The three federally recognized tribes of the Cherokee have joined in a resolution opposed to any new building on Moccasin Bend and called for the preservation of land sacred to the tribe and its predecessors.
The Tri-Council of the Cherokee Tribes, comprised of leaders from the three tribes, unanimously passed the resolution June 20 during an annual Tri-Council meeting in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
In April, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council passed its own resolution opposing new construction and calling for the preservation of Chattanooga’s iconic treasure trove of indigenous history stretching back to a time when woolly mammoths, buffalo, saber-toothed cats and giant bears roamed the area more than 12,000 years ago.
Now, the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma have joined the effort. The tribes want to save Moccasin Bend from the development of a replacement hospital for the aging Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute built there in the early 1960s. The Cherokee Nation, the largest of the three tribes with more than 141,000 members living within the reservation boundaries, hosted this year’s Tri-Council meeting.
Chuck Hoskin Jr., the Cherokee Nation’s principal chief, opened his remarks at the meeting noting a resolution to protect Moccasin Bend was on the agenda.