Cherokee Nation celebrates 63rd Cherokee National Holiday

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) – The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma will observe its largest annual celebration next month during the 63rd Cherokee National Holiday.

More than 100,000 visitors are expected for the observance, which runs Sept. 4-6 in Tahlequah. It commemorates the signing of the Cherokee Nation Constitution in 1839.

This year’s “reunion” theme incorporates family gatherings and large-scale activities. The observance will also include a bison herd that has returned to Cherokee Nation soil for the first time in 40 years.

New attractions this year include a performance of “Peter and the Wolf” in Cherokee, tours on Cherokee ethnobotany, a reunion for descendants of former Principal Chief John Ross, a tribal film festival and free trolley transportation around Tahlequah.

Principal Chief Bill John Baker will also give his State of the Nation address.