The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma is weighing legal action after the Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs granted state recognition to six groups.

The tribe says the commission, which is due to expire on July 1, acted without authority because state lawmakers put a halt to the recognition process. But the commission says it has the power to declare groups as tribes.

"This is a historic action," said chairwoman Tammera Hicks, The Knoxville News reported. "We have done what the commission was mandated to do more than 20 years ago."

Three of the groups that the commission recognized claim some sort of Cherokee ancestry. The Cherokee Nation says the groups are not legitimate.

Get the Story:
State grants six Indian tribes recognition (The Knoxville News 6/22)

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