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 380,000 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.
Our Cherokee word for respect is ᎤᏬᎯᏳᎯ, and we are upholding these values by helping prevent the spread of COVID-19, as best we can. The Cherokee Nation is taking steps to keep our community safe!
“We must all act to stay healthy, monitoring our own health and that of our family, limiting travel, if possible, and checking on our elders who are most vulnerable,” Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said. “The Cherokee Nation has secured federal funding to help us combat and treat any coronavirus cases, ensure our medical staff are trained to identify, treat and respond to patients efficiently and have the ability to do our own testing.”
A call center (1-833-528-0063) has been established for tribal citizens who have questions about COVID-19. It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. If tribal citizens have symptoms like cough, fever or respiratory problems, they should contact their Cherokee Nation Health center first, before entering. Local meetings and at-large community gatherings are also being postponed for the time being to help keep our employees and tribal citizens safe.
As of February 26th, Cherokee Nation Health Services has 14,818 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
For more information, please visit Health Services.
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner are proposing new legislation that would provide Cherokee citizens with access to substance abuse treatment centers, wellness centers and fitness centers by setting aside a portion of third-party revenues collected by Cherokee Nation Health Services each year.
The Cherokee Nation invested $1.3 million to make essential upgrades and repairs to water and sewer lines serving more than 18,000 people in 10 counties throughout the tribe’s reservation.
Projects ranged from upgrading water distribution lines in rural Adair County and replacing worn equipment at a water treatment plant in Cherokee County, to rehabilitating water storage in Nowata and providing a generator for water supply wells in the Delaware County community of Kenwood.
The Cherokee Nation is launching an online assessment program and investing $4 million to help Cherokee homeowners living in the reservation repair plumbing problems caused by the February 2021 winter storm event.
The new online assessment is now available at https://zfrmz.com/FhWNwtxWVYCUlEdzUAlh. Completing the assessment will allow Cherokee Nation staff to assess the damage to the primary residences of Cherokee homeowners located in the 14-county reservation and develop a response plan.
