The Cherokee Nation has begun processing tribal citizenship applications for descendants of Cherokee freedmen following the resolution of a decades-long legal struggle.
“We’re happy and relieved this longstanding case is finally resolved, and now we are moving forward processing applications as quickly as possible,” Cherokee Nation Attorney General Todd Hembree said in a statement.
The tribe began processing citizenship applications following a federal court ruling last week determining that descendants of Cherokee freedmen have a right to tribal citizenship.
Freedmen, many of whom marched on the Trail of Tears, were black slaves owned by members of the Cherokee Nation until after the Civil War.
The application process includes submitting paperwork such as birth and death certificates, current addresses, and other up-to-date information.
The Cherokee Nation receives approximately 1,200 citizenship applications per month and recently cleared a three-year backlog.
The tribe’s 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, according to a news release.
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.”
Marilyn Vann of Muskogee, who was a litigant in the court case, also delivered paperwork for her family on Friday. She said her family is relieved for the case to be resolved after so many years.
“I’m grateful to Chief (Bill John) Baker and Attorney General Hembree. We see this as a great nation and a coming together,” Vann said.
It is not clear how many people could apply for Cherokee citizenship following the ruling.
Tribal spokeswoman Amanda Clinton said about 3,000 applications that had been on hold for years are now being processed. Since last week’s ruling, the tribe’s registration office has had about 75 visits and a “couple of hundred” telephone calls, Clinton said.
Vann said that potentially up to 25,000 descendants of freedmen could apply.
The Cherokee Nation registration office is in the W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex in Park Hill, just south of Tahlequah, at 17675 S. Muskogee Ave.
It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and can be reached by calling 918-458-6980.
Applications also may be downloaded online at cherokee.org/services/tribal-citizenship.
