Cherokee Nation to Establish Cherokee Nation Flag Day

WHAT:

Cherokee Nation leaders will sign an executive order to establish Cherokee Nation Flag Day, which will be celebrated annually on October 8.

WHEN:
Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 10 a.m.

WHERE:
The Cherokee Nation Veterans Center
17725 S. Muskogee Ave.
Tahlequah, OK

WHO:
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.
Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner
Council of the Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation Cabinet

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner will sign an executive order to officially establish Cherokee Nation Flag Day to honor the tribe's sovereignty and cultural heritage.

The Cherokee Nation flag is a testament to the resilience of Cherokee ancestors and a symbol of the tribe's continued sovereignty from past, present and future.

The Cherokee Nation flag features the Cherokee Nation seal surrounded by seven yellow stars on an orange field with a green rope-style border. Originally approved by the Council on August 9, 1978, and officially raised over tribal offices on September 30, 1979, the flag was later updated in 1989 to include a black seven-pointed star in the upper right corner to honor Cherokee lives lost during the forced removal from ancestral homelands.

The newly established Cherokee Nation Flag Day commemorates October 8, 1977, when the Council of the Cherokee Nation held pivotal discussions that began the development of a new, sovereign flag design. This date marks a significant turning point in modern Cherokee self-expression and identity, representing the first flag chosen in modern times without the oppression of the United States government.