Navajo Nation surpasses Cherokee to become largest US tribe
FELICIA FONSECA, Associated Press
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1of6FILE - In this Oct. 25, 2018 file photo, Monument Valley is shown in Utah. The Navajo Nation has by far the largest land mass of any Native American tribe in the country. Now, it s boasting the largest enrolled population, too. The number grew to nearly 400,000 because of payments made to individual Navajos for hardships during the pandemic. The tribe now tops the Cherokee Nation s enrollment of 392,000, but a tribal spokeswoman says the Oklahoma tribe also is growing.Rick Bowmer/APShow MoreShow Less
2of6Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez speaks during a live radio address with first lady Jill Biden in attendance, in Window Rock, Ariz., on Thursday, April 22, 2021. Nez questions the fairness in awarding more money to tribes that don t have at least a one-fourth blood quantum. Here on Navajo, we verify blood quantum, and that s a requirement, h
Navajo Nation surpasses Cherokee to become largest U.S. tribe
The figure tops the Cherokee Nationâs enrollment of 392,000. But it, too, has been growing, said a tribal spokeswoman.
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Monument Valley straddling the Arizona-Utah border is one natural feature of the Navajo Nation, by far the largest land mass of any Native American tribe in the country. Now, it s boasting the largest enrolled population, too. [ RICK BOWMER | AP ]
Updated 4 hours ago
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. â The Navajo Nation has by far the largest land mass of any Native American tribe in the country. Now, itâs boasting the largest enrolled population, too.
The Navajo Nation has by far the largest land mass of any Native American tribe in the country. Now, it's boasting the largest enrolled population, too.
COVID Funds Help Boost Navajo Nation Enrollment by Almost 94K
On 5/19/21 at 3:33 PM EDT
The Navajo Nation gained nearly 94,000 members as a result of funding from last spring s Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which allowed the tribe to offer hardship assistance payments and increase its size from 306,000 to 400,000 citizens.
That makes the tribe the largest in the nation, with Cherokee enrollment now second, at 392,000. However, a Cherokee tribal spokeswoman told the Associated Press that Cherokee numbers are also on the rise, with about 200 more applicants per month than average.
Tribal governments received $4.8 billion from the CARES Act based on federal housing population data for tribes, according to a spending breakdown. The U.S. Treasury Department recently revised its methodology after some said it was badly skewed. Tribes are typically allocated funding based on the number of citizens enrolled. Each of the 574 federally recognized tribes determi
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) â The Navajo Nation has by far the largest land mass of any Native American tribe in the country. Now, it s boasting the largest enrolled population, too.
Navajos clamored to enroll or fix their records as the tribe offered hardship assistance payments from last year s federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. That boosted the tribe s rolls from about 306,000 to nearly 400,000 citizens.
The figure surpasses the Cherokee Nation s enrollment of 392,000. But it, too, has been growing, said tribal spokeswoman Julie Hubbard. The Oklahoma tribe has been receiving about 200 more applications per month from potential enrollees, leaving Navajo s position at the top unstable.