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.
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.
The Cherokee Nation Language Department has partnered with Memrise to add 20 Cherokee language lessons to the educational language application that can be downloaded on iOS and Android devices. The free-to-use app, featuring a user-friendly interface and helpful video clips with the spoken dialects in action to help master real-world scenarios, now has nearly 1,000 Cherokee words and phrases.
The Cherokee Nation is starting construction on a six-story, $400 million hospital that will replace the nearly 40-year-old aging W.W. Hastings Hospital in Tahlequah. The new hospital will span 400,000 square feet, will include 127 beds, a helipad on the roof and will allow expanded services for Cherokee and Native citizens.
