The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma

The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma is the largest of three Cherokee tribes which have been given full recognition by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs. During 1898-1906 the federal government dissolved the former Cherokee Nation, to make way for the incorporation of Indian Territory into the new state of Oklahoma. From 1906 to 1975, structure and function of the tribal government were not clearly defined, but in 1975-76 the tribe wrote a constitution as The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, [cite web|url=http://thorpe.ou.edu/constitution/cherokee/index.html| accessdate=2007-07-04 |title=1976 Constitution of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma| publisher=Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma |date=1976] and received federal recognition. During 1999-2003, the tribe passed and ratified amendments to their constitution, which omitted the words "of Oklahoma" from references to the tribe. [cite web|url=http://www.cherokee.org/TribalGovernment/Executive/CCC/ccc1999Changes.pdf |accessdate=2007-07-04|title="The 1999 Constitution of the Cherokee Nation; A review and comparison between the 1976 and 1999 Constitutions of the Cherokee Nation in preparation for the ratification vote on July 26, 2003."| publisher=The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma |date=2003] The US Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs has not accepted as valid any version of the constitution later than the 1975-6 edition, [cite web|url=http://www.jalagi.org/courtaction.pdf |accessdate=2007-07-04 |title=Affidavit of Carl J. Artman, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Indian Affairs| date=May 29, 2007] [cite web|url=http://www.freedmen5tribes.com/pdf/Federal%20Defendants_Response%20to%20PI%20motion%20(12%20Feb%202007).pdf | title=Federal Defendants' Response to Plaintiffs' Motion for Preliminary Injunction |accessdate=2007-07-04] [cite web|url=http://www.indianz.com/docs/bia/artman052107.pdf| accessdate=2007-07-04| title=Letter from Carl Artman, Assistant Secretary of the BIA, to Principal Chief Chad Smith] and the tribe is still regularly referred to as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma in federal court filings, [cite web|title=Brief in Opposition in the case Delaware Tribe of Indians v. Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, et al.| accessdate=2007-07-04| url=http://www.usdoj.gov/osg/briefs/2005/0responses/2004-1368.resp.html| publisher=United States Department of Justice|date=July, 2005] on government websites, [cite web| url=http://www.doi.gov/cheeroke.html| accessdate=2007-07-04| title="Indian Ancestry - Cherokee Indian Ancestry"|publisher=United States Department of the Interior] and elsewhere. [cite web|title=Website of the United Keetoowah Band| accessdate=2007-07-04| url=http://www.unitedkeetoowahband.org] [cite web| url=http://indian.senate.gov/2002hrgs/091802hrg/proctor.PDF| accessdate=2007-07-04| title=Testimony of Dallas Proctor, Chief of the United Keetoowah Band, before the US Senate| publisher=United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma|date=Sept. 18, 2002] [cite web|url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-2824| accessdate=2007-07-05|date=June 21, 2007| title=H.R. 2824: To sever United States' government relations with the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma|publisher=United States House of Representatives] [cite web|url=http://www.indianz.com/FederalRegister/2007/03/05/e7-3715.asp| publisher=The Federal Register|date=March5, 2007|title=Land Acquisitions; Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma| accessdate=2007-07-04] The tribe, which contests BIA involvement in the tribal constitution, [cite web| url=http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/003071.asp| accessdate=2007-07-04| title="Cherokee Nation reacts to BIA Rejection of Constitution," |date=May 23, 2007] routinely refers to itself as "The Cherokee Nation," [cite web| url=http://www.cherokee.org| accessdate=2007-07-04| title=Website of the Cherokee Nation] although it still conducts litigation in federal courts as "The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma." [cite web| url=http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01mar20051115/www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/04pdf/02-1472.pdf| accessdate=2007-07-04| title=Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma et al. v. Leavitt et al.|publisher=Supreme Court of the United States| date=March 2005]

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