About the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
The Cherokee people have a long and storied history in what are today known as the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Below you can read about us in Cherokee or English, or click to hear the same information in both Cherokee and English. Additional heritage links are provided at the bottom of this page.
Nearly 13,000 enrolled members make up the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation.
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We are descendants of those who hid during the Trail of Tears
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A long time ago, our territory was over 135,000 miles…
But slowly, we lost our land.
Unlike the native tribes out west…
We lived in homes made out of mud and wooden limbs.
Also, feathered headdresses are not a part of our heritage.
Only after the arrival of the Europeans did we adopt the use of their clothing.
Only after the arrival of the Europeans did we adopt the use of their clothing.
In 1821, Sequoyah created our written language.
He made symbols for every sound in our language.
Eighty-five characters make up our syllabary.
In school, years ago, our elders were not allowed to speak our native language.
But now, our schools are teaching our children to speak Cherokee.
Today, over 68,000 acres make up our home.
We call our home Land of Blue Smoke.
We invite you to visit and learn our Cherokee culture and heritage.
Many thanks to Garfield Long of the EBCI Cultural Resources Department and Eddie Bushyhead of the EBCI Cherokee Language Program for the translation.