Cherokee Nation Constitution

Year

Cherokee Nation is spread across 14 counties in northeastern Oklahoma with a population of 300,000 people. The constitution was enacted in 2003. Cherokee Nation allows citizens who live outside the territory to vote in elections and be represented on the council.

Preamble: We, the People of the Cherokee Nation, in order to preserve our sovereignty, enrich our culture, achieve and maintain a desirable measure of prosperity and the blessings of freedom, acknowledging with humility and gratitude the goodness, aid and guidance of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in permitting us to do so, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the government of the Cherokee Nation.

Native Nations
Topics
Citation

Cherokee Nation. 2003. "Constitution of the Cherokee Nation." Tahlequah, OK.

Related Resources

Thumbnail

Cherokee Nation Councilor Julia Coates presents an overview of the constitutional history of the Cherokee Nation, and chronicles the process the Cherokee Nation followed to reform its constitution in 1999.

Thumbnail or cover image
Developing Effective Processes of American Indian Constitutional and Governmental Reform

Over the past several decades, numerous American Indian nations have been revising their constitutions to create more legitimate, effective and culturally-appropriate governments. However, successful processes of reform have been hindered by a variety of universal challenges, including political…