The Cherokee Nation is a sovereign tribal government. Upon settling in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) after the Indian Removal Act, the Cherokee people established a new government in what is now the city of Tahlequah, Oklahoma. A constitution was adopted on September 6, 1839, 68 years prior to Oklahoma’s statehood.
Today, the Cherokee Nation is the largest tribe in the United States with more than 450,000 tribal citizens worldwide. More than 141,000 Cherokee Nation citizens reside within the tribe’s reservation boundaries in northeastern Oklahoma. Services provided include health and human services, education, employment, housing, economic and infrastructure development, environmental protection and more. With approximately 11,000 employees, Cherokee Nation and its subsidiaries are one of the largest employers in northeastern Oklahoma. The tribe had a more than $2.16 billion economic impact on the Oklahoma economy in fiscal year 2018.
MISSION:
The Cherokee Nation is committed to protecting our inherent sovereignty, preserving and promoting Cherokee culture, language and values, and improving the quality of life for the next seven generations of Cherokee Nation citizens.
The Cherokee Nation and family and friends of the late Wilma Mankiller gathered to celebrate the Wilma Mankiller Barbie, part of Barbie’s “Inspiring Women” series, in the capital of the Cherokee Nation. The celebration was a tribute to the legacy of Wilma Mankiller and her impact on the tribe and Indian Country, both as a humanitarian and an advocate for women’s rights. Mankiller served as the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1985 to 1995.
The Cherokee Nation Angel Project is now completely online through the Gadugi Portal. It is now easier than ever to select a Cherokee child to provide for this holiday season, there’s no need to be registered as a Gadugi portal user to adopt an angel. If you are unable to adopt an angel due to your inability to return the gifts to our locations but would still like to help the Cherokee Nation Angel Project, you may visit the Online Giving:Cherokee Nation Website to make a monetary donation. When making a monetary donation, please select “Angel Project” from the list of recipients.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. delivered his fifth State of the Nation address from the heart of the historic Cherokee Nation capital city, reminding Cherokees the tribe’s strength "rests upon a foundation of our people and our sovereignty." The annual address was part of the 71st annual Cherokee National Holiday and offered a glimpse of how Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner will continue to defend Cherokee sovereignty while working with fellow Cherokees to "make the 21st Century a great Cherokee century."
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner’s second-term cabinet and Cherokee Nation Supreme Court Justice nominations were officially sworn into office. Chief Hoskin’s second-term cabinet consists of four women and four men leading various departments across the tribes’ workforce of 4,700 government employees.
The Cherokee Nation recently held its 2023 General Election, with Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner earning more than 62% of votes to win re-election and serve another four-year term.
