Cherokee Nation Council to Vote on Citizenship Issue

TAHLEQUAH, Okla.- The Cherokee Nation Tribal Council will vote at the June 12 Tribal Council meeting on a proposed Constitutional amendment that defines Cherokee citizens as only descendants of the Cherokee Nation Dawes Rolls who are Indian by blood. If passed by the Council, the amendment would be sent to a vote of the Cherokee people. If passed by the majority of Cherokee voters, adopted Delawares and Shawnees Indians tracing their ancestry to the Cherokee Nation's Dawes Rolls would remain citizens, but descendants from the Freedmen Rolls would be excluded.

Until a recent ruling from the Cherokee Nation's highest court, the Cherokee Nation only allowed citizenship by proof of Indian blood from the Dawes Rolls. The Cherokee Nation Tribal Council will also vote on whether to hold a special election for a vote on the amendment. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council Chambers located in the W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex on Highway 62 south of Tahlequah, OK. The meeting can also be seen live on the internet at the Cherokee Nation's web site, www.cherokee.org.