In Eastern Oklahoma there is a particularly high density of Native Americans relative to the total population, and this has had a substantial effect on the region, historically, as well as in the present day. One of the most highly concentrated native enclaves in Oklahoma is the proliferation of members of the Cherokee Nation in the northeastern corner of the state, including Adair County. According to the 2010 Census, Adair County’s population is 43.3% Native American, and almost the largest single portion of the Cherokee Nation lives in Adair and the neighboring counties, such as the Cherokee, Delaware, Muskogee, and Wagoner Counties, as well as nine more. There are smaller portions of other Native American tribes and nations living in the …show more content…
The Cherokee Nation not only has members in Oklahoma, but its actual governing headquarters are based less than thirty miles away from the center of Adair County in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. While there may not be as many Cherokee themed restaurants or stores in this area as there are of other cultures, such as Mexican grocers or Chinese restaurants. A sovereign entity is governed out of the state of Oklahoma, and there is no greater show of a healthy cultural enclave than one that has a government, complete with executive, judicial, and legislative branches, solely devoted to the maintenance of a certain culture within a larger nation. Granted, in this instance, the Cherokee Nation would not have been contained within a more sizable nation if the settlers had allowed them to continue to live on the land that was originally theirs, but the continued existence of a self-governing body demonstrates a significant and successful desire to be a unified and distinct cultural …show more content…
Stop signs and street signs and store names and even high schools are written and taught in Cherokee. In fact, Adair County has one of the highest number of people who speak native languages in the mid-west at around 10% of the population. One of the few four-year colleges to teach Cherokee is Northeastern State University (NSU), in Tahlequah. When it was founded in the mid 1800’s, it was the first institution of higher learning founded by and for Native Americans, and there is an entire department devoted not only to teaching the Cherokee language, but to keeping all aspects of the Cherokee culture alive. The Cherokee Nation has initiated healthcare programs and ethical hunting regulations, and is working to raise the level of education and economic opportunities of their denizens. In addition to these initiatives, the Cherokee Nation built Cherokee Nation Businesses in 2004, marking the economic sector with their