Students in David Pringle’s eighth grade social studies class at Cherokee Middle School recently completed a project on H.R. 226 (Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act). The student’s diorama projects are on display in the area outside of the Chief Joyce Dugan Cultural Arts Center in Cherokee Middle School. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)
By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – Cherokee students are making their voices heard on a House bill that would put land into trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) in Tennessee. Students in David Pringle’s eighth grade social studies class at Cherokee Middle School recently completed a project on H.R. 226 (Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act).
Pringle said, “It was an honor working through the H.R. 226 project which gave students a deep understanding of the land beneath Lake Tellico and the importance of EBCI stewardship. I hope these efforts will help empower EBCI’s next generation to reclaim more sacred Cherokee lands.”
Cher Crowe-Garcia and Cambry Stamper, both Cherokee Middle School students, are shown with their project.
The bill was introduced into the 119th Congress on Jan. 7, 2025 by Congressman Charles J. “Chuck” Fleishmann (R-Tenn.). The bill was passed by the House of Representatives on Feb. 5, 2025 marking the fifth Congress in a row that the legislation has passed the House. It has been referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.
For the project, the students worked in teams of two and created dioramas of the various sites included in the land reacquisition. They also wrote letters to Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who serves as the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, advocating for the bill’s passage.
In their letter, Nyra Reed and Nazari “Lolo” Bell wrote, “Did you know that the name Tennessee comes from the Cherokee word Tanasi? When North Carolina created ‘Tennessee County’ in 1788, and later when the new state was organized in 1796, the name ‘Tennessee’ was adopted from the Cherokee town. The meaning for the Cherokee word ‘Tanasi’ is still considered to be lost, but some say it means ‘where the river bends’ or ‘meeting place’.”
In their letter, Cambry Stamper and Cher Crowe-Garcia wrote, “Sequoyah, the founder of the Cherokee syllabary, was born in Tuskegee, and we don’t even have that land anymore, it belongs to non-Native people. Sequoyah is very important in our culture. We all would really appreciate it if you would vote on H.R. 226 and help us get our land back that was stolen from us.”
The One Feather interviewed several of the students in the class including Reed, Bell, Stamper, and Crowe-Garcia.
Stamper said, “We have land in Tennessee that we want back because that’s where Sequoyah’s birthplace was. And that’s where he grew up. I feel like it would be very beneficial because we could have that land and we could put stuff up to educate other people that don’t know that that’s our land, and for our school to know that that’s our land.”
She said education of the sites is important. “I feel like none of us really knew about it. None of us really knew that we didn’t have that land. We just thought that we had it.”
Nyra Reed and Nazari “Lolo” Bell, both Cherokee Middle School students, are shown with their social studies project on H.R. 226 (Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act). The bill seeks to put 76 acres, containing several historic Cherokee sites in eastern Tennessee, into trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Reed commented, “I think it would be really beneficial because most people don’t know that we own that land and it’s been denied multiple times. I feel like it if it gets passed, then it will be good.”
She thoroughly enjoyed the project and the research aspect. “It was really fun and I feel like I got to learn more about the situation and it was just an overall fun project to do… some people are visual learners and I feel like it’s more fun than just reading an article. You’re bringing the situation to life.”
Crowe-Garcia said she really enjoyed doing the diorama. “We had about two to three weeks. We did most of the research before we did that and then we put it all together. Doing this, you get more of a visual understanding of how it looked back in the day.”
Bell stressed the importance of the sites and the connection to Sequoyah. “I think it would be very good because it was his birthplace.”
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.
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.
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.”
