Pedro and I missed the Cherokee event last year here in Oregon, but we made it this time. We have had a pretty amazing 2024 with our local group, called the Mt. Hood Cherokees. I joined around 14 years ago, and I’ve been around long enough to see what looks like a personality shift with the group. Lots of new people come to meetings now, and the Council has had new folks that weren’t even around when I got to know the group. They have fresh ideas and fresh energy and lots of children, which is a brand new thing and so refreshing.
I believe there are over 6,000 registered Cherokee members living in Oregon. That’s so many! We have enough Cherokees to support two separate satellite groups recognized by Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Mt. Hood Cherokees is based in Portland, and Willamette Tsa-La-Gi is based in Eugene. Every August we jointly host the Chief, Deputy Chief, At Large Councilmembers, and many others from the government in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief, Chuck Hoskin Jr. gave his State of the Union, and his Deputy Chief, Bryan Warner presented as well. Our At-Large Councilors also spoke with us. In addition to the Chief and Deputy Chief, our tribe’s Legislative Branch consists of an elected Council of 17 people: 15 to represent each of the districts that make up our reservation in Oklahoma, plus 2 additional representatives for the At-Large tribal members: all the rest of us outside the reservation.
It sounds like a bunch of politics, huh? Well, it is. Cherokee Nation is a government and its leaders are political. But their whole goal is the success of our indigenous culture into the future, unlike U.S. politicians, so that’s what the messages are often about. Because of this goal, we get all the fun stuff too: games, jokes, stories, music. Because all that stuff helps us coalesce our cultural knowledge and makes us stronger.
For the last couple of years, we have met at River Road City Park in Salem, a nice halfway spot between Eugene and Portland. It’s also a small town, which probably encourages more people to come than those willing to brave the city melee of Portland, with criss-crossing highway lanes and tangles of bridges, on ramps, and overpasses that have always made me think of macrame, since I was a child.
{A note about the photo: Donna Gault, in white on left, was awaiting some test results when this photo was taken. No one suspected that as soon as she arrived home, she would receive a cancer diagnosis. Donna walked on just a week ago. Our group, but especially her daughter, Lynnette, shown here beside her, feels the loss deeply. I am grateful to have shared such a lovely day with her at the Chief’s Event, when we did not know what was in store.}
I have met and talked with three Cherokee Chiefs now. First Chad Smith, and Bill John Baker.
I was too shy to talk to Chief Hoskin when we came face to face in 2022. I smiled and pivoted the other direction, ha ha. But this time I coached myself ahead of time to not be so silly and just go right up to him. And we had a great conversation about outreach for citizens not in Oklahoma! He was eager to hear about how I work on the newsletter and had created an outreach brochure that we recently mailed to about 1,500 local citizens who are not members of Mt. Hood Cherokees. I stood in admiration as he began brainstorming on the spot about improvement in Oklahoma-based outreach.
“I feel like we could be more effective if it was created by local Cherokees, with a message that resonates with people where you are,” he said. “And it could come from Cherokee Nation. You could create the brochure, then send it to us, and Cherokee Nation could produce it. If we sent it directly to the citizens here, that might give it the weight of the Nation, if people see we are behind it.” I love the idea, though I explained it should be in the future, since we had just done our own mailer. He called for Savannah, who came over, and he briefly explained his idea to her and asked her to help me with it, and then made his gracious exit to talk to the next person.
Do you see the gorget around his neck? It is one of the traditional accessories of Cherokee people, especially in copper. We never wore feather headdresses (except now it does happen in some cases for the benefit of tourists), but often men wore cloth turbans. We also wore copper arm bands. I do not know much about Cherokee traditional clothing, but I am eager to keep learning.
Can you believe I’m still writing about stuff that happened in August? It was an action-packed month. Even though I’m late to share, I do like having a post to make this record, so in the future I can look back and remember.
Conscious Engagement 
An interesting post, and one that should be read by people who forget that indigenous peoples are still around, and have political and cultural influence.
Thank you, Lou. Native people are getting more and more involved in this country, and more recognized. But when you come from being completely ignored, there’s a long way to go. Speaking of influence, you just reminded me of our most exciting future possibility: getting a Cherokee Delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives. It was one of the concessions our tribe was offered in one of our treaties, and no one has ever asked for it until Chief Hoskin. Our Delegate Designate is Kimberly Teehee, and I hope I see the day when she is invited into the House. They have been working on it for years, but it’s a low priority for our Congress. Still. One day….
I do recollect it being mentioned periodically. and I tmay indeed be low priority, but somehow I think it may be Congrss not wanting a wildcard added to the deck.
A wonderful event. I bet you are full of ideas
I’m full of something!! 🙂
I’ll ask Pedro 😂
Too funny!!
Always good to read about your continuing work with the Cherokees, Crystal!
Thank you, Curt. It makes me very proud to be so involved in this community.
It shows. 😁
Good so see your people thriving, Crystal
Thank you for your support of so much of what interests me, Derrick. You are a true friend. ❤
Excellent! I love the kids’ t-shirts, and yours, and the fact that you’re officially a Warrior.
I am officially a warrior! Yes, I’m pretty proud of that. I received a medal and a ribbon for my uniform, were I ever to don one again.
So with our focus so centered on politics, I’m curious about the specific issues faced by the Cherokee Nation. What does a Trump presidency look like from their perspective? That is an impressive number in Oregon and I’m so glad to hear about the efforts to include Kimberly TeeHee into the House.
One of the wounds we are still smarting from is when in 2017, Trump chose a portrait of Andrew Jackson to hang in the Oval Office. In 1832, Cherokees had a lawsuit that made it to the US Supreme Court, Worcester v. Georgia. It was a legal case against forced removal to Indian Territory. We won, and the Court said that legally we were allowed to stay on our lands in Georgia, and maintain possession of our property. President Jackson ignored it completely and began the process of removing Cherokees from their lands at gunpoint. Families were rounded up and sent to corralled areas, called Concentration Camps, and when groups were large enough, they were sent off on foot to walk to Indian Territory. This is obviously what we now call the Trail of Tears. Jackson then approved of local wealthy leaders moving in and taking possession of farms, barns, livestock, homes, and family heirlooms of the Cherokee, much like was done to the Jews in the 1930s and 40s.
Trump honors and admires this man, whom Cherokees hate viscerally. We expect that Trump, like Jackson, will continue to ignore laws that protect vulnerable people if those laws get in his way. Indians in the United States are CONSTANTLY fighting the federal government to uphold its agreements, and only some administrations are willing to do what they are required to by law. Tribes are not valued or respected much in this country, so it’s really hard to get the government to do their part that they agreed to in treaties, which are supposed to be legally binding. Having Trump in charge means that our President does not value these legal obligations at all, which means four years of being on our own again. It’s not shocking. Indians are usually on their own.
One example is how the Trump Administration dealt with the Dakota Access Pipeline project. After seven months of protests, demonstrations, lawsuits, and international attention, Trump sent in the National Guard and evicted everyone at gunpoint. We expect more of the same.
That’s quite a history. Old wounds and now new. Like most, I’ve been all over the place with my feelings: fear, worry, rage. But this afternoon I started thinking that they thing that will infuriate the oppressors is joy. Just joy for every moment, step, connection and breath. May Cherokee Nation find new friends to stand with them side by side. Our path foward is clear … and shared 💞
Joy (and action) is the perfect response.