Hoskin offers call to action for citizens to 'bend' century into 'great Cherokee century'

Aug. 15—On Monday, with all the pomp and circumstance due a sovereign nation's inauguration, Cherokee Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner and eight elected tribal councilors took their official oaths of office in Tahlequah, the Cherokee Nation capitol.

Among those on stage was CN District 14's Council representative, Kevin Easley Jr.

More than 1,500 people attended the inauguration ceremonies, including many Rogers County Cherokee citizens and members of the Indian Women's Pocahontas Club.

Hoskin called upon his "fellow Cherokees" to "bend the 21st century into a great Cherokee century through greatness and goodness.

"At this moment, the Cherokee Nation stands as one of the world's oldest democracies. Across three centuries our democracy, and our resolve as a free people, have been tested and at times suppressed. Through it all I proudly say this: The Cherokee Nation has bent but it has never broken," Hoskin said.

Hoskin attributed the success of the Cherokee as a nation to not only policies and investments, but also to the "unyielding spirit of the Cherokee people."

"... We are in the midst of a renaissance of Cherokee art and culture and a resurgence of our language. We are telling the world the Cherokee story, the whole story, as only we can tell it. In this Cherokee century, we must surely leverage our Cherokee greatness to build a great Cherokee society," Hoskin said. "But if this century is to be all that it can be, we will need something more powerful than Cherokee greatness. We will need Cherokee goodness. Let us feel the urgency of the tasks before us. Let us move boldly and let us move wisely. Let us build a great Cherokee society by leveraging those qualities that make Cherokees so great and by leaning on those qualities which make Cherokees so good. Let us pledge today to do our part to build toward this great Cherokee society and help make this a great Cherokee century."

Hoskin took his first oath of office as the tribe's 18th constitutionally elected chief in 2019. Deputy Chief Warner was also first elected to his

Warner echoed Hoskin's call to the exercise of "community values."

"Our Cherokee community values — taking care of one another, being responsible for one another, respecting the gifts of one another — are the template for our success in the past and in the future," Warner said. "Together, we can weave a blanket of shared values and traditions that will guide us through any challenge. As your deputy principal chief, I will strive every day to live up to the Cherokee ideals of selflessness and harmony — and when I fall short, as we all will sometimes fall short, I will trust in the community to guide me to the right path."

Citizens of the Cherokee Nation are documented descendants of Cherokee who were removed from their original homeland in the southeast United States and forced to relocate into Indian Territory — present-day Oklahoma — in 1838.

Today, the Cherokee Nation is the largest tribe in the United States, with more than 450,000 citizens worldwide. More than 141,000 Cherokee Nation citizens reside within the tribe's reservation boundaries in northeastern Oklahoma.

District 14 Councilor Easley was among the first term members of the Cherokee Council, the tribe's legislative body. Others are District 1 Tribal Councilor Sasha Blackfox Qualls, District 3 Tribal Councilor Lisa Robison Hall, and District 8 Tribal Councilor Codey Poindexter.

Principal Chief of the Cherokee Chuck Hoskin Jr.

Second-term Council members are District 6 Tribal Councilor Daryl Legg, District 12 Tribal Councilor Dora Patzkowski, and District 13 Tribal Councilor Joe Deere were sworn into their second terms in office Monday. At-Large Tribal Councilor Julia Coates was sworn into her second consecutive term; she previously served on the Council of the Cherokee Nation from 2007-2015.

"It was an honor to bear witness to the renewal of our democracy," said Council Speaker Mike Shambaugh. "Today there was a spirit of unity that we can build on in the coming term."

The inauguration ceremony also featured performances by the Cherokee National Youth Choir, Cherokee National Treasure Tommy Wildcat, and featured special guests, friends and family of Cherokee Nation elected leaders.

A traditional meal was served to tribal citizens and the community following the ceremony.

Read the complete transcript of the Cherokee chief's and deputy chief's speeches at the following links: https://cn-bus.box.com/s/6kxvdj3wumyaw110t9hll54wmlc84hsa and https://cn-bus.box.com/s/bsp94dsphpc5k563i0jnoysav0e0mpat