United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians

Tahlequah, OK

The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians are also known as the Western Cherokee, or Old Settlers, as many of us were already moving west to avoid U.S. encroachment before the Trail of Tears officially began.  

Today we number more than 14,000 tribal members strong. Our members reside in several states throughout the U.S., though the majority are located in Oklahoma. To be eligible for tribal membership, members must prove at least a 1/4 Cherokee blood quantum.

Our original homelands are in the southeastern part of the U.S. and include the present-day states of Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. Our mother town is known as Kituwah Mound, located near present-day Bryson City, North Carolina.  

The Keetoowahs were the first Cherokees to move west, first voluntarily to avoid encroachment from colonizers, and then involuntarily to Indian Territory after the Indian Removal Act. 

Today we presently reside in the Cherokee capital of Tahlequah, Oklahoma. A federal ruling has cleared the way for the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians to resume gaming operations on our trust land in Tahlequah. The National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) approved our request for a gaming license, settling a decade-long jurisdictional battle between our tribe and the Cherokee Nation. 

The decision marks a major turning point for the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians to continue to operate our casino in Tahlequah, which until legal action forced us to close in 2013.