Cherokee Nation Processing Freedmen Descendant Citizenship Applications

The Cherokee Nation registration office is processing tribal citizenship applications for Cherokee freedmen descendants after a decades-long legal struggle was resolved at the end of August. 

8/31/2017 Related Story: Cherokee Freedmen Descendants Win Right To Tribal Membership

The Cherokee Nation registration office has staff set aside and ready to work on new and pending freedmen descendant applications and answer questions for those who may be unfamiliar with the registration process, the tribe said. 

The application process includes submitting necessary paperwork such as birth and death certificates, current and correct addresses, and other up-to-date information, the tribe said. Submitting incorrect or incomplete information may slow the registration process. The Cherokee Nation receives approximately 1,200 new citizenship applications per month and recently cleared a three-year backlog.

Omara Griffin, 37, of Muskogee, visited the tribe’s registration office Friday to learn what was needed to complete her application.

“It’s exciting to be able to register after waiting all these years,” she said. “I feel a part of the tribe going forward.”

The Cherokee Nation registration office is located in the W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex in Park Hill, Oklahoma, just south of Tahlequah, at 17675 S. Muskogee Ave. It is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and can be reached at 918-456-6980. Applications can be downloaded online.