Cherokee Nation Moves to Get Delegate in Congress
A tribal council is set to confirm Thursday a woman’s nomination to become the Cherokee Nation’s first congressional delegate, but it will be up to Congress to decide whether to honor an 1835 treaty and give her a seat in the U.S. House.
Last week, Cherokee Nation principal chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. nominated Kimberly Teehee – a 53-year-old tribeswoman well acquainted with Capitol Hill – to represent the federally-recognized tribal government in Congress.
The U.S. signed a treaty with some Cherokee tribal members in 1835, forcing the tribe to move from its ancestral homeland in the southeastern U.S. to Oklahoma. Thousands of Cherokees died from exposure, disease and starvation during this move on the Trail of Tears between 1836 and 1838.
Under the terms of the treaty that forced the tribe to move, the federal government gave the Cherokees $5 million and the right to have a delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives – but the tribe never attempted before now to exercise this right.
Once the tribal council approves Teehee’s nomination Thursday, Congress must decide whether to give her a delegate seat. If it does, the Cherokee Nation would join Washington D.C., American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands as territories with non-voting delegates in Congress.
Hoskin told CNN he expects Teehee’s confirmation process in Congress to be a lengthy one, but he makes a compelling argument for giving her a House seat.
https://www.courthousenews.com/cherokee-nation-moves-to-get-delegate-in-congress/
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