The Eastern Cherokee Indians are a Native American tribe in North Carolina, descended from Cherokee who refused relocation to Oklahoma in the 1830s. They have their own language, government, and practice original Cherokee ceremonies. The tribe has a land trust and funds its government through various sources. The Cherokee speak Tsalagi and have a language initiative to preserve their language. They practice a combination of traditional Cherokee and New Age religions, as well as Christianity.
The Eastern Cherokee Indians, or Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, are a Native American tribe with lands near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. They are the descendants of members of the Cherokee tribe who held their lands and refused to take part in the forced relocation to the Oklahoma Territory on the Trail of Tears during the 1830s. The Eastern Cherokee Indians are not affiliated with the Cherokee Nation, but still maintain ties cultural and historical and practice original Cherokee ceremonies. The tribe has its own language, religious practices and government.
The Cherokee have always lived in western North Carolina, and tales passed down from generation to generation describe ancient mastodon hunts. The tribe began building semi-permanent villages around 8,000 BC, and over the next 1,000 years, the Cherokee began establishing their religion, political structure, perfected agricultural systems, and effective archery skills. The Cherokee Indians attempted to coexist with white settlers, but were unsuccessful, and most of the tribe was relocated west to Oklahoma Territory in 1838 on the Trail of Tears. The Eastern Cherokee Indians defied removal and kept their lands near the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina.
The North Carolina government secured the tribe permanent residence within the state by granting them a land trust overseen by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs. In 1827, the Eastern Cherokee Indians adopted a constitution and established their own government, which included an executive branch, headed by the principal chief and deputy chief; a legislative tribal council; and a judicial branch. The Eastern Cherokee Indians fund their government with money from various sources, such as a casino and tourism, and through federal funds. These funds are used for infrastructure, health care, support services and utilities.
The Cherokee Indians speak Tsalagi, an Iroquoian language with soft, flowing syllables consisting of 86 characters in its alphabet and three separate dialects. The Northeast Cherokee Indians speak the Middle or Kituhwa dialect, and due to the US government’s removal of children from Tsalagi-speaking homes, the language has all but disappeared. To preserve this linguistic tradition, the Cherokee set up a language initiative to make it compulsory for children attending tribal schools to learn Kituhwa as a primary language with English as a secondary language. This initiative proved successful and the number of Tsalgi-speaking people increased.
The Eastern Cherokee Indians are religiously diverse and practice a combination of religions. They combine traditional Cherokee dances and ceremonies with New Age customs. Additionally, there are many Christian churches of different denominations spread throughout the community.
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