The Cherokee Nation first established a republican form of government in 1820 , while still occupying their ancestral lands in the southeastern United States . The tribe was one of several forcibly relocated to what is now Oklahoma during the Trail of Tears of the 1830s . The Nation reestablished its government quickly , in 1838 , following the removal , with Tahlequah as its capital . In addition to establishing its courts and council , the Nation built seminaries for both male and female students , as education was highly valued
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Cherokee National Capitol