The teaU.S. House of Representatives considers H.R.226, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act, on February 4, 2025.

The bill places about 76 acres in Tennessee into trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. It also creates two permanent easements, covering another 20 acres, for the tribe, headquartered in neighboring North Carolina.

The acreage includes significant cultural and historic properties that were part of the historic Cherokee Nation. The lands are currently managed by the federal government through the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The lands include the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, the Chota Memorial and the Tanasi Memorial. The state of Tennessee draw its name from the Cherokee site known as Tanasi.

“Tanasi served as the Cherokee capital as early as 1721,” said Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tennessee), the sponsor of the bill. “Unfortunately, due to misguided federal policies, the Cherokee were forced from their homes in Tennessee and surrounding states. This tragic period in American history led to the Trail of Tears, a journey in which 15,000 Cherokees were forcibly marched to the Indian territory.”

“My bill returns important historic sites back to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Tribal Nation comprised of descendants of those Cherokees who resisted removal in the Great Smoky Mountains and escaped the Trail of Tears,” Fleischmann said.

Following consideration, the House approved the bill by a voice vote under a suspension of the rules.

Note: Thumbnail photo by Brian Stansberry (CC BY 3.0)