VONORE, Tenn. — The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is asking the federal government to follow an agreement made in the 1980s, and return land near the Tellico Reservoir and the Little Tennessee River to the tribe.
The land holds the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum and several exhibits made to honor the traditions of the Cherokee Indians who lived in that area.
An agreement made between the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Carter administration put the land into a permanent easement, controlled by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
To honor the Cherokee Indians, the TVA created a burial site, to re-inter Cherokee Indians who were buried elsewhere. However, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians wants full control of the land.
"You're walking on Cherokee gravel, you're walking on Cherokee grass, but you stick your finger in TVA dirt," said Charlie Rhodarmor, the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum executive director.
The Eastern Band said they want control over the land, so they can continue to honor their ancestors.
"We've got a 12,000-to-14,000-year history of Cherokee occupation," said Gene Branson, the chair of the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum board. "We're trying to preserve that history."
Branson said the Eastern Band would like to preserve the land, exactly the way it is.
In November 2021, Congressman Chuck Fleischmann introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives to restore 76 acres of land in Monroe County to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
The bill passed the House, 407-16. It's currently before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.
A spokesperson for Congressman Fleischmann said if the Senate does not pass it in this legislative session, he will re-introduce the bill in the House in the next session.
In an emailed statement, the TVA said it is trying to work with all parties to come up with the best solution.
TVA works to preserve the historical and cultural resources of the Native American tribes across the Tennessee Valley, including the Cherokee people. Currently, we are coordinating with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and other stakeholders to establish the best process to transfer 72.4 acres under a permanent easement established in the original agreement between TVA and EBCI.