United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma is a federally recognized tribe with 12,000 enrolled tribal members and is headquartered in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Membership is limited to those of one-fourth or more Cherokee blood, and enrollees cannot carry dual citizenship in both the UKB and the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
Although the UKB received congressional recognition in 1946 and ratified its constitution, bylaws, and corporate charter in 1950, its origins are considerably older. Keetoowah people believe that “Kituwah” or “Keetoowah” is the true name of the Cherokee people given to them by the Creator. The Keetoowahs received their laws and sacred fire in their ancestral homelands and believe they are the guardians of traditional Cherokee ways today.
In spite of its firm legal status as a federally recognized tribe, the UKB faces challenges to its sovereignty from what might seem an unlikely source: the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CNO). Animosity between the two nations has recently centered on the legality of the UKB’s casino and its right to issue tribal tags. However, CNO–UKB relations have been tenuous for more than two centuries. Keetoowahs trace their lineage to the Old Settler Cherokees who moved from Arkansas to present northeastern Oklahoma in 1828. The arrival of newer Cherokees after the Trail of Tears, in 1838 and 1839, led to a power struggle between the Old Settlers and new over the structure of the government. This power struggle ultimately ended in a bloody civil war. Further, during the American Civil War, Keetoowahs fought on the side of the Union, but the bulk of the Cherokee Nation sided with the Confederacy. Once the war ended, Keetoowahs censured the Cherokee National Council for negotiating the postwar treaty with the United States. The Keetoowahs strongly opposed allotment and single statehood.
After the national government of the Cherokee Nation was dissolved in 1907, the Keetoowahs became the only federally recognized government of the Cherokee people for a period prior to World War II. Then in 1948 President Harry S. Truman appointed W. W. Keeler as chief of the Cherokee Nation which created an anomaly of two governments for one people, a situation that still exists today. Both the UKB and the CNO consider themselves to be the legitimate government of the Cherokee people. Given the history of the two groups, this is unlikely to change, as a checks and balances mechanism, may help ensure the continuance of the Cherokee as a distinct and sovereign people.
Today the United Keetoowah Band of Oklahoma is a thriving nation. The tribe administers millions of dollars in state, federal, and casino-generated funds; issues its own license plates; adjudicates legal matters in its own court system; and provides a variety of services to tribal members of all ages. In short, the tribe is the essences of a sovereign nation.
http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=UN006
George Wickliffe (Chief)
Tel: (918) 431-1818
Fax: (918) 431-1873
PO Box 746
Tahlequah, OK74465-0746
Website: http://www.keetoowahcherokee.org/
Although the UKB received congressional recognition in 1946 and ratified its constitution, bylaws, and corporate charter in 1950, its origins are considerably older. Keetoowah people believe that “Kituwah” or “Keetoowah” is the true name of the Cherokee people given to them by the Creator. The Keetoowahs received their laws and sacred fire in their ancestral homelands and believe they are the guardians of traditional Cherokee ways today.
Despite its firm legal status as a federally recognized tribe, the UKB faces challenges to its sovereignty from what might seem an unlikely source: the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CNO). Animosity between the two nations has recently centered on the legality of the UKB’s casino and its right to issue tribal tags. However, CNO–UKB relations have been tenuous for more than two centuries. Keetoowahs trace their lineage to the Old Settler Cherokees who moved from Arkansas to present northeastern Oklahoma in 1828. The arrival of newer Cherokees after the Trail of Tears, in 1838 and 1839, led to a power struggle between the Old Settlers and new over the structure of the government. This power struggle ultimately ended in a bloody civil war. Further, during the American Civil War, Keetoowahs fought on the side of the Union, but the bulk of the Cherokee Nation sided with the Confederacy. Once the war ended, Keetoowahs censured the Cherokee National Council for negotiating the postwar treaty with the United States. The Keetoowahs strongly opposed allotment and single statehood.
After the national government of the Cherokee Nation was dissolved in 1907, the Keetoowahs became the only federally recognized government of the Cherokee people for a period prior to World War II. Then in 1948 President Harry S. Truman appointed W. W. Keeler as chief of the Cherokee Nation which created an anomaly of two governments for one people, a situation that still exists today. Both the UKB and the CNO consider themselves to be the legitimate government of the Cherokee people. Given the history of the two groups, this is unlikely to change, as a checks and balances mechanism, may help ensure the continuance of the Cherokee as a distinct and sovereign people.
http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=UN006
The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians is a federally recognized tribe headquartered in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
PO Box 746
Tahlequah, OK74465-0746
The language of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians is the Kituwa dialect. It is estimated that more than 60 percent of the membership of the tribe speak the Keetoowah Cherokee language. The Traditional Cherokee people, the Keetoowah Cherokees, use the language in their homes, in public and in their everyday lives. The tribe has also started efforts to promote the language and launched the Language, History, & Cultural Department in 2005 to assist in the effort.
http://www.keetoowahcherokee.org/
Current Info:
Today the United Keetoowah Band of Oklahoma is a thriving nation with over 14,000 enrolled tribal members. Membership is limited to those of one-fourth or more Cherokee blood, and enrollees cannot carry dual citizenship in both the UKB and the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
The tribe administers millions of dollars in state, federal, and casino-generated funds; issues its own license plates; adjudicates legal matters in its own court system; and provides a variety of services to tribal members of all ages. In short, the tribe is the essences of a sovereign nation.
http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=UN006
George Wickliffe (Chief)
Tel: (918) 431-1818
Fax: (918) 431-1873
PO Box 746
Tahlequah, OK74465-0746
Website: http://www.keetoowahcherokee.org/
