We Remain
Image: Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller meets with President Reagan, December 1988 US policy on Native Americans resulted in the Dawes Act of 1887 and the Curtis Act of 1898, which systematically dismantled Cherokee Nation government and its communal way of living by forcing Cherokee people to sign up for parcels of land, or allotments. The […]
Fighting & Healing
Artwork: Cherokee Delegation to the Dawes Commission. Source: Oklahoma Historical Society The loss of life in the Civil War led to a need to provide for the disabled and orphaned. Cherokee Nation rebuilt social institutions such as schools and a tribal newspaper. The court system and the legislative branch of government began to operate in […]
The Civil War in Cherokee Nation
Artwork: Battle of Honey Springs engraving by James R. O’Neil. Source: Oklahoma Historical Society When the Civil War broke out, Cherokee Nation hoped to remain neutral. As the war came closer to the Nation, old grudges and hatreds emerged. Surrounding states aligned with the South; other area tribes signed treaties with the Confederacy. Facing pressure […]
Rebuilding A Republic
Artwork: Indian Council of 1843 at Tallequah by John Mix Stanley. Source: Smithsonian Museum of American Art Once the final detachments of Cherokee reached their new home in Indian Territory in 1839, they faced the challenge of rebuilding and reunifying their government, communities, and families, having lost a quarter of their population along the journey. […]
Removal
Artwork: Map of Cherokee Removal Routes. Source: National Parks Service The Cherokee Nation has maintained a diplomatic relationship with the US government since its inception. When the Indian Removal Act was passed in 1830, this caused a strain on the government-to-government relationship. For years, Cherokee leadership stood united against Removal. Once other tribes signed Removal […]
Growth of a Nation
Artwork: Sequoyah’s Handwriting. Source: Gilcrease Museum In 1817, Cherokee Nation took additional steps toward forming a centralized government and establishing a national committee, a precursor to the legislative branch. In 1827, the Nation adopted its constitution, which laid out the roles of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches. Cherokee people operated inns, taverns, ferry crossings, […]
Emerging Nationalism
Artwork: The Three Cherokees, Came Over From the Head of the River Savannah to London, 1762 by unknown artist. Source: Gilcrease Museum In spring 1540, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto entered Cherokee Nation, which at the time encompassed modern-day Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. De Soto’s excursion marked […]
Pre-Contact Cherokee Lifestyle
Artwork: Cherokee Fishermen by Gebon Barnoski Before Europeans arrived, Cherokee towns thrived independently. Each had its own council house, warriors, headmen, and headwomen, called Beloved Women. Cherokee society was egalitarian: it valued men’s and women’s economic and political contributions equally. While Cherokee towns were independent in operation, Cherokee land was communally held by the whole […]
Origins
Artwork: Origins by Bill Glass Jr., MaryBeth Timothy and Dan Mink One Cherokee creation story recounts a time long ago when Cherokee people lived on an island south of what is now the United States. Their island became tormented by earthquakes that led to a volcanic eruption. Approximately 14 groups departed in canoes to find […]
Under the Stars
Arrowhead Resort Located 13 miles off scenic Highway 10. They offer cabins and secluded camping on the Illinois River. They have rafts, canoes and kayaks for rent. 7704 OK-10, Tahlequah, OK 74464 Learn More Cherokee Landing State Park Located south of Tahlequah on Lake Tenkiller the State Park has RV sites with electric and […]
