduled appointment. 2. Membership in the Eastern Cherokees of New York Tribe shall be valid upon receipt of monthly dues. The only time dues maybe waived is if a member has financial hardship. The only ones who can give an appropriate answer are the Uku and Head Clan Mother. 3. No drugs or alcohol may be carried, sold, shared or distributed at the Eastern Cherokees
of 4. No member would be allowed to participate if found to be a substance abuser (with an addiction to either drugs or alcohol). Violation of this rule shall result in the immediate expulsion from The Eastern Cherokees of New York Tribe unless they are willing to get help from a treatment center. 5. All members are expected to live in harmony with all natural elements. For example; water, earth, fire, trees, rocks, birds and other living creatures. 6. All members are expected to follow the true native path at all times. The path of the true
SPIRIT. 7. One of the goals of a member is to learn the Cherokee Language, Traditions and Heritage. 8. A display of your Native American heritage and life style should be established in a positive and respectful manner at all times.
Good and Welfare (cont.): 9. All members must leave other religions and their dressing at the door before entering a meeting, Powwow or any other event. Native American attire (regalia) should only be worn at Native American organized gatherings or events. 10. At all meetings there will be no tolerance for speaking out of turn. In order to keep harmony at all meetings everybody must take their turn with the Talking Stick.
ARTICLE X
MEMBERS IN GOOD
STANDING 1. A member in good standing is one who pays his/her monthly dues. 2. Attends at least twelve (12) monthly meetings, unless there is a death in the family, or unforeseen weather condition or some other incident.
ARTICLE XI
AMENDMENTS These By-Laws maybe amended by the Clan Mothers and Council Members as deemed necessary.
APPROVED DATE:
See original
document dated:
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