{{Short description|American artist, professor and politician}} {{infobox officeholder |name = Candessa Tehee |image = |office = Cherokee Nation Tribal Councilor for the 2nd district |term_start = August 14, 2021 |term_end = |predecessor = Joe Byrd |successor = |birth_date = <!---{{Birth date and age|XXXX|XX|XX}}---> |birth_place = |death_date = |death_place = |awards = Cherokee National Treasure |citizenship = American<br>Cherokee Nation }} '''Candessa Tehee''' is a Cherokee Nation artist, professor, and politician who has served on the Cherokee Nation tribal council since 2021. She was named a Cherokee National Treasure in 2019.
==Family and education== Candessa Tehee is from Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Her grandfather was Cherokee National Treasure Roger McLemore and her grandmother was Elizabeth Pumpkin McLemore.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chavez |first1=Will |title=National Treasure teaches class to save weaving |url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/culture/national-treasure-teaches-class-to-save-weaving/article_7cf9304a-db33-5969-bd00-1588eee8dc1b.html |access-date=12 November 2023 |work=Cherokee Phoenix |date=22 February 2012 |language=en}}</ref> Tehee speaks Cherokee and is "full blood" Cherokee.{{efn|"Full blood" refers to blood quantum tracked by the United States federal government.}} She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Oklahoma, before earning her doctorate in linguistic anthropology from the same university.<ref name="Cherokee Heritage Center Appoint" /><ref name="National Treasure">{{cite news |title=CN announces 2019 Cherokee National Treasures |url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/culture/cn-announces-2019-cherokee-national-treasures/article_91e85fca-9f67-5ce8-a245-6362525adf27.html |access-date=12 November 2023 |work=Cherokee Phoenix |date=September 8, 2019}}</ref>
==Career== In December 2013, she was appointed as the executive director of the Cherokee Heritage Center and she was the first woman, "full blood," and Cherokee language speaker to hold that position.<ref name="Cherokee Heritage Center Appoint">{{cite news |last1=Chavez |first1=Will |title=Tehee named new CHC executive director |url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/news/tehee-named-new-chc-executive-director/article_1904bd94-4fd2-538e-ad6b-b92d9971f3e5.html |access-date=12 November 2023 |work=Cherokee Phoenix |date=31 December 2013 |language=en}}</ref> Prior to her appointment she had worked for the Cherokee Nation for five years. She resigned in August 2016 to accept a position as an assistant professor of American Indian studies at Northeastern State University.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Murphy |first1=Jami |last2=Graham |first2=Roger |title=Tehee resigns from CHC, takes NSU teaching job |url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/culture/tehee-resigns-from-chc-takes-nsu-teaching-job/article_0557022d-09b5-55cd-8e0a-e7093e00abe2.html |access-date=12 November 2023 |work=Cherokee Phoenix |date=12 August 2016 |language=en}}</ref> While at NSU, she served as the coordinator for the Cherokee language and Cherokee cultural studies programs.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rowley |first1=D. Sean |title=NSU degree programs help Cherokee Nation preserve language |url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/education/nsu-degree-programs-help-cherokee-nation-preserve-language/article_0b11c1d3-21ea-5bb7-91f7-b74d18fbfab4.html |access-date=12 November 2023 |work=Cherokee Phoenix |date=6 September 2020 |language=en}}</ref> In December 2016, she worked with Southeastern Indian Artist Association to raise funds for the Standing Rock Indian Reservation during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Graham |first1=Roger |title=Southeastern artists raise funds for Standing Rock |url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/news/southeastern-artists-raise-funds-for-standing-rock/article_3e6ed3b9-a13f-54c6-86e7-5d549e4e5d0d.html |access-date=12 November 2023 |work=Cherokee Phoenix |date=27 December 2016 |language=en}}</ref> She was named a Cherokee National Treasure in 2019.<ref name="National Treasure" />
==Cherokee Nation tribal council== Tehee ran to succeed Joe Byrd in 2021 when he was term-limited from his Cherokee Nation tribal council seat for the 2nd district in a seven candidate race against Vicki Creel, Dusty Fore, Jami Murphy, Bobby Slover, Tonya Teaney and Claude Stover.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hunter |first1=Chad |title=Crowded field in Tribal Council races as filing period ends |url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/news/crowded-field-in-tribal-council-races-as-filing-period-ends/article_5a4d0685-1160-5a30-a551-2fe46d4b7e25.html |access-date=12 November 2023 |work=Cherokee Phoenix |date=5 February 2021 |language=en}}</ref> After the June primary, she advanced to a runoff with Bobby Slover which she won by seven votes.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rowley |first1=D. Sean |title=Dist. 2 headed to runoff between Slover, Tehee |url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/cn_election_2021/dist-2-headed-to-runoff-between-slover-tehee/article_99023614-c6cf-11eb-8410-07b4fc70b44f.html |access-date=12 November 2023 |work=Cherokee Phoenix |date=6 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rowley |first1=D. Sean |title=Tehee named unofficial winner of Dist. 2 by 7 votes |url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/cn_election_2021/tehee-named-unofficial-winner-of-dist-2-by-7-votes/article_e53292c2-ed58-11eb-a045-73a2e3b3cddf.html |access-date=12 November 2023 |work=Cherokee Phoenix |date=25 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref> After the election Slover was retroactively struck from the ballot for violating Cherokee Nation election laws.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hunter |first1=Chad |title=Election Commission tosses, fines Slover for campaign contribution |url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/cn_election_2021/election-commission-tosses-fines-slover-for-campaign-contribution/article_40c37d6c-f54d-11eb-bb8c-cfeb1ad3fafe.html |access-date=12 November 2023 |work=Cherokee Phoenix |date=4 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref> She was sworn into office on August 14, 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rowley |first1=D. Sean |title=9 Cherokee Nation councilors take oath of office during ceremony |url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/news/9-cherokee-nation-councilors-take-oath-of-office-during-ceremony/article_b7e761f2-ff83-11eb-894d-176d5c7d88f5.html |access-date=12 November 2023 |work=Cherokee Phoenix |date=17 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref> In May 2022, Tehee criticized fellow tribal councillor Wes Nofire's statements made during his 2022 congressional campaign that were critical of ''McGirt v. Oklahoma'' as "clearly treasonous, clearly traitorous" to the interests of the Cherokee Nation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hunter |first1=Chad |title=Nofire’s McGirt statements called ‘clearly treasonous’ |url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/news/nofire-s-mcgirt-statements-called-clearly-treasonous/article_6992f466-e106-11ec-b7c4-1fa3bf3b3776.html |access-date=12 November 2023 |work=Cherokee Phoenix |date=31 May 2022 |language=en}}</ref> She later voted in favor of a tribal council resolution opposing his appointment as Oklahoma's Native American Affairs Liaison in September 2023.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rowley |first1=D. Sean |last2=Hunter |first2=Chad |title=CN passes own resolution opposing Nofire appointment |url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/news/cn-passes-own-resolution-opposing-nofire-appointment/article_b9381f1a-5e4a-11ee-a668-8ba46612bc96.html |access-date=12 November 2023 |work=Cherokee Phoenix |date=28 September 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tehee, Candessa}} Category:21st-century American politicians Category:21st-century Native American politicians Category:Cherokee Nation women artists Category:Cherokee Nation artists Category:Living people Category:Members of the Council of the Cherokee Nation Category:Northeastern State University faculty Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:University of Oklahoma alumni Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Native American women in politics