Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
| |
|---|---|
 Flag  Seal | |
  Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 35°28′37″N 83°19′13″W / 35.47694°N 83.32028°W | |
| U.S. Recognition | 1868[1] |
| Qualla Boundary | 1876[1] |
| Incorporation | March 11, 1889[2] |
| Capital | Cherokee |
| Government | |
| • Type | Tribal Council |
| • Principal Chief | Michell Hicks |
| • Vice Chief | Alan B. Ensley |
| Population | |
| • Total | 16,000+ |
| Demonym | Cherokee |
| Website | https://ebci.com/ |
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᏱ ᏕᏣᏓᏂᎸᎩ, Tsalagiyi Detsadanilvgi) is a federally recognized Indian tribe based in western North Carolina in the United States. They are descended from the small group of 800–1,000 Cherokees who remained in the Eastern United States after the U.S. military, under the Indian Removal Act, moved the other 15,000 Cherokees to west of the Mississippi River in the late 1830s, to Indian Territory. Those Cherokees remaining in the east were to give up tribal Cherokee citizenship and to assimilate. They became U.S. citizens.[3]
The history of the Eastern Band closely follows that of the Qualla Boundary, a land trust made up of an area of their original territory. When they reorganized as a tribe, they had to buy back the land from the U.S. government. The EBCI also own, hold, or maintain additional lands in the vicinity, and as far away as 100 miles (160 km) from the Qualla Boundary. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are primarily the descendants of those persons listed on the 1925 Baker Rolls of Cherokee Indians. They gained federal recognition as a tribe in the 20th century. The Qualla Boundary is not technically a reservation because the tribe owns the land outright.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is one of three federally recognized Cherokee tribes, the others being the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, both based in Oklahoma. The EBCI headquarters is in the namesake community of Cherokee, North Carolina, in the Qualla Boundary, south of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
- ^ a b Hill, Michael (2006). "Qualla Boundary". State Library of North Carolina. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ McKie, Scott (July 14, 2016). "Tribe clarifies name, adopts new seal". Cherokee One Feather. Cherokee, North Carolina. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ "Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians." Archived January 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (retrieved July 25, 2011)