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.
Seven Cherokee veterans who served during the Vietnam War, the Vietnam Era, the Gulf War and in Kuwait traveled to Washington, D.C., recently on the tribe's 14th Cherokee Warrior Flight.
Twelve cyclists from the Cherokee Nation will participate in the 2026 Remember the Removal Bike Ride this June, cycling nearly 950 miles along the northern route of the Trail of Tears. Each year, the ride spans from Georgia to Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma, over nearly three weeks.
We recently launched our official podcast, “Siyo from the Rez"! From Cherokee artists, musicians, leadership and more, “Siyo from the Rez” features Cherokee Nation citizens who are working to revitalize and preserve the Cherokee culture, while making changes in their communities across the Cherokee Nation Reservation and beyond.
The Cherokee Nation and the City of Tahlequah have announced a significant investment to construct a combined 4.4-mile pedestrian-friendly sidewalk along State Highway 62, starting across the street from the Cherokee Nation’s Durbin Feeling Language Center, passing the W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex, and past the Casey’s Convenience Store to the intersection near Walmart, creating a continuous pathway for pedestrians walking or cycling west of town.
Our Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program graduated six students recently during a special commencement ceremony at the Durbin Feeling Language Center. Congratulations to ᎠᎹᏰᏟ (Michael Fields) of Wauhillau, ᎤᎪᏌᏓ (Katera Grayson) of Gore, ᏲᎾ (Jacob Mankiller) of Rocky Mountain, ᏓᎳᎳ (Michael McCoy) of Cookson, ᎠᏂᏥᏈᏍᏗ ᎠᏂᎤᏬᎭᎵ (Cherokee Smith) of Tahlequah, and ᏥᏴᏂᏍᏗ (Billie Jean Teehee) of Bell!
