During this week in 1989, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma changed its tribal flag. A seven-pointed black star was added as a reminder of the Cherokees who lost their lives on the Trail of Tears. 

The Cherokee people are located in two distinct regions representing their history under the United States. The Eastern Band of Cherokee are located in North Carolina and Tennessee, the traditional homeland of the people who call themselves "Ani Yun Wiya" or "Real People". The term Cherokee was probably given to them by their neighbors in the southeast, the Creeks. The Creeks called them "Tciloki", meaning "people of a different speech".

The modern Cherokee nation has more enrolled members than any other in the United States. The 1990 census showed around 400,000 Cherokees living in the country. The Navajo, however are considered the largest tribe by many since the Western Cherokee recognize any one who has even the smallest part Cherokee in their heritage to be a Western Cherokee. The Western Cherokee philosophy is that even the smallest drop of Cherokee blood makes one a Cherokee. Most other tribes, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee, require an individual to prove to be at least one quarter or one sixteenth descended from an individual member of a particular tribe to be eligible for membership.

The major component of the Cherokee nation is found in Oklahoma. In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act which evicted all Indians in the southeastern United States to what is now Oklahoma.

	Along the Trail of Tears Over a period of two years the Cherokee moved from their "Enchanted Land" in Georgia to a new home in Oklahoma. During that time more than 20 distinct groups of Cherokee Indians headed west along three separate routes. Today the general term The Trail of Tears is applied to all three routes, however, to the Cherokee only the northern land route was called "The Trail Where They Cried." Parties of Cherokee who emigrated west: Date Description Number at departure Additions Known dead Number at Arrival May 24, 1836 thru May 23, 1838 People who left the Cherokee Nation in Georgia and emigrated to the Oklahoma Territory before the "Trail of Tears" . Most of the signers of the Treaty of New Echota and many of the richer mixed-blood Cherokee. 800+ ? 800+ April 5, 1838 Under the command of Lt. Deas, U. S. Army. 250 ? 248 June 6, 1838 Under the command of Lt. Deas, U. S. Army. 800 489 June 13, 1838 Under the command of Lt. Whitley, U. S. Army. 800 225 602 June 17, 1838 Under the command of Capt. Drane, U. S. Army. 1070 494 October 11, 1838 Under the command of Lt. Deas, U. S. Army and John Ridge. 650 650 October 1, 1838 Leader - John Benge. First of the Cherokee controlled parties. U. S. Army commander Winfield Scott rode to Nashville with this party. 1,103 77 50 1,103 October 4, 1838 Leader - Elijah Hicks. 748 110 34 744 October 4, 1838 Leaders - Hair Conrad;Daniel Colton. 858 654 October 4, 1838 Leaders - Jesse Bushyhead; Capt. Old Field. 950 82 898 October 4, 1838 Leader - Rev. S. Foreman. 983 57 921 October 4, 1838 Leader - Choowalooka. 1,150 970 October 4, 1838 Leader - Mose Daniel. 1,035 48 924 October 4, 1838 Leader - James Brown. 859 34 717 November 4, 1838 Leader - George Hicks. 1,118 1,039 November 4, 1838 Leader - John Drew 231 219 November 4, 1838 Leader - Richard Taylor. 1,029 55 944 November 4, 1838 Leader - Peter Hilderbrand. 1,776 1,312 December 4, 1838 Leader - John Ross. Final party of the Trail of Tears. 228	language=JavaScript> </SCRIPT>type=text/javascript></SCRIPT> src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT>