Cherokee Nation announces it now has 400,000 tribal citizens

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) – The Oklahoma-based Cherokee Nation says it has reached 400,000 tribal citizens and expects to become the most populous indigenous tribe in the United States again.

Cherokee Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said Wednesday that he expects pending citizenship applications to put the Cherokees on top once again.

The Arizona-based Navajo Nation in March announced it had reached a population of nearly 400,000 to surpass the Cherokees as the nation’s most populous indigenous tribe.