Bill Seeks to Return Sacred Cherokee Lands to Eastern Band Stewardship
By: Cherokee 411 Staff
WASHINGTON (Cherokee411) — A bill to return sacred Cherokee ancestral sites in eastern Tennessee to tribal stewardship has moved forward in Congress.
H.R. 226, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act, was introduced Jan. 7 by Rep. Charles J. “Chuck” Fleischmann, R‑Tenn. The legislation would place approximately 76 acres of land—including the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, Chota Memorial, Tanasi Memorial, and surrounding parcels—into federal trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI).
The House approved the bill by voice vote on Feb. 4, and it was sent to the Senate the following day. It is currently under review by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, which has not scheduled any hearings as of press time.
Rep. Fleischmann, sponsor of the bill, emphasized the importance of restoring these culturally significant lands. “Tanasi served as the Cherokee capital as early as 1721,” he said. “Unfortunately, due to misguided federal policies, the Cherokee were forced from their homes in Tennessee and surrounding states … 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.”
Historical context:
Chota emerged in the mid‑18th century as the principal Overhill Cherokee town, becoming the de facto capital by the 1740s. Tanasi, which became the namesake of the State of Tennessee, served as the capital from around 1721 to 1730, before yielding prominence to Chota. By the late 1700s, many Overhill towns were devastated during the American Revolution and ultimately flooded by the TVA’s Tellico Dam project in the 1970s. Chota’s councilhouse and burial mound were preserved and now stand above the reservoir.
If enacted, H.R. 226 would allow the EBCI to manage and protect these historic sites, including establishing recreational trails connecting Chota and Tanasi, while preserving tribal access and cultural programming. The bill stipulates that no gaming would be permitted on these lands under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
Supporters say the transfer will solidify protection of tribal heritage, re‑inter pre‑contact burials, and enhance cultural tourism, while Congress continues to debate its path through the Senate this summer.
Sources
U.S. Congress (Congress.gov)
Office of Rep. Chuck Fleischmann
Tennessee Encyclopedia of History
Photo courtesy https://tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org/
