TULSA, Okla. — As Americans prepare to celebrate the country's 250th birthday this July 4th weekend, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. has a message: Don't forget who was here first.
Hoskin says America can — and should — celebrate its 250th birthday while also confronting the darker chapters of its history with Native Americans.
"I think it bears reminding the country that we were here as the first peoples, as it were," Hoskin said.
"We can celebrate America's 250th birthday and all the really good and powerful things that stands for. But we can also take time to look back at dark chapters. How Native Americans were called merciless Indian savages in the Declaration of Independence, how the country has broken treaty after treaty, how the Cherokee people were forcibly removed because we were some problem to be solved. Those things should be talked about," Hoskin said.
Hoskin says he still meets people who don't know Cherokee history predates the United States by thousands of years.
For Indigenous communities, July 4th carries complicated emotions. Jason Salsman, press secretary for the Muscogee Nation, says they're excited for the 250th celebration — but it means something different for them.
"What we say is the 9th is our 4th. July 9th is our Sovereignty Day – the commemoration of the McGirt decision affirming our reservation," Salsman said.
"The celebration of 250 years of America really is a celebration of survival for us and perseverance," Salsman said.
And just like everyone else, they'll be lighting fireworks and spending time with family this weekend.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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