Part 1 Educational Mtg. 08.16.08
CHAMORRO TRIBE, INC. INITIATES EDUCATIONAL MEETINGS REGARDING THE POLITICAL STATUS OF CHAMORRO PEOPLE. CHARTER OF THE UNITED NATIONS IN RELATION TO THE RIGHTS OF NATIVE INHABITANTS IN NON-SELF GOVERNING TRUST TERRITORIES AND
U.S.C. TITLE 25 INDIAN ACT IN RELATION TO GUAM.
The purpose of the tribe is to plan, implement, administer the development for self-determination, promote and study the Chamorro heritage and culture and to improve the quality of life for the Chamorro people and it is their intent to pursue Federal Registration as a Native American Tribe.
In 1898, the Treaty of Paris placed in the hands of the United States Congress full powers politically to determine the political status of native inhabitants of the island of Guam.
In 1975, the Helsinki Accord was agreed between United States and European Nations wherein as part of the agreement the Untied States Government in treaty with European Nations agreed to allow and promote Self Governance to Native American Tribes and Native Inhabitants in the territories under its control.
In 1995 the United States Congress exercised it's authority over the native inhabitants of Guam and it's territories under it's control according to the Treaty of 1898 and amended Title 25 of the United States Code to include Guam under the definitions of State thereby giving authority to the Secretary of the Department of Interior to recognize and register the native inhabitants of Guam as a Native American Tribe.
In 2005, the Chamorro Tribe, A Non-Profit Corporation registered its Articles and By-Laws in the Territory of Guam under Charter#: D14918. They are currently hosting Educational Meetings regarding its quest for Cultural Self Preservation every Saturday evening at 6:30pm in the village of Dededo.
According to the Chairman of the Chamorro Tribe, Frank J. Schacher, quote "one of the most important things that we can garner as a Native American Tribe is true U.S. Citizenship. Right now, we are Statutory Citizens that means we received our citizenship through the passage of the Organic Act. The Organic Act is United States Code 48 Section 8A. Unfortunately, Article 14 of the United States Constitution has never been amended to include citizenship of unincorporated territories. Because Article 14 Line 1 of the United States Constitution states there are only two ways to be a United States Citizen, you are either born a citizen or you are naturalized. You cannot be naturalized as a statutory citizen. Only certain Amendments of the Constitution and those Amendments that the Supreme Court recognize as being Basic Human Rights apply to us. The only true way for Guam and the Chamorro people to get United States true citizenship, which means full protection and full Constitutional rights, is either Guam becomes a State, which is not going to happen because we do not have the population base and we are too far from the contiguous 48 States. The only other way for us to get Constitutional citizenship is to become registered as a native American tribe so that we as a people become incorporated to the United States and the Indian Naturalization Act would automatically Naturalize us, thereby, making us legal Constitutional citizens of the United States and affording us all protections and rights under the Constitution of the Untied States and making us eligible for all types of benefits as well as giving us additional constitutional rights, because Native Americans enjoy more Constitutional rights than regular Americans. Native Americans have the Constitutional right to discriminate based on race to protect their culture, heritage and race." end quote.