The Cherokee Advocate was published by the Cherokee Nation from 1844 until 1906. When publication began at Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation, on September 26, 1844, the Advocate, like its predecessor the Cherokee Phoenix, was the only tribally owned and published newspaper in the country. Authorized by an act of the Cherokee national council on October 25, 1843, it proposed to publish in both English and Cherokee useful information for its Cherokee readers and accurate information regarding the Cherokees for its readers in the United States. The Cherokee Advocate served the Cherokee people until the Cherokee Nation was dissolved in 1906.

The first series was published from 1844 until September 28, 1853, when the newspaper was suspended for lack of funds. During that period it was edited by William P. Ross (1844-1846), Daniel H. Ross (1846-1847), William P. Ross (1847-1848), Daniel H. Ross (1848), James Shepherd Vann (1848-1849, 1851-1852, 1853), David Carter (1849-1851), and William P. Boudinot (1852-1853). These editors informed the people of their government's actions and policies--new laws, memorials and protests presented to Congress, proceedings of the national council, messages of the principal chief, lists of stray property, and administration papers for estates. They also reported news from the Cherokee Nation, the rest of Indian Territory, and the United States.

The newspaper was not revived in a second series until April 26, 1870, and ran until February 1875, when the printing office of the Advocate burned, destroying all of the type and equipment. During this period it was edited by William P. Boudinot (1870-1873) and John Lynch Adair (1873-1875).

The newspaper was revived in a third series on March 1, 1876, and continued publication until 1906. It was edited from 1876 to 1879 by William P. Boudinot (1876-1877) and George W. Johnson (1877-1879). These editors produced 154 issues of which only eight are not represented in this index.

What Has Been Indexed

Indexed material consists of news items from the Cherokee Nation; from elsewhere in the Indian Territory; and from bordering states when the news events impacted on the Indian Territory; news items concerning Indians in other areas of the country; official notices, statements, and proclamations of the Cherokee national government; and obituaries, marriage notices, and church and lodge directories.

What Has Not Been Indexed

Material not indexed includes items printed in the Cherokee language (Cherokee translations of news in English); United States news and news from other states unrelated to Indian affairs; syndicated material; and "filler" material such as stories, poems, and foreign news.

How the Index Is Arranged

The index consists of an alphabetical list of names and subjects. Each name or subject entry appears in capital letters on the left margin. Below it appears (1) the date of the issue in which reference to the entry appears, including the month (abbreviated Ja, F, Mr, Ap, My, Je, Jl, Ag, S, 0, N, D) , day, and year (listed as 70, 71, etc.); (2) the page number of the issue on which the information appears, followed by a colon; and (3), after the colon, the column in which the reference appears on the page (hyphenated column numbers indicate continued discussion from column to column). Where appropriate, subtopic headings appear alphabetically, according to the first important word, after location information for general discussions of the topic. Also where appropriate, cross-references, appearing at the end of the entry, suggest closely related headings that contain other or related information on the topic.

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