Chief Hoskin dedicates $1M to historic fund
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Cherokee Nation Principal Chief John Hoskin Jr. signed new legislation Tuesday that will dedicate $1 million to a new historic fund.
The fund is dedicated to preserving the tribe's historic sites and creating official biographies of past leaders.
The Council of the Cherokees passed the "Cherokee Nation Historic Places Preservation Fund Act" on Monday.
Hoskin and Deputy Chief Brian Warner's "Cherokee Nation Historic Registry Act of 2019", which granted the tribe's Secretary of Natural Resources to designate historic sites across the Cherokee Nation Reservation, is expanded by the new act.
"The Historic Registry Act of 2019 made the designation and protection of the Cherokee Nation historic sites a high priority for our tribal Nation. Our new legislation creates a dedicated funding stream so that we can preserve these sites for generations to come," said Hoskin.
The Historic Places Preservation Fund will receive $1 million transferred from the cultural review revenue and continue to receive annual proceeds from agriculture and business leases up to $1 million per year after initial funding. Fifty percent of fines collected for violations of the Historic Registry Act will also be added to the fund.
“This legislation adds to what we already do and makes historic preservation work the Nation’s priority that it must be. We have an obligation to not only identify and protect places of great importance to Cherokee history and culture, we need to continually make funds available to save these sites as part of our enduring heritage," said Warner.
Secretary of Natural Resources Chad Harsha said he expects his office and CNB cultural tourism to work hand in hand on prioritizing work on historic sites.
“We are fortunate to have knowledgeable and hard-working staff in our department of Natural Resources and at CNB. This new funding will simply give these dedicated professionals more resources to continue their vital work," said Secretary Harsha.
The legislation’s lead sponsor, Councilman Keith Austin of Rogers County, said the amendments to the Historic Registry Act will benefit future generations.
Part of our oath of office says we must promote the culture., heritage and traditions of the Cherokee Nation. It’s vital to our tribe that we not only protect our history and these sites that hold our history, but also have the set aside funds to do the necessary work,” Councilman Austin said. “I’m also extremely proud of the focused efforts in this law to accurately document the stories of the previous leaders of the Cherokee Nation. As a constitutional government, it is important we have informed citizenry. These biographies, collections and historic efforts will ensure future generations are better informed of all that came before them.
A list of sites on the Cherokee Nation Registry of Historic Places can be found on the tribe’s website.