In the Great Smoky Mountains, home of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, the tribe is reclaiming culturally and historically important lands stolen during colonization.
Reclaimed lands include Kituwah, a sacred site considered the place of origin for Cherokee people. The EBCI has also reclaimed the site of Sequoyah's birthplace. One of the most influential men in the history of Cherokee, Sequoyah invented the Cherokee syllabary. Reclaiming ownership of stolen lands speaks directly to the tribe's investment in the preservation and future of their people.
The Eastern Cherokee are still here, despite plentiful attempts to remove them, including the Trail of Tears by which an estimated 17,000 Cherokee were forced off their homeland in 1838. Roughly 10,000 tribal members currently live on the Qualla Boundary in western North Carolina. Today they are reclaiming their land and their narrative.