Months before the US Supreme Court rules on the issue of gay marriage, Native American tribes have taken steps to defend traditional marriage. Eleven tribes with a total membership approaching a million people will not recognize same-sex marriages. Just weeks after North Carolina began issuing marriage licenses to gay couples, the state's Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians updated its law to prevent gay couples from having marriage ceremonies on tribal land. Tribes that don't recognize same-sex marriage include the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma and the Navajo Nation.