The CNO land has always been considered to be a reservation, even to this day. I've had many people refer to their family being on a reservation in Okla. So if this is not true.......then why do those of Cherokee blood claim to be living in/on a reservation in Okla? And if there is no reservation in Okla as there is in NC (& other tribal reservations in other parts of the country) then why was many Cherokee's rejected from the Rolls because they were not on the reservation or Cherokee Nation land at the time of the Rolls? I have come across MANY people who were rejected because they were living in Texas or somewhere else & simply because of that were not considered to be Cherokee. So I don't think the "no reservation" is quite accurate (but I have been known to be wrong (& to label it as just Cherokee land, then we'd have to include NC, Tn., Ga, Ala, etc of the other states that were once Cherokee land.) As for family lore........its not necessarily wrong either. That's all I have to go by technically even though I have found just as much info proving that my ancestor's were of Cherokee blood as I have found that some were not. We have spent MANY years stating that not all family lore is wrong, just because it wasn't documented as well as some others were. Its fortunate for those whose family documented or kept their documentation & unfortunate for others whose family didn't. You may find what you've been searching for.....it just may not be exactly what you were expecting. Its always better to help someone find their answer's than to dash their hopes with speculation or negativity to where they give up searching because they think someone might be right.....when instead they could be very wrong. :0) Alli -----Original Message----- From: cherokeegene-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:cherokeegene-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Kathy Burns via Sent: Sunday, November 2, 2014 5:27 AM To: Beth Golden; cherokeegene@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [CherokeeGene] My Cherokee Connection: Mary Ann Bell Mobley Orr I have to say something that so many people don't understand. The Cherokee people in Oklahoma have never lived on a reservation. Please do not refer to their land as this. It can be very insulting to a Cherokee who have their proof of their Cherokee blood and have lived in the Cherokee Nation all their lives. I am not being ugly just suggesting that you please refrain from this term. It will save you at lot of heartache from the people who help you find your roots. Also when researching your Cherokee roots keep an open mind. Sometimes what you have been told is family lore and what you find might not be what you have been told.