A bill that would place 76 acres of land containing several historic sites, such as the Tanasi Memorial (shown above), in eastern Tennessee in trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) has been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)
By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
A bill (H.R. 226) that would place 76 acres of land, containing several Cherokee historic sites in eastern Tennessee, in trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) has passed the U.S. House of Representatives. It passed in a House voice vote on Wednesday, Feb. 5 marking the fifth Congress in a row that the legislation has passed in the House.
H.R. 226 (Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act) was introduced into the 119th Congress on Jan. 7 by Congressman Charles J. “Chuck” Fleishmann (R-Tenn.).
Rep. Fleischmann said in a statement following House passage, “It is long past time for Congress to fulfill its promise to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and return the sacred land taken forcibly from them due to tragic and misguided federal policies of the past. Today marks the fifth consecutive time that my bill to restore 76.1 acres of land to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has overwhelming passed the House of Representatives, and it is time for the Senate to pass this bill and send it to President Trump’s desk for him to sign into law.”
He added, “It is on these 76.1 acres that the Cherokee People have honored the birth and life of Sequoyah, one of the most influential and important Native Americans to have lived. The Eastern Band of Cherokee has been promised repeatedly that this sacred land will be returned to them, and the Eastern Band has committed to improving the site to include expanding the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum so more Americans can learn and know about the important legacy of Sequoyah and the history of the Cherokee People. Still, so far, Congress has not lived up to its repeated promises to return this land. I strongly urge my colleagues in the Senate to realize the urgent importance of passing this bill and finally correct a historic wrong by returning this sacred land to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.”
The Chota site is shown in this photo.
Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks said in a statement to the One Feather when the bill was introduced, “The reintroduction of the Eastern Band Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act by Representative Charles Fleischmann represents a long-overdue opportunity to restore what has always been rightfully ours. These lands that include the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, the Chota and Tanasi memorials, and the Chota Peninsula in Tennessee are part of our ancestral homelands, where our ancestors lived, worked, and cared for the land for generations. They hold immense cultural, historical, and spiritual significance to the EBCI. For too long, these sacred lands have been outside of our stewardship, and this legislation will allow us to honor our responsibility to protect and preserve them for future generations.”
Previous versions of the bill included H.R. 548 (118th Congress) which passed the House by a unanimous voice vote, H.R. 2088 (117th Congress) which passed the House by a vote of 407-16, H.R. 453 (116th Congress) which passed the House by a unanimous voice vote, and H.R. 146 (115th Congress) which passed the House by a vote of 383-2. All of these bills died in the Senate.
According to language in the bill, the 76 acres includes approximately 46 acres at the site of the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, around 18.2 acres which includes the Chota Memorial and the Tanasi Memorial, and another 11.2 acres known as “support parcel”. Also included in the bill are permanent easements for the Chota Peninsula, which includes 8.5 acres, and the Chota-Tanasi Trail which has 11.4 acres.
Charlie Rhodarmer, Sequoyah Birthplace Museum director, noted the importance of the area, “Tanasi was the first Cherokee capital in what is now this area of east Tennessee. It was set up by Moytoy of Tellico in the late 1720s/1730s. Moytoy was the first ‘emperor’ (spokesman) of the Cherokee. By 1753, Chota had become the mother town of the Overhill. During the eighteenth century, Chota was the political and cultural capital of the Cherokee Nation. It was known as a peace town.”
He added, “Chota was the longest existing Cherokee capital in the east before the Removal. Chota is center stage for Lt. Timberlake’s visit. Timberlake wrote his memoirs of his visit to the Cherokee Overhill, which gives us an incredible insight into Cherokee life in the mid-eighteenth century. By 1788, the Cherokee had moved their capital south to Georgia.”
According to H.R. 226, “No Class II or Class III gaming, as defined in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, shall be conducted on lands subject to this Act.”
