Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

The Cherokees in Western North Carolina today are the descendants from those Cherokees who were able to hold on to land they owned, or hid out in the hills, or were able to return. Today, the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians is a sovereign nation of 100 square miles, with more than 13,000 enrolled members — a place where modern people respect and preserve the history of their people.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina is a federally recognized tribe and has its own requirements for membership.

By the purchases of an agent, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians had acquired the right to possession of a tract of land in North Carolina, and by the North Carolina Statute of 1866, they had acquired, with the approval of the United States Government, permission to remain in the State. Many lawsuits followed and continued until the conveyance of title to lands of the Eastern Band as a corporation to the United States in 1925.

Nearly 13,000 enrolled members make up the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. We are descendants of those who hid during the Trail of Tears.

Some members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians living in modern day WNC are descendants of Trail of Tears survivors, some of whom made it to Oklahoma and then walked back home. Others are descended from Cherokee who managed to keep land they owned and did not march West. Under the 1819 treaty some Cherokee had taken land and were allowed to remain. Others hid in the mountains and refused to be relocated. In 1850 the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians numbered approximately 1,000. Presently, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is a sovereign nation with over 14,000 members.