Name change resolution instigates discussion of identity within EBCI
Co-author Patrick Lambert speaks to tribal council about the name change resolution.
From EBCI Communications video
Former Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Patrick Lambert and Beloved Woman Myrtle Driver proposed a resolution renaming the tribe the “Eastern Cherokee Nation” and later encouraged tribal council to withdraw it.
In those 30 minutes between Resolution 147’s introduction and withdrawal, tribal council and public commenters engaged in rich discussion centering tradition, history and identity.
When Lambert approached tribal council to promote the resolution, he first made the distinction of “band” versus “nation.”
“In the [Cherokee] translation, there’s a big difference,” he said. “It’s time to take that step and remove the colonial attachment of calling us a band whenever, really and truly we are a nation, we have our own courts, we … pass our own laws, we govern ourselves. That’s more than a band does.”
Driver also emphasized the linguistic comparison.
“I said, ‘Even if we don’t accomplish anything else, we have put out in the public the difference in the translation of band and nation,’” she said.
Related Items
Cherokee pottery exhibition
The Joyful Botanist: Oh Phacelia, You’re Breaking My Heart
The saga continues: After sheriff’s removal, attorneys discuss lessons learned and upcoming appeal
Three years after their son’s injury, the Kevlins are still looking for answers
The resolution listed examples of name changes in other tribal nations, such as the “Tohono O’odham Nation (formerly Papago Tribe), the Ho-Chunk Nation (formerly Wisconsin Winnebago), the Muscogee Nation (formerly Muscogee (Creek) Nation), the Northern Cheyenne Nation (formerly Northern Cheyenne Tribe).”
Council member Shennelle Feather (Yellowhill), however, had another proposal: why not take the name change a step forward if it’s already on the table?
“From where I sit, I think that nothing in English can name us. Nothing in English is who we are. And so, I think that if we’re going to entertain or even discuss a name change, that name change needs to come in our original language,” she said.
“Tsalagi” is the English transliteration for Cherokee in the Cherokee people’s original language. Later in the discussion, Feather drew on historical precedent of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the proper and restored name of a group of nations called “Iroquois” by French settlers after contact.
Just as Resolution 472 was about addressing who the EBCI was internally, so too had authors considered the message it might send to other tribal nations.
“The Cherokee Nation has even said publicly that we’re just a splinter group, that we’re just a band, we’re not to be taken seriously,” Lambert said, adding that the other tribe “will stand up and fight us, our tribe, because they think that everything here is their history, not ours.”
Council member Boyd Owle (Birdtown) framed Cherokee Nation’s behavior as reason to oppose the resolution. He explained that during Principal Chief Michell Hicks’ November 2025 Senate testimony against Lumbee recognition, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) — a Cherokee Nation citizen set to replace Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Director — made clear a belief that the EBCI is a faction of the Cherokee Nation. Consequently, Owle questioned why the EBCI would want to adopt a name that might signify further affiliation with the other tribe. Moreover, he testified that the resolution had not been performing well in the court of public opinion, at least among those he represents.
“I probably got more comments on this than anything that’s ever been on the agenda since I’ve been in council, going on my ninth year,” Owle noted.
That was no surprise to Lambert, who’d first approached the council with an awareness that the ordinance was not popular among members of the EBCI.
“Rather than kill it — I’ve heard discussions on killing it — would you consider tabling it and let us take it out into the communities to give us a chance?” he asked.
Council member Venita Wolfe (Big Cove) was more inclined to take Lambert’s suggestion. She said she’d received slightly more mixed feedback — not always positive but not completely negative, either.
Hicks reflected some of this ambivalence, telling council that while he’s glad to see this conversation happening, he’s worried about legal, political and even emotional name-change repercussions. For example, he said, changing EBCI’s name and seal on all legal documents and buildings and agreements is “not an easy task.” Then there’s the emotional connection many have with the title “Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.”
“We have a lot of tribal members that have the seal attached to their bodies with tattoos. I mean, think about it. I didn’t think about that. And they’re like, ‘What do I do if this name changes?’ That means something to them. It’s a sense of pride. It’s not just an emblem,” Hicks added.
Along those lines, multiple council members agreed that because a name-change affects every member of the tribe, it should be decided only by public opinion. Feather suggested the resolution be added to the tribe’s ongoing draft constitution or put to a vote through a referendum. She proposed tabling the ordinance pending more community conversations. Wolfe seconded the motion.
Co-author Myrtle Driver underscored the difference between ‘band’ and ‘nation.’ From EBCI Communications video
“There’s conversations happening now, and that’s good, and that’s what we need. I will support to table it, have you go out and educate, go to our communities, have these forums, educate more. And then I would support a referendum,” she said.
Council Member Michael Stamper (Painttown) made an alternate motion to kill the document, though he cited a similar explanation.
“I will make the move to kill this resolution just because these talks in the community can still happen. They can still go out there and lobby for this type of effort. But if it’s not driven by the people — to have a referendum to make this decision — then this avenue right here is not the correct mechanism for us to make a decision like this,” he said.
Fellow council member Mike Parker (Wolftown/Big-Y) seconded Stamper’s motion.
In the end, Driver proposed that the ordinance be withdrawn so she and Lambert could do exactly what had been suggested.
“And then after [the vote], we go out into the communities, get their input and come back,” she said.
Lambert concurred. Both Feather and Stamper promptly rescinded their motions, and tribal council voted unanimously to withdraw the resolution.
