Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee

The GEORGIA TRIBE OF EASTERN CHEROKEE consists of descendants of the Cherokee in the Dahlonega area who managed to escape the infamous Trail of Tears. “The Trail of Tears” characterized the forceful removal of their tribe in the 1830s, by U.S. Soldiers who herded them into the Oklahoma Territory. Our Tribal members have lineage which is documented on the Guion Miller Roll of 1909. The direct descendants of all original tribal members are eligible for membership with supporting documents (i.e. birth and death certificates).

Although the Tribe has no current land base, the majority of tribal members still live on parcels of land that were originally allotted as a 640 Acre Reservation to Daniel Davis by the United States Government, pursuant to treaties of 1817 and 1819. The land is located in Dahlonega’s North Georgia Mountains on and near the Etowah River in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Daniel’s wife was Rachael Martin. (Rachael Martin, was the sister of John Martin, the first Chief Justice of the Cherokee Supreme Court in 1839).

In 1979, the State of Georgia recognized the Tribe by issuing a Proclamation of the continued existence of the Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee. Prior to State Recognition, the Tribe had adopted a corporate form of Government. The Tribe has now evolved into a constitutional form of government and is governed by a Tribal Council. Meetings are held in Dahlonega.