{"id":255202,"date":"2025-10-13T00:01:31","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T05:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=255202"},"modified":"2025-10-14T11:05:59","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T16:05:59","slug":"chuck-hoskin-cherokee-nation-honors-our-ancestors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/10\/13\/chuck-hoskin-cherokee-nation-honors-our-ancestors\/","title":{"rendered":"Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation honors our ancestors"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fb-video\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reel\/1932985190593559\/\" data-width=\"auto\" data-show-text=\"false\"><\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Cherokee Nation: <a href=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reel\/1932985190593559>Protecting Cherokee Cemeteries<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Protecting the past guides our future<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Monday, October 13, 2025<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChuckHoskin_Jr\"><I aria-hidden=true class=\"fab fa-twitter\"><\/I><\/A><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Cherokee Nation<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source-links\"><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/www.cherokee.org\/\">cherokee.org<\/A><\/div>\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nEvery decision made at the Cherokee Nation \u2014 whether it\u2019s from me, Deputy Chief Bryan Warner, the Council of the Cherokee Nation, or one of the thousands of Cherokee Nation employees who work tirelessly for our tribe \u2014 focuses through the lens of our core mission: to perpetuate Cherokee culture and build stronger, healthier communities.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nEvery effort to grow stronger, more prosperous Cherokee families is matched by efforts to revive, protect and preserve our cultural heritage with equal passion. The two are linked.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAnd this is more than just rhetoric. The Cherokee Nation identity, itself, balances between who we were and where we are going.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nRecently, I signed the <a href=\"https:\/\/anadisgoi.com\/index.php\/government-stories\/principal-chief-chuck-hoskin-jr-signs-historic-cemeteries-preservation-act\">Cherokee Nation Historic Cemeteries Preservation Act<\/a>, which I first proposed during my State of the Nation address in August, at a special ceremony at Park Hill Mission Cemetery. This law authorizes $925,000 annually to identify, document and restore historic Cherokee cemeteries.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FTheCherokeeNation%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0tbtwWhJPsuDdkP8cL2Fi9XoR44AigDJQKLDURxUznzoiPnhrdf7etHRb1Pivz3Yil&#038;show_text=true&#038;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"866\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\"><\/iframe>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe intent of the act is to grab hold and fortify the most tangible connection many Cherokees have to their ancestors. These are the resting places of Cherokees and their families who, against incredible odds, traveled to what is now the Cherokee Nation Reservation under forced removal by the U.S. government. Once here, they resowed the seeds of our tribe and established laws that would bind us as a Nation.&nbsp;\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nA comprehensive book documenting Cherokee Nation Historic Cemeteries will publish between 2026 and 2030. All identified historic cemeteries will be designated on the Cherokee Nation Registry of Historic Places, and Cherokees will gain new, unprecedented access to information about their ancestors\u2019 sacred resting places.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nMany Cherokees aren\u2019t fortunate enough to grow up in proximity to Cherokee traditions. Whether due to physical distance or a family disconnection from tribal culture, it\u2019s incumbent on us to welcome those who wish to understand or return to our culture.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nFor many, a burial site is the only physical connection they can explore outside of the Dawes Rolls or other paperwork.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nOur most comprehensive attempt at identifying and documenting historic cemeteries, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/openlibrary.org\/works\/OL6718261W\/Our_people_and_where_they_rest\">Our People and Where They Rest<\/a>,\u201d was undertaken and published by James Tyner and Alice Timmons in 1969. The 12-volume series is indispensable for tribal descendants researching family trees and is the sole documentation of final resting places for many Cherokee ancestors.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nEven for a stone marker, 55 years is too long to take for granted.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_anadisgoi-com\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/anadisgoi.com\/index.php\/government-stories\/principal-chief-chuck-hoskin-jr-signs-historic-cemeteries-preservation-act\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/10\/cemeteriespreservation-2.jpg\" alt=\"Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. signs historic Cemeteries Preservation Act\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/anadisgoi.com\/index.php\/government-stories\/principal-chief-chuck-hoskin-jr-signs-historic-cemeteries-preservation-act\">\n\t\t\tPrincipal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. signs historic Cemeteries Preservation Act\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/anadisgoi.com\/index.php\/government-stories\/principal-chief-chuck-hoskin-jr-signs-historic-cemeteries-preservation-act\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/anadisgoi.com\/favicon.ico\" alt=\"Anadisgoi\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tAnadisgoi\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThis cemeteries preservation effort aims to reestablish their work, build onto it and reclaim burial sites from the grip of time. Generations from now, Cherokees will connect to their cultural inheritance through these sacred sites. They will serve as a gateway, permitting all who wish to understand a Cherokee way of life.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe effort to inventory and share with our citizens vital information about our history is a Herculean effort, but it is really just the beginning. As we work to identify the state of historic Cherokee cemeteries, the new Act provides funds to begin restoration efforts on a priority basis. Best of all, the Act encourages us to use partners, including Gadugi Corps volunteers, to do all of this work. This can truly be a national effort.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe passion for this project \u2014 for guarding our cultural heritage \u2014 comes from a deep belief in rooting progress in culture. My administration and the Council of the Cherokee Nation walk in lockstep behind this belief. We know that the only way to be sure in our direction tomorrow is to know the course that got us here today.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<HR><div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-md-3\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/23\/chuckhoskinavatar.jpg\" alt=\"Chuck Hoskin Jr\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\" class=\"rounded-circle\" \/><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"col-md-9\"><EM><A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChuckHoskin_Jr\">Chuck Hoskin Jr.<\/A> \r\nis the 18th elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, the largest Indian \r\ntribe in the United States. He is only the second elected Principal Chief of the \r\nCherokee Nation from Vinita, the first being Thomas Buffington, who served from \r\n1899-1903. Prior to being elected Principal Chief, Hoskin served as the tribe\u2019s \r\nSecretary of State. He also formerly served as a member of the Council of the \r\nCherokee Nation, representing District 11 for six years.<\/EM><\/div><\/div><HR>\r\n<img src=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/14\/CherokeeNation-5.jpg width=0 height=0 class=invisible>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Cherokee Nation identity, itself, balances between who we were and where we are going.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":255232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[77,76,175,127,43],"class_list":["post-255202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-cherokee","tag-chuck-hoskin","tag-languages","tag-oklahoma","tag-sacred-sites","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/14\/CherokeeNation-5.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-14oa","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255202"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":255233,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255202\/revisions\/255233"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}