Timeline: Cherokee Presence in Alabama, Removal, and Recognition of the
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Historical & Administrative TimelineCherokee Presence in Alabama and the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama
Pre-Contact and Early History Pre-Contact Period (Before 1500)The Cherokee people descend from Mississippian and earlier Woodland cultures with long-established settlements throughout the southern Appalachian region. Archaeological, historical, and ethnographic evidence documents Cherokee occupation extending into what is now northeastern Alabama, including the Tennessee River Valley, Sand Mountain, and Lookout Mountain. 1540 - Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto’s expedition traverses the southeastern region of North America. Although direct encounters with Cherokee communities are debated, European contact during this period introduced infectious diseases that resulted in significant population decline among Indigenous peoples. Seventeenth–Eighteenth Centuries (1600s–1700s) Cherokee towns were established and continuously occupied in northeastern Alabama. Documented towns include Turkeytown (near present-day Centre, Alabama), Willstown, Brown’s Town, and Sauta Town. These towns were part of the Lower Towns of the Cherokee Nation and served as political, cultural, and economic centers. 1710s–1760s British colonial expansion into Cherokee territory increased, resulting in treaties and conflicts that progressively reduced Cherokee landholdings while Cherokee communities continued to reside in Alabama. 1775–1783 During the American Revolutionary War, Cherokee lands became the focus of expansion by the emerging United States. Treaties executed following the war resulted in substantial Cherokee land cessions, including lands located in present-day Alabama. 1790s–1820s The United States government entered into treaties with the Cherokee Nation that reduced Cherokee territory and applied pressure on Cherokee communities to relocate. Numerous Cherokee families nonetheless remained in Alabama. 1817 and 1819T reaties executed in 1817 and 1819 encouraged voluntary removal of Cherokee citizens west of the Mississippi River. Some relocated to the Arkansas Territory, while others remained in Alabama. Removal Era 1830 The Indian Removal Act was enacted by Congress and signed into law by President Andrew Jackson, authorizing the forced removal of Indigenous tribes from the southeastern United States. 1835 The Treaty of New Echota was signed by a small, unauthorized group of Cherokee individuals and ratified by the United States Senate. The treaty ceded all remaining Cherokee lands east of the Mississippi River and was used as the legal basis for forced removal. 1838–1839 Federal troops forcibly removed Cherokee citizens from Alabama and surrounding states in what is known as the Trail of Tears. Thousands were detained in stockades, including locations within Alabama. Approximately 4,000 Cherokee individuals died due to disease, exposure, and deprivation. Survivors were relocated to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). Post-Removal ContinuityAfter 1839Some Cherokee individuals and families remained in Alabama by avoiding registration, residing in isolated areas, or intermarrying. These families maintained community continuity, kinship networks, and Cherokee identity. Pre-1900s Descendants of Cherokee families who remained in Alabama continued to reside primarily in northeastern and north-central Alabama. Early–Mid Twentieth Century Cherokee descendant communities organized informally to preserve genealogy, oral history, and cultural traditions, and to seek formal acknowledgment. State Recognition and Governing Authority 1984 – Legislative Creation of the Alabama Indian Affairs CommissionThe Alabama Legislature enacted Act No. 84-551 (1984), codified at Ala. Code §§ 41-9-708 through 41-9-714, establishing the Alabama Indian Affairs Commission (AIAC). The Act authorizes the AIAC to:
State recognition affirmed:
Pursuit of Federal Recognition-June 10, 2009 The Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama, Inc. submitted a Letter of Intent to Petition for Federal Recognition to the federal government, formally expressing its intent to seek acknowledgment through the federal recognition process. Modern Operations - 2010s The Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama continued operating as a state-recognized tribal government, engaging in cultural preservation, education, and advocacy. The Alabama Indian Affairs Commission expanded public education regarding distinctions between state and federal recognition and legal protections, including those under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act. 2020s–Present The Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama remains an officially state-recognized tribe under Alabama law. The Alabama Indian Affairs Commission continues to serve as the state authority responsible for tribal recognition and Native affairs. Legal Notes
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