Qualla Boundary

<p>The Qualla Boundary or The Qualla is territory held as a <a href="/facts/Land_trust/9xsBKw9G">land trust</a> by the United States government for the federally recognized <a href="/facts/Eastern_Band_of_Cherokee_Indians/wdPSCz02">Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians</a> (EBCI), who reside in <a href="/facts/Western_North_Carolina/hyVHyrVk">Western North Carolina</a>. The area is part of the large historic Cherokee territory in the Southeast, which extended into eastern Tennessee, western South Carolina, northern Georgia, and Alabama. Currently, the largest contiguous portion of the Qualla lies in <a href="/facts/Haywood_County,_North_Carolina/CR0GVXSJ">Haywood</a>, <a href="/facts/Swain_County,_North_Carolina/XlMpXVK5">Swain</a>, and <a href="/facts/Jackson_County,_North_Carolina/cD7eIsHV">Jackson</a> counties and is centered on the community of <a href="/facts/Cherokee,_North_Carolina/MV4uVdqI">Cherokee</a>, which serves as the tribal capital of the EBCI. Smaller, non-contiguous parcels also lie in <a href="/facts/Graham_County,_North_Carolina/GfIRSawM">Graham</a> and <a href="/facts/Cherokee_County,_North_Carolina/mM0B8G3q">Cherokee</a> counties, near the communities of <a href="/facts/Snowbird_Mountain_Lodge/FccwuzaL">Snowbird</a> and <a href="/facts/Murphy,_North_Carolina/wRNGVV76">Murphy</a>, respectively.
</p><p>The tribe purchased this land in the 1870s, and it was subsequently placed under federal protective trust; it is not a reservation created by the government. Individuals can buy, own, and sell the land, provided they are enrolled members of EBCI tribe.
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Qualla Boundary open-in-new

Qualla Boundary