TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Learn more about the history of Black slavery in Cherokee Nation in an exhibit at the Cherokee Nation Anna Mitchell Cultural & Welcome Center.
“We Are Cherokee: Cherokee Freedmen and the Right to Citizenship” is now open and runs through April 26, 2026.
The exhibit details the long fight Cherokee Freedmen and their descendants endured to take back their treaty-protected right to Cherokee Nation citizenship.
“It is important to look back on all aspects of the history of the Cherokee Nation, acknowledging the painful moments like the enslavement of others by our ancestors,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “This exhibit plays a small but crucial role in our commitment to reconciliation and has now traveled to four separate spaces, sharing the remarkable story of the resilience of Cherokee Freedmen throughout our history.”
The exhibit is presented as part of the Cherokee Freedmen Art and History Project initiative, established by Chief Hoskin, which seeks materials and stories to broaden Cherokee Nation’s understanding of the Cherokee Freedmen experience.
That experience is shared from the earliest known participation of slavery in the 18th century on, including the adoption of plantation-style slavery among Cherokees, Indian Removal to the West and the American Civil War. It also shares how the Treaty of 1866 freed slaves in Cherokee Nation and made them Cherokee Nation citizens.
The exhibit also discusses the steps taken by the tribe to strip Freedmen and their descendants of tribal citizenship, examining the 2017 U.S. District Court ruling that upheld the Treaty of 1866 and reaffirmed Cherokee Freedmen as citizens of the Cherokee Nation.
Stories, histories, images and documents related to Cherokee Freedmen and their descendants are showcased throughout the exhibit, alongside original artworks by Cherokee Nation artists, including baskets by the late Rodslen Brown, a Cherokee Nation citizen and basket maker of Freedmen descent.
For information on Cherokee Nation cultural destinations, exhibits and events, go to www.VisitCherokeeNation.com.