Take action now. Visit this page to tell your member of Congress to seat Kim Teehee as the Cherokee Nation delegate.
The 1835 Treaty of New Echota
It is time for the United States government to honor its promise and seat the Cherokee Nation’s delegate, Kim Teehee, in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In 1835, the U.S. government and the Cherokee Nation signed the Treaty of New Echota, which forced our ancestors to give up their ancestral homelands and move west on the Trail of Tears.
What many people don’t know is that this same treaty promised the Cherokee Nation the right to send a delegate to the U.S. Congress. Article 7 of the Treaty of New Echota is crystal clear—Cherokee Nation "shall be entitled to a delegate in the House of Representatives of the United States whenever Congress shall make provision for the same."
For nearly two centuries, Congress has failed to honor this promise. Yet the obligation to seat a Cherokee Nation delegate remains as binding today as it was in 1835.
Delegate Kimberly Teehee
In August 2019, in one of his first major acts as the duly elected leader of the Cherokee Nation and as specified in the Cherokee Nation Constitution, Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. nominated Kimberly Teehee to serve as the Cherokee Nation’s first Delegate to Congress. Kim currently serves as Director of Government Relations for Cherokee Nation and is widely respected in tribal communities across the country and among Washington, D.C policymakers.
The Treaty of New Echota has no expiration date. It’s time for the U.S. government to fulfill its promise and uphold its legal obligation. Please contact your representatives and urge them to pass a resolution seating the Cherokee Nation delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Related Information
