Citing 200-Year-Old Treaty, Cherokee Nation Asks to Join Congress

What’s the story?

• The Cherokee Nation plans to send a delegate to the House of Representatives, claiming a right to a congressional delegate is enshrined in the 1785 Treaty of Hopewell and the 1835 Treaty of New Echota.
• “As Native issues continue to rise to the forefront of the national dialogue, now is the time for Cherokee Nation to execute a provision in our treaties,” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. declared in a press release.

“The Cherokee Nation honors its treaties with the United States. Whether the United States will likewise honor its promises to the Cherokee Nation is a question that only its elected leaders can answer.”

• The Cherokee delegate nominee is Kimberly Teehee, the Nation’s vice president of government relations. She previously worked as a senior policy advisor on Native American affairs for the Obama administration.

“This is a historic moment for Cherokee Nation and our citizens,” Teehee said in the press release. “I am truly humbled Chief Hoskin has nominated me for this extraordinary responsibility.”

• The Cherokee Nation is the largest Native American tribe in the U.S., with more than 370,000 members.

What do you think?

Should the U.S. honor its earlier treaties with the Cherokees? Take action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

(Photo Credit: iStock / raksybH)