

This roll was taken between 1899-1906 of Citizens and Freedmen residing in Indian Territory (now northeastern Oklahoma) prior to Oklahoma statehood in 1907. To be eligible for a federal Certificate Degree of Indian Blood and Cherokee Nation tribal citizenship, you must be able to provide documents that connect you to a direct ancestor listed on the Dawes Final Rolls of Citizens of the Cherokee Nation with a blood degree. It does require that you have at least one direct Cherokee ancestor listed on the Dawes Final Rolls, a federal census of those living in the Cherokee Nation that was used to allot Cherokee land to individual citizens in preparation for Oklahoma statehood. The Cherokee Nation dedicates resources through both federal funding and tribal revenue to provide these and other services to the citizens who need them mostĬherokee Nation citizenship does not require a specific blood quantum. These services include but are not limited to: Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation, Community Services, Education, Health Services, Human Services, Commerce Services and Career Services. The Cherokee Nation offers many services to its citizens and to other Native Americans throughout its tribal jurisdiction in northeastern Oklahoma. Cherokee Nation’s economic impact in Oklahoma and surrounding areas is more than $1.5 billion annually and is the largest employers in northeastern Oklahoma. Today the Cherokee Nation is the largest tribal nation in the United States with more than 317,000 citizens, over 8,000 employees and a variety of tribal enterprises ranging from aerospace and defense contracts to entertainment venues. The Cherokee Nation dedicates resources through both federal funding and tribal revenue to provide these and other services to the citizens who need them most.

It is the descendants of those original enrollees who make up today’s Cherokee Nation tribal citizenship. What remained of Cherokee tribal land was eventually divided into individual allotments, doled out to Cherokees listed in the census compiled by the Dawes Commission. Unfortunately, after the Civil War, more Cherokee lands and rights were taken by the federal government in reprimand for the Cherokee who chose to side with the Confederacy. The Cherokee rebuilt a progressive lifestyle from remnants of the society and culture left behind in Georgia. The Cherokee soon re-established themselves in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and nearby Park Hill. Thousands of Cherokees died during and after this enforced march due to the effects of the journey. This horrific event is known as the Trail of Tears, and ended with their arrival in Indian Territory (Oklahoma). The Cherokee were herded at bayonet point in a forced march of 1,000 miles. Supreme Court, thousands of Cherokee men, women and children were rounded up in preparation for their “removal” (“ John Marshall has made his decision let him enforce it now if he can.” – Andrew Jackson). In the end, at the order of President Andrew Jackson in direct defiance of a ruling of the U.S. With the period of “Indian removals” settlers, prospectors, and others were allowed to encroach on Cherokee land. When gold was discovered in Georgia in 1829, outsiders started coveting the Cherokee homelands. The Cherokee culture thrived many hundreds of years before initial European contact in the 16 th century. Today the Cherokee language still thrives among its members. The Cherokee Nation capital is located in Tahlequah Oklahoma.

The Cherokee Nation is the federally recognized government of the Cherokee people and has inherent sovereign status recognized by treaty and law.
