Cherokee Nation ( Cherokee : ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ , '' Tsalagihi Ayeli '' or ᏣᎳᎩᏰᎵ " Tsalagiyehli " ) , also known as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma , is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States . It was established in the 20th century and includes people descended from members of the Old Cherokee Nation who relocated from the Southeast due to increasing pressure to Indian Territory and Cherokee who were forced to relocate on the Trail of Tears . The tribe also includes descendants of Cherokee Freedmen and Natchez Nation . Over 299,862 people are enrolled in the Cherokee Nation , with 189,228 living within the state of Oklahoma . According to Larry Echo Hawk ( in 2009 ) , former head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs ( BIA ) , the current Cherokee Nation is not the historical Cherokee tribe but instead a " successor in interest "
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Cherokee Nation