Announcing the Declaration of Status-Based Recognition and Cultural Protection of Tribes

Freedmen Nation
Aug 2
2 min read

The Freedmen Reparations Fund Trust (FRFT) has issued a foundational governance instrument: the

Declaration of Status-Based Recognition and Cultural Protection.

This declaration formally establishes how tribal, cultural, and community-based groups may enter the Trust’s jurisdiction under Freedmen status—not through federal tribal enrollment or racial classification, but through a status-based, trust-governed framework rooted in reparative justice.

Purpose of the Declaration

Many self-organized tribal communities formed by descendants of U.S. chattel slavery have been excluded from federal frameworks, denied BIA recognition, or misclassified under racial and lineage schemes that do not reflect their history or purpose.

This declaration corrects that path. It provides:

A non-federal, status-based entry point for protection under the Trust
Preservation of community and tribal names
Legal clarity and cultural defense
Shielding from racial, federal, or bureaucratic misclassification
Recognition as Freedmen by status, not by race, lineage, or enrollment

Who This Applies To

This declaration is designed for:

Communities formed by descendants of U.S. chattel slavery
Tribes or groups using their own symbolic, cultural, or tribal names
Leaders who reject Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) oversight
Communities that want cultural protection, not federal dependency

Once a community enters the Trust under this declaration, it retains its internal name and traditions while being protected as part of the Verified Freedmen class under trust jurisdiction.

Summary of Key Sections

Section I: Status-Based Recognition

Communities are recognized as Freedmen based on their protected status, not on race, bloodline, or BIA registration.

Section II: Rejection of Federal Oversight

The Trust does not operate under the Bureau of Indian Affairs and will not reproduce systems of exclusion based on tribal enrollment or blood quantum.

Section III: Cultural Integrity

Each community retains its own cultural name and governance identity while receiving legal and symbolic protection under the Trust.

Section IV: Protections Granted

Communities gain access to the Trust’s enforcement protections, declarations, reparative governance, and symbolic jurisdiction.

Section V: Standing Without Federal Tribal Status

Communities are not considered sovereign tribal nations under federal law but are protected Freedmen communities within the Trust’s private legal framework.

A Legal and Cultural Safeguard for Self-Determined Tribes

This declaration offers communities who have long stood outside of federal systems a structure to lawfully declare their status, protect their heritage, and enter a reparative framework built specifically for descendants of American slavery.

It does not erase cultural identity. It secures it.

Start your verification now: https://www.freedmennation.org/status-check