Flag of the Cherokee Nation
- See Cherokee flag for disambiguation
The Cherokee Nation is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. First recognized under the Roosevelt administration in 1941, it drafted a constitution, under the name Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, ratified in 1976 It uses an orange flag designed by Stanley John, approved by the Tribal Council on 9 October 1978. The flag consists of an orange field with the Great Seal of the Cherokee Nation in the center. The seal is surrounded by seven yellow stars with seven points. Each of these stars points toward the star in the center of the seal. The seven pointed stars represent the seven clans of the Cherokee, as well as other symbolisms of the number seven in Cherokee tradition. The flag was modified in a resolution passed by the Cherokee Council on 9 September 1989, which added a single black seven pointed star to the upper right hand corner of the flag. It is black, and represents the light that went out with the deaths of those who perished on the Trail of Tears. The flag has a green and black rope edging.
Historical Flags
The Peace Flag
The earliest Cherokee flag is believed to be the Cherokee Peace Flag, which consists of a white field, with seven red stars, with seven points, arranged in the form of the Big Dipper asterism. The Cherokee "War Flag" was the same as the Peace Flag, but with the colors inverted.
Confederate Flags
In the 1860s, Cherokee Confederate troops (part of the Indian cavalry), carried battle flags adapted from the first Confederate Flag; most notably the Cherokee Braves Flag. One was captured at the Battle of Locust Grove. It displayed the original Stars and Bars, with the addition of five red stars in the center of the white stars. These red stars represented the Five Civilized Tribes, who were aligned with the Confederacy. The center red star represented the Cherokee Nation.
Currently, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma flag is not the same as the Eastern Band of Cherokee.