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Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) is a federally recognized Indian tribe in western North Carolina. The tribe’s homeland is the Qualla Boundary, approximately 57,000 acres of land purchased by tribal members in the 19th century.

The Qualla Boundary is not a reservation. A reservation is land held in trust and set aside for a tribe by the federal government; the Qualla Boundary is tribally owned and governed land. When describing locations, programs or partnerships, avoid referring to the Qualla Boundary or EBCI lands as “the Cherokee reservation.”

  • Incorrect: N.C. Cooperative Extension staffs local offices in all 100 counties and on the Cherokee reservation.
  • Correct: N.C. Cooperative Extension staffs local offices in all 100 counties and with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
  • Correct: There are 101 N.C. Cooperative Extension centers statewide, including one in every county and the Qualla Boundary.
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