The Cherokee Southwest Township (CSWT) in
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...
, is a large group of
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
families enrolled with the
Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. It is not a so-called
Cherokee heritage group, but a satellite of the main tribal jurisdiction.
All of the township members originated in Eastern Oklahoma and migrated to New Mexico and are citizens of either the Cherokee Nation or
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians
The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma ( or , abbreviated United Keetoowah Band or UKB) is a federally recognized tribe of Cherokee Native Americans headquartered in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. According to the UKB website, its memb ...
. The township incorporated under the Cherokee Nation as a Cherokee Township for Cherokee Nation citizens who migrated to
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
during the
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of natural factors (severe drought) and hum ...
in the 1930s (the same migration wave that Cherokee migrant
Florence Owens Thompson
Florence Owens Thompson (born Florence Leona Christie; September 1, 1903 – September 16, 1983) was an American woman who was the subject of Dorothea Lange's photograph '' Migrant Mother'' (1936), considered an iconic image of the Great Depr ...
was part of).
The township has monthly meetings and hosts
Cherokee language
file:Cherokee Speakers by County, 2000.png, 350px, Number of speakers
file:Lang Status 20-CR.svg, Cherokee is classified as Critically Endangered by UNESCO's ''Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger''
Cherokee or Tsalagi (, ) is an endangere ...
and history classes. The Albuquerque Cherokee Township has a significant number of native Cherokee speakers. Former principal chief
Chad "Corntassel" Smith
Chadwick "Corntassel" Smith (Cherokee name Ugista:ᎤᎩᏍᏔ derived from Cherokee word for "Corntassel", Utsitsata:ᎤᏥᏣᏔ; born December 17, 1950) is a Cherokee Nation politician and attorney who served as Principal Chief of the Cheroke ...
visited the township four times per year.
See also
*
Cherokee heritage groups
Cherokee heritage groups are associations, societies and other organizations located primarily in the United States. Such groups consist of persons who do not qualify for enrollment in any of the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes (the Cher ...
**
Cherokees in Texas
**
Cherokees in Mexico
**
Northern Cherokee of the
Great Plains
The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...
(the historic
Louisiana Territory
The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805, until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed the Missouri Territory. The territory was formed out of t ...
)
References
External links
Cherokee Southwest Township (CSWT)— Cherokee Nation website
Cherokee Southwest Township celebrates culture ''Cherokee Phoenix''
Cherokee Nation
Culture of Albuquerque, New Mexico
Native American history of New Mexico
Native Americans in Albuquerque, New Mexico
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians
Cherokee towns
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