A proud NationSince the earliest contact with European explorers in the 16th century, the Cherokee people have been consistently identified as one of the most socially and culturally advanced of the Native American tribes. Cherokee culture thrived hundreds of years before European contact in the southeastern area of what is now called the United States. Cherokee society and culture continued to advance, progressing and embracing cultural elements from European settlers. The Cherokee shaped a government and a society matching the most civilized cultures of the day.
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Rebuilding A nationThe Cherokee re-established themselves in their new home with communities, churches, schools, newspapers and businesses after the Trail of Tears. The new Cherokee capital of Tahlequah became a major hub of business activity and the center of cultural activity. The Cherokee adopted a new constitution in September of 1839 and in 1844 the Cherokee Advocate, printed in both Cherokee and English, became the first newspaper in Indian Territory and the first-ever published in a Native American language.
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The Cherokee nation today
The Cherokee Tribe of today is made of 3 different groups that all descend from the same common tribe.
Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma
This tribe is composed of descendants from those Cherokee that were forced removed from lands in Southeastern United States during 1838-1839 time period. In addition to those descendants the tribe also consists of descendants of ‘Old Settlers’ which were those that had moved from lands in the east prior to 1833 and are subject to the 1828 and 1833 treaties. Over 70,000 Cherokee reside within a 7,000 square mile geographical area, which was never a reservation but a federally-recognized, truly sovereign nation covering most of northeast Oklahoma. Today its jurisdictional service area encompasses eight entire counties along with portions of six others. As one of only three such federally-recognized Cherokee tribes, the Cherokee Nation has both the sovereign right and the responsibility to exercise control and advancement over tribal assets, including more than 66,000 acres of land and 96 miles of the Arkansas Riverbed. Tribal citizenship is granted if a descendant from the Final Roll of the Dawes Commission 1907 of the applicant can be proven through birth and death records, Minimum Blood Quantum is not used.
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees
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Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Consisting of Descendants of those that resided at the time of the Trail of Tears in North Carolina. Those that remained behind from the Indian Removal Act could not hold property, which by law during this time Native Americans were neither citizens of the United States nor the State where they resided, therefore they could not own or have rights to property. An adopted Cherokee named Will Thomas bought land with money that Cherokees gave him in their behalf; he held the deeds in his name and allowed the fugitive Cherokees to live on and work the land. This ambiguous status continued until after the Civil War when the Cherokee question surfaced again. After several years of legal wrangling, the Cherokee formed a corporation. As a business, the Cherokee could hold the land and the land, which was to become known as the Qualla Boundary, was again in Cherokee control. The Eastern Band was never subject to the Allotment act of 1889 and was able to fend off attempts to force compliance until the Howard Wheeler Act of 1936 abolished Allotment. Today the Descendants of the Eastern Band live in far western North Carolina in an area known as Qualla. Enrollment is granted to the applicant if they can prove a minimum Blood Quantum of 1/16th degree of Cherokee blood and Lineal Descendant of an Ancestor that is listed on the Baker Roll of 1924.
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Descendants reside in present day Oklahoma in the same 14 counties that the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma lived. In 1808, a delegation of Cherokees from the upper and lower towns of the Cherokee Nation went to Washington D.C. to inform the President of the United States that not all Cherokee people wanted to pursue what was deemed a ‘civilized’ life. The delegation requested the President divide the upper towns, whose people wanted to establish a Regular government, from the lower towns who wanted to continue living traditionally. On January 9, 1809, the President of the United States allowed the lower towns to send an exploring party to find suitable lands on the Arkansas and White Rivers. Seven of the most trusted men explored locations both in what is now Western Arkansas and also Northeastern Oklahoma. Enrollment today is accomplished by tracing Lineal Descendants from the 1949 Final Roll of the Keetoowah Band of Cherokees or Dawes Roll of 1907 and minimum Blood Quantum of 1/4 degree. Submitted applications are approved on a monthly basis by the Tribal council.