Ethnogenesis of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians with Anita Finger-Smith | MBLS 2022

The 2022 Moccasin Bend Lecture Series continues with Anita Finger-Smith. Anita, President and CEO of the Cherokee Genealogical Services, presents on the five circumstances during the early 19th Century that contributed to the nucleus of Cherokee Indians who remained in the Southeast after the forced removal of most Cherokee to Indian Territory. These remaining Cherokee later formed the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Many people still believe the only reason the Cherokee are in the East today is because they “hid out in the mountains.” Although this was true for some, the majority are there for other reasons.