The Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) is established in the EBCI Charter and Governing Document.  Laws regarding its meetings can be found throughout the Charter and Governing Document as well as Cherokee Code. 

The weighted vote used by the Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) has been in place since 2001.  Dinilawigi tabled a resolution during an Annual Council session on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025 that seeks to evaluate the numbers based on a 2023 tribal census. 

This Week in Native News

On the morning of Thursday, Oct. 30, Res. 29 (2025), submitted by Joseph Owle from Wayohi (Wolftown), died on the floor during Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) Annual Council. The resolution would have reaffirmed Res. 309 (2022), which passed.

The One Feather will now provide weekly legislative updates on various pieces of federal legislation of interest to members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The bills are shown in the order in which they were introduced following the new bills for the week.

Law governing referendums held for voters of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) can be found in the Tribe’s election law in Cherokee Code Section 161-9.  That section was established with the passage of Ord. No. 409 on Aug. 7, 2008.

The EBCI (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) Board of Elections has submitted an ordinance that would remove a section from the tribe’s election law regarding requirements for filing for candidacy.  Ord. No. 21 (2025) was deemed read and tabled during the Annual Dinilawigi (Tribal Council) session on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025.