[3] The history of the Eastern Band closely follows that of the Qualla Boundary, a land trust made up of an area of their original territory.

The EBCI headquarters is in the namesake community of Cherokee, North Carolina, in the Qualla Boundary, south of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Eastern Band members are descended primarily from about 800 Cherokees living along the remote Oconaluftee River who were not forcibly subjected to the Trail of Tears to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).

Principal Chief Yonaguska, with the help of his adopted European American son William Holland Thomas, managed to avoid removal.

They bought back land in what is known as the Qualla Boundary, part of their traditional territory that had been ceded to the US government by the 1835 Treaty of New Echota prior to removal.

Many of the traditional religious practices of the Eastern Band have, over time, blended with new age views and customs according to Cherokee traditionalists.

The land is a fragment of the extensive original homeland of the Cherokee Nation, which once stretched from western Virginia, North and South Carolina, and west to present-day southeastern Tennessee and northeastern Alabama.

In the 19th century, the people had to purchase their land to regain it after it was taken over by the U.S. government through treaty cessions, which had all been negotiated by a small percentage of assimilated Cherokees.

Today the tribe earns most of its revenue from a combination of federal and state funds, tourism, and the Harrah's Cherokee casino, established in the early 1990s.

Tourism in the area also offers many campgrounds, trails and river adventures, mountain biking, fishing, golfing, spas, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Unto These Hills Outdoor Historical Drama, Oconaluftee Indian Village, Cherokee Botanical Garden and Nature Trail, the Museum of the Cherokee People, zoos, restaurants, and a collection of galleries and shops representing fine traditional artists, such as Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual.

In 1988, the U.S. Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which allowed federally recognized tribes to establish casinos on tribal property.

North Carolina was unique in permitting the Cherokees to establish a casino offering Class III gaming in 1994, well before the state allowed a lottery.

[7] The first major casino in North Carolina, Harrah's Cherokee (in partnership with Caesars Entertainment), was opened on Qualla Boundary on November 13, 1997.

Tribal leaders wanted to be able to offer more than bingo and other Class I forms of gambling, to attract larger crowds and generate greater revenue.

[7] Since North Carolina established a state lottery in 2005, Harrah's Cherokee casino has been permitted to extend its offered games to include Class II and III gambling.

[7] In 1996, the first amendment to the compact was entered into the Federal Register, establishing the appointments of the Gaming Commission, staggered five-year terms for commissioners, and the ability to hire independent legal counsel upon tribal approval.

This is formally known as the Nikwasi-Cherokee Cultural and Heritage Corridor, beginning in Macon County, North Carolina, where the river enters from Georgia.

[17] The Kituwah Limited Liability Company (LLC) was established in 2019 to launch or acquire businesses to help diversify the tribes revenues outside of gaming.

[21] That same year, Kituwah purchased 200 acres (81 ha) in the Sevierville, Tennessee neighborhood of Kodak, for $13.5 million; its first tenant was a Buc-ee's store, with a future Courtyard by Marriott and a sports betting bar.

In 2022, discussions began with historical theme park company Puy du Fou on a possible partnership at the Sevierville site.

The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma also requires a minimum blood quantum for enrollment and utilizes a different base roll.

The duties of both elected officials are to represent and defend the rights, interests, lands and funds of the Tribe before any legislative committee or body of the federal or state governments.

Members are elected to two-year terms and are assigned to boards and committees, which include planning, business, lands, community services, manpower, investment, education, and housing.