Cite as: 31 CNCA § 902

A. The Council of the Cherokee Nation authorizes the Secretary to commission the formal publication of:

1. Brief official biographies of Principal Chiefs holding office since 1971.

2. Brief official biographies of former appointed Principal Chiefs holding office from 1907 to 1971.

3. Brief official biographies of former Principal Chiefs holding office from date of establishment of the office through 1907.

4. Brief biographies of former Deputy Principal Chiefs holding office from date of establishment of the office or any successor office

5. An official history of the legislative branch of the Cherokee Nation dating back to that branch's inception.

6. An official history of the judicial branch of the Cherokee Nation government dating back to that branch's inception.

B. Free from Political Bias; Formal Review and Publication;

1. The publications described in subsection A of this Section shall be free of policymakers' bias, endeavoring to present basic biographical and institutional facts of the subjects, public policy highlights relevant to the subjects, and the nature of the relevant historical era.

2. The publications described in subsection A of this Section shall be subject to a review and comment period by the Culture Committee of the Council of the Cherokee Nation of no less than fifteen (15) days and no more than ninety (90) days, with a copy made available for public inspection during the comment review period, with such review concluding upon the adjournment of the Culture Committee meeting convening the review.

3. The biographies of former Chiefs described in subsection A.1 of this Section shall be subject to a ninety (90) day review period of the former Principal Chief or, in the case of a former Principal Chief who is deceased or incapacitated, the former Principal Chief’s authorized representative as determined by the Secretary.

4. The publications described in subsection A of this Section shall be, upon conclusion of the review periods described in this Section, made available to the public on Cherokee Nation's official website, bound hard copy publications, and any other means of publication as the Secretary deems consistent with the purposes and policies of this Section.

C. Deadline for Completion of Publications.

1. The publications described in subsection A of this Section shall:

i. with respect to subsections A(1), be completed within two (2) years of enactment of this Act, absent an extension granted by vote of the Culture Committee of the Council of the Cherokee Nation for a period not to exceed six (6) months.

ii. with respect to subsections A(2)-A(6), be completed within four (4) years of enactment of this Act, absent an extension granted by vote of the Culture Committee of the Council of the Cherokee Nation for a period not to exceed six (6) months.

iii. Subject to review and revision by the Secretary, no later than five (5) years following the first set of publications under this Section, following substantially the same process described in subsection B of this Section, with subsequent review and revisions conducted every five (5) years thereafter.

D. Exclusion of Current Office Holder. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, no biography of any Principal Chief shall be published while that person holds the office of Principal Chief, with such publishing deferred no later than ninety (90) days after that person's term of office expires.

Historical Data

LA 07-23, eff. March 22, 2023. Originally directed to be codified at Title 31, Chapter 6; renumbered to Chapter 9 during codification 6 is occupied.