Police on Guard at Cherokee Festival

Police and federal officials provided security in Tahlequah as thousands gathered for the Cherokee Nation’s annual holiday celebration amid high tension between tribal leaders. About 50,000 were expected for the 45th Cherokee National Holiday, a celebration of the tribe’s culture and traditions. Spectators blamed the attendance, which is lower than in previous years, on turmoil that has caused a constitutional crisis in the 182,000-member tribe, America’s second largest. The turmoil began in February, when Principal Chief Joe Byrd fired marshals who served a search warrant for financial documents tied to a criminal investigation of his office.