In the latest episode of my podcast In Depth With Deon, I sit down with Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. for a candid conversation about what Tribal sovereignty means in today’s America, defending it from attacks by Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, and the ongoing fight for equity for Black Freedmen descendants, whose ancestors were formerly enslaved by the Cherokee Nation.
Even as far-right pro-fascist, twice-impeached U.S. President Donald Trump works overtime to dismantle democracy and reshape the nation to mirror Oklahoma’s anti-human politics, Chief Hoskin Jr. has been guiding his Tribal Nation as a progressive leader determined to leave his community better than how he found it.
As I.C.E. agents racially profile, round up and disappear immigrants and citizens alike, the Cherokee Nation’s existence stands as a reminder of what the U.S. government could never expel. “The Cherokee Nation existed before anyone ever heard of the United States. Before anyone invented the state of Oklahoma, there was a Cherokee Nation,” Chief Hoskin Jr. told me.
As Republicans in Congress continue to shut out opposing views from even having a seat at the table, Chief Hoskin Jr. recounts the 1835 Treaty of New Echota. It was the vehicle that ultimately led to 5,000 out of 20,000 Cherokee citizens perishing during the brutal Trail of Tears. But language contained in the treaty gives him hope because "there's one sentence in there that we held out for, and it said that 'the Cherokee Nation shall have a delegate in the United States House of Representatives when Congress makes provision for the same,’” Chief Hoskin Jr. said.
Governor Stitt has called Tribal Nations in Oklahoma the greatest threat to the state’s “sovereignty,” as he continues to dismantle the government-to-government relationship. "Governor Stitt views sovereignty I suppose like he views business transactions, which is a zero sum game,” Chief Hoskin Jr. said.
As a Freedmen descendant, my ancestors were formerly enslaved by the Cherokee Nation. My 4x great-grandparents Edmond Vann and Dinah Nave were enslaved by James’ son Joseph Vann. My 5x great grandfather Jim Foreman likely traveled with his enslavers on the Trail of Tears to present-day Oklahoma.
"We enslaved Black people in the 19th Century," Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Hoskin says, acknowledging the role enslaved Black people, later known as Cherokee Freedmen, played in building the economy of the Cherokee Nation. He also discusses what the Cherokee Nation is doing to make amends and promote equitable policies for Freedmen descendants today.
At one point I asked him if he would ever run for Oklahoma governor: But when it comes to the divide and conquer strategies used by Republicans, "if that's winning politics in the state of Oklahoma, I probably couldn't win. But I'm an optimist, and I think people who think the way that many of us think, myself included, could win,” Chief Hoskin Jr. said.
Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen anywhere you get your podcasts.
Share this post