We often think of constitutions as distant legal documents, full of fine print and formality. But for Indigenous nations like the Cherokee Nation, the Constitution is a lifeline. It defines who they are, how they govern, and how they protect themselves from both internal corruption and outside threats.
In Cherokee Nation Proceed Undaunted, Chadwick “Corntassel” Smith makes a powerful case for why constitutional literacy and the knowledge and understanding of one’s founding legal framework are critical not just for tribal nations but for everyone who believes in self-governance.
The book opens our eyes to how vulnerable a nation becomes when its citizens don’t know their constitution. Smith describes how certain leaders in the Cherokee Nation were able to suspend courts, bypass checks and balances, and make unilateral decisions simply because most people didn’t know those actions were illegal. Without an informed public, power went unchecked.
But once people started learning what the Constitution actually said, everything begins to change. Citizens organized petitions and lawsuits. Legal education programs sprang up to teach the community about their rights and responsibilities. The more people learned, the more they demanded accountability.
We all live under constitutions or their equivalents, whether tribal, state, or national. But how many of us have actually read them? How many know what powers our leaders are supposed to have or not have? How many of us could recognize a violation of due process or a breach of judicial independence?
Smith argues that a constitution only works if the people understand it. Without that understanding, it becomes little more than paper. And that’s a danger not only for Indigenous governments but for any democracy.
This need is even greater for Indigenous nations. Their sovereignty is often questioned, and their legal structures are frequently misunderstood or dismissed by outside powers. Therefore, having a strong constitutional culture, where leaders and citizens alike know and respect the rules, is one of the best ways to defend against external interference and internal abuse.
What Smith emphasizes is that constitutional literacy empowers people. It turns passive observers into active participants. It transforms a government from something that happens to people into something they shape and direct.
The Cherokee experience offers a lesson for all of us: the more we know our rights, the harder they are to take away. The more we understand our systems, the better we can fix them. Whether you’re part of a tribal nation or a citizen of any country, the health of your democracy depends on how well you know its foundations.
In a time of widespread political confusion and mistrust, Cherokee Nation Proceed Undaunted offers a hopeful path forward, rooted in clarity, law, and education. It reminds us that the first step in protecting democracy is understanding how it works.
And that starts with the Constitution that we all should understand.
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