2015 Archives

Cherokee Nation members voted Saturday to revoke the tribal citizenship of an estimated 2,800 descendants of the people the Cherokee once owned as slaves.

Continue to Cherokees Vote Out Slaves’ Descendants →

Next month, members of the Cherokee Nation will vote on whether to amend the tribal constitution to make Indian blood a requirement for citizenship. American Indian tribes are considered sovereign nations within the United States, and their citizens are entitled to tribal benefits, including subsidized housing and health care.

Continue to Cherokees to Vote: Can Freedmen be Native American? →

The chief of the Cherokees is advocating the tribal council reverse the highest tribal court's ruling that freedmen were illegally denied tribal citizenship.

Freedmen, descendants of freed slaves who joined the Cherokees in the 1800s, are to be recognized as citizens with privileges, under the tribal constitution, the Judicial Appeals Tribunal ruled last week.

Continue to Cherokee Chief not ready to end fight to keep out Freedmen →

Justices say Cherokees must grant membership to descendants of slaves. The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma’s highest court has ruled that the tribe has to give citizenship to descendants of slaves known as the Cherokee Freedmen.

Continue to Tribal court rules in favor of “Freedmen” →

Cherokee Freedman retain tribal citizenship under the tribe's 1975 constitution and are legally entitled to vote, the tribe's highest court ruled 2-1 Tuesday.

Continue to Cherokees must recognize Freedmen, tribunal rules →