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 recently held a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off construction on a multi-million-dollar justice center in Tahlequah, expanding the tribe’s judicial services, prosecutors and tribal police in a large facility that will better accommodate Cherokee citizens.
Cherokee Nation officially declared June as Pride Month across the reservation and Chief Hoskin signed a 2026 addendum to the tribe's Executive Order on Equality. The measure strengthens support for 2SLGBTQ+ employees and creates the tribe’s first Equality Advocate role, filled by Maggie Glory. Cherokee Nation celebrates its 2SLGBTQ+ citizens and recognizes that every person deserves to be treated with dignity, respect and fairness.
Kristen Snell-Thomas was recently sworn in as the tribe's new Registrar after being confirmed by the Council of the Cherokee Nation. Snell-Thomas, a former Miss Cherokee who has worked for the Cherokee Nation for 24 years, now oversees 37 employees who help take in and verify Cherokee Nation tribal citizenship.
Cherokee Nation leaders gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the tribe’s new state-of-the-art Stilwell Head Start. The $6.7 million investment from the tribe will serve nearly 20 children from surrounding communities. The new 9,300-square-foot Head Start will replace the tribe’s two aging facilities in Stilwell and Cherry Tree and will expand Head Start services in the region.
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.
