Dennis Wolf Bushyhead
Dennis Wolf Bushyhead was a prominent mixed-blood Cherokee leader born in 1826 near Cleveland, Tennessee. At the age of twelve, he and his family were forcibly relocated along the Trail of Tears, a tragic journey that displaced thousands of Cherokees. Settling in the Indian Territory, now eastern Oklahoma, Bushyhead emerged as a significant figure in addressing the challenges faced by the Cherokee Nation in their new environment. He played a key role in founding the National Independent Party in the 1870s to counter efforts by full-blooded Cherokees to dominate tribal governance.
Bushyhead served as the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1879 to 1887, during which he focused on preserving Cherokee sovereignty amid increasing pressures from external forces. His leadership occurred during a pivotal time marked by the General Allotment Act of 1887, which aimed to undermine tribal lands and governance, ultimately contributing to the formation of the state of Oklahoma in 1907. Bushyhead's legacy reflects the complexities of Cherokee identity and resistance during a period of significant upheaval.
Dennis Wolf Bushyhead
- Born: March 18, 1826
- Birthplace: Near Cleveland, Tennessee
- Died: February 4, 1898
- Place of death: Talequah, Oklahoma
Category: Tribal chief
Tribal affiliation: Cherokee
Significance: Bushyhead was one of the leading political figures of the Cherokee Nation during the last half of the nineteenth century
Dennis Wolf Bushyhead, a mixed-blood Cherokee, was born near the present-day town of Cleveland, Tennessee, in 1826. When he was twelve years old, he and his family were rounded up and sent west on the infamous Trail of Tears with thousands of other Cherokees. Bushyhead reached manhood in the Indian Territory of present-day eastern Oklahoma.
Bushyhead assumed a leadership role in helping the Cherokees solve the numerous problems related to their forced move to a strange land. During the 1870’s, Dennis helped found the National Independent Party, partly to challenge an attempt by full-bloods to take control of all Cherokee affairs.
In 1879, Bushyhead began serving two elected four-year terms as principal chief. His major goal was to preserve Cherokee sovereignty, which was becoming increasingly difficult to do. The General Allotment Act, passed by Congress in 1887, led to denationalizing the tribes in the Indian Territory and eventually to the establishment of the state of Oklahoma in 1907.