John Hair (Cherokee chief)

John Rudolph Hair
Principal Chief of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians
In office
1983–1991
Preceded byJames L. Gordon
Succeeded byJohn Ross
Personal details
Born(1932-04-02)April 2, 1932
Salina, Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedJanuary 9, 2021(2021-01-09) (aged 88)
Salina, Oklahoma, U.S.
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1952–1965 (active duty)
8 years (National Guard and Reserve)

John Rudolph Hair (April 2, 1932 – January 9, 2021) was the seventh Principal Chief of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (UKB), serving from 1983 to 1991. A citizen of the UKB and lifelong resident of Salina, Oklahoma, Hair devoted 23 continuous years to the tribal council, first as a council member, then as Vice Chief under two predecessors, and finally as Principal Chief for eight years.[1]

Hair was a United States Army veteran who served thirteen years on active duty, and he worked 29 years in the aviation industry for American Airlines.[1] The John Hair Cultural Center & Keetoowah Museum in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, named in his honor, opened in 2011 and houses UKB historical records and cultural objects.[2]

Early life

Hair was born on April 2, 1932, in Salina, Mayes County, Oklahoma, to Joe Hair and Molly (Ross) Hair.[1] He was a citizen of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. Hair was a longtime member of New Jordan Church in Salina.[1]

Military service

Hair enlisted in the United States Army in 1952 and served thirteen years on active duty before leaving active service in 1965. He continued his military obligation with eight additional years in the National Guard and Army Reserve units.[1]

Career

After his military service, Hair worked for 29 years in the aviation industry with American Airlines.[1]

Tribal leadership

Hair began his service to the United Keetoowah Band in 1968, when he joined the UKB Council. He served two years as Vice Chief under Principal Chief William Glory and four years as Vice Chief under Principal Chief James L. Gordon.[1][3] In 1983, Hair succeeded Gordon as the seventh Principal Chief of the UKB.[1]

Hair served as Principal Chief for eight years, from 1983 to 1991, during a period when the UKB was working to expand its federal programs and assert its sovereignty as one of three federally recognized Cherokee tribes.[1][4][5][6][7][8] During this period Hair's administration worked to establish tribal offices and secure federal program funding under the self-determination framework created by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975. The UKB had been organized under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act in 1946 and ratified its constitution and corporate charter in 1950.[9] Over the course of his council tenure, Hair served 23 continuous years with the tribal government, from 1968 through the end of his term as Principal Chief in 1991.[1] He was succeeded as Principal Chief by John Ross, who served from 1991 to 1995.[10]

Community involvement

Outside of tribal politics, Hair coached Little League Baseball and youth sports in the Salina area. He played, coached, and sponsored an adult fastpitch softball team called the Native Americans.[1] Fishing and coaching baseball were among his lifelong interests.[1]

John Hair Cultural Center

The John Hair Cultural Center & Keetoowah Museum, located at the Keetoowah Cherokee Tribal Complex off West Willis Road in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, opened in October 2011.[2] The facility was named in Hair's honor for his dedication to preserving Keetoowah Cherokee traditions and tribal documentation.[2] It holds the largest collection of Keetoowah historical information in the world, including documents, photographs, maps, video and audio recordings, and donated artifacts.[2][11] The museum maintains the only archive dedicated solely to Keetoowah history and makes its collections available for personal and educational research.[12]

The center offers permanent and temporary exhibits, a gift shop featuring handmade items by Keetoowah artists, and the 1949 Keetoowah Base Roll for genealogical research.[13] Programs include Back to Basics, a year-long course in traditional skills such as fishing, food preservation, and quilting led by Keetoowah elders; a monthly Lunch & Learn series teaching traditional crafts such as basket weaving and cornhusk doll-making; and the RedPony Film Academy, a documentary filmmaking program.[12]

In 2012, the museum received a $3,000 "Threats to Your Collection" grant from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries in partnership with the Oklahoma Historical Records Advisory Board, funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, to improve archival conditions for its historical materials.[2] The center later received grants from the Administration for Native Americans to record oral histories of twelve Keetoowah first-language speakers, and from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to organize and preserve the estate papers of Frank J. Boudinot, the UKB's attorney from 1968 to 1993.[11] The Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums recognized the center with its "Top Ten Model Museums and Cultural Centers" award for attaining a standard of excellence among Indigenous museums in the United States.[11]

Personal life and death

Hair married Roberta Hair.[1] They had four children: sons Joe, Richard, and Joel, and daughter Karen Daniels. Richard and Joel predeceased him.[1]

Hair died on January 9, 2021, at his home in Salina, Oklahoma, at the age of 88.[1] His wake was held at Shipman's Funeral Home in Pryor, Oklahoma, and his funeral was held at Salina First Baptist Church.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "John Hair Obituary". Pryor, Oklahoma: Shipman's Funeral & Cremation Service. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e "United Keetoowah Band museum receives grant". Cherokee Phoenix. November 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  3. ^ "John Hair Cultural Center & Keetoowah Museum". United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  4. ^ "Burning Phoenix: The Original Keetoowah Society". Keetoowah Society. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  5. ^ Slagle, Allogan (1993). Burning Phoenix: The Original Keetoowah Society. Keetoowah Press.
  6. ^ Conley, Robert J. (2005). The Cherokee Nation: A History. University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 978-0826332363.
  7. ^ "Indian Claims Commission Decisions". Oklahoma State University Library. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  8. ^ Sturm, Circe (2002). Blood Politics: Race, Culture, and Identity in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520230972.
  9. ^ "United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, Oklahoma: Corporate Charter". University of Oklahoma Law Center. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  10. ^ Leeds, Georgia. "Principal Chiefs of the Cherokee". Notes from the Ninth Circle. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  11. ^ a b c "Housing history: UKB John Hair Cultural Center and Museum earns grants, to receive award". Tahlequah Daily Press. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  12. ^ a b "Museum & Cultural Center". John Hair Cultural Center & Museum. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  13. ^ "John Hair Cultural Center & Keetoowah Museum". Green Country Oklahoma. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
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