The Cherokee National Holiday is an annual event held each Labor Day weekend in

Tahlequah, Oklahoma Tahlequah ( ; ''Cherokee'': ᏓᎵᏆ, ''daligwa'' ) is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It is part of the Green Country region of Oklahoma and was established as a capital of the 19th-cent ...

. The event celebrates the September 6, 1839 signing of the Constitution of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma after the

Trail of Tears The Trail of Tears was an ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of approximately 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850 by the United States government. As part of the Indian removal, members of the Cherokee, ...

Indian removal ended.

Origins and activities

Originally begun in 1953, the event has grown into one of the largest

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

s in Oklahoma, attracting in excess of 70,000 attendees coming from all over the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Many attendees are also tribal members of the "

Five Civilized Tribes The term Five Civilized Tribes was applied by European Americans in the colonial and early federal period in the history of the United States to the five major Native American nations in the Southeast—the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek ...

" (the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

, and also the

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands. Their traditional territory was in the Southeastern United States of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee as well in southwestern Kentucky. Their language is classif ...

s, the Choctaws, Creeks, and

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

s). Others who routinely attend the event are the

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᏱ ᏕᏣᏓᏂᎸᎩ, ''Tsalagiyi Detsadanilvgi'') is a federally recognized Indian Tribe based in Western North Carolina in the United States. They are descended from the smal ...

located in western

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

and also the United Keetowah Band which, like the Cherokee Nation, are headquartered in Tahlequah. The holiday hosts many different cultural and artistic events such as a two-night intertribal pow wow,

stickball Stickball is a street game similar to baseball, usually formed as a pick-up game played in large cities in the Northeastern United States, especially New York City and Philadelphia. The equipment consists of a broom handle and a rubber ball, ...

, Cherokee marbles,

horseshoes Horseshoe is a shoe for horses and by analogy is applied to many things with a similar shape. Horseshoes (game), a tossing game played with a horseshoe Horseshoe(s) or Horse Shoe(s) may also refer to: Places * Horseshoe Valley (disambiguation) ...

and cornstalk shoot tournaments,

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

tournaments, rodeos, car and art shows, gospel singings, the annual Miss Cherokee pageant, the Cherokee National Holiday parade, and the annual "State of the Nation" address by the

Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation Principal Chief is today the title of the chief executives of the Cherokee Nation, of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, the three federally recognized tribes of Cherokee. In the eighteent ...

Celebration themes

Each year a committee chooses a new theme for the annual celebration. Some recent themes have included: * Forging a Legacy: Seven Decades of Cherokee Fellowship - (70th Annual) 2022 * Cultivating Our Culture ''Language. Literacy. Lifeways.'' - (69th Annual) 2021 * We the People of the Cherokee Nation: Celebrating Tribal Sovereignty - (68th Annual) 2020 * Rising Together - (67th Annual) 2019 * Family: A bridge to the future, a link to the past - (66th Annual) 2018 * Water is Sacred - (65th Annual) 2017 * Stewards of Our Land - (64th Annual) 2016 * Reunion - (63rd Annual) 2015 * Homes. Health. Hope. - (62nd Annual) 2014 * Homes. Health. Hope. – (61st Annual) 2013 * From One Fire to a Proud Future – (60th Annual) 2012 * Jobs, Language and Community – (59th Annual) 2011 * Happy, Healthy People – (58th Annual) 2010 * Learn from all that I observe – (57th Annual) 2009 * Planting the Seed Corn For Our Children's Future – (56th Annual) 2008 * The Cherokee Nation Continues in Full Force and Effect – (54th Annual) 2006 * Celebrating the State of Sequoyah – (53rd Annual) 2005 * The Spirit of the Trail – (52nd Annual) 2004 * The Strength of Our Nation – (51st Annual) 2003 * Building One Fire – (50th Annual) 2002 * Celebrating The Seven Clans – (49th Annual) 2001

Covid-19

Due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the 68th Annual Cherokee National Holiday was a "virtual holiday." Many events still took place and spectators were able to watch online to see the Chief's State of the Nation address, Cherokee art show, Miss Cherokee competition, as well as, demonstrations of traditional games. However, events such as the annual parade, fishing derby, powwow, softball tournament, arts and crafts, food markets and vendors were canceled and initially set to resume in 2021. However, due to the pandemic continuing into 2021, the 69th Annual Cherokee National Holiday was announced as a "hybrid" celebration featuring virtual and smaller scale in-person events, with the expected return to normal delayed until 2022. After two years of purely virtual participation the 70th annual celebration was held in-person. Officials stated that virtual participation would still be provided for some elements of the holiday due to COVID concerns.

Notes

External links

Cherokee National Holiday Archives

The Cherokee Nation Homepage
{{coord, 35.915, N, 94.970, W, type:event_region:US-OK_source:GNIS, display=title Cherokee culture Oklahoma culture Festivals in Oklahoma Cultural festivals in the United States Tourist attractions in Cherokee County, Oklahoma

Origins and activities

Celebration themes

Covid-19

See also

Notes

External links