Cherokee Nation Principal Chief visiting Red Clay State Historic Park on Indigenous Peoples Day

WHAT:
The Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, the largest federally recognized tribe in the U.S., will visit Chattanooga Monday, Oct. 14, to participate in the 27th annual National Trail of Tears Association Conference & Symposium, meet with area Cherokee citizens, and honor Cherokee ancestors during a visit to Red Clay State Historic Park as part of Indigenous Peoples Day.

WHEN:
Monday, October 14
Times and locations listed below

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, the largest federally recognized tribe in the United States, will visit Chattanooga Monday, Oct. 14, to participate in the 27th annual National Trail of Tears Association Conference & Symposium, meet with area Cherokee citizens, and honor Cherokee ancestors during a visit to Red Clay State Historic Park as part of Indigenous Peoples Day.

Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. is in his second term serving the Cherokee Nation's more than 460,000 Cherokee citizens, including thousands who live in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and surrounding states.

Chief Hoskin will first visit Red Clay State Park(address: 1140 Red Clay Park Road SW, Cleveland, Tenn.) at 1 p.m. in honor of Indigenous Peoples Day. The area inside Red Clay State Historic Park was the last seat of Cherokee national government before the 1838 enforcement of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 by the U.S. military, which resulted in most of the Cherokee people in the area being forced to emigrate west.

At 4:30 p.m. Monday (address: 1 Broad St., Chattanooga, Tenn.), Chief Hoskin will provide opening remarks during the National Trail of Tears Association Conference & Symposium and will be a keynote lecturer as part of the program at 7 p.m. (address: 201 Chestnut St., Chattanooga, Tenn.).

Cherokee Nation is also hosting a citizenship registration and photo ID event in Chattanooga on Monday, Oct. 14, from 4-8 p.m. to assist local residents who need to register for citizenship, or those who are already enrolled citizens but wish to receive their tribal photo ID card.