Official State Recognition was granted to the PAIA Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation June 19, 2015
Official treaties between the Lower Eastern Cherokee and the Commonwealth of South Carolina were established in 1759. On June 19th, 2015, the State of South Carolina and the South Caolina Commission of Minority and Indian Affairs granted official State Recognition to the PAIA Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation, making it the 9th State Recognized Tribe in South Carolina and the only recognized Cherokee Tribe.
“The Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation has 550 members across 14 counties in the Upstate and Piedmont.
“The Gray Court-based tribe was granted state recognition by the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs Board in 2015. It had to submit more than 600 pages of documentation to meet the 14-step criteria that the Commission requires for any potential tribes. The Commission requires that the group’s members link their ancestry back to known Cherokee, have at least 100 members related by blood, and show at least 100 years of continuity as a people”
139–105. Criteria for State Recognition. A. Native American Indian Tribe - requirements 1 through 9 must be satisfactorily met to achieve State Recognition. Requirements 10 and 11 are optional.
(1) The tribe is headquartered in the State of South Carolina and indigenous to this State. The tribe must produce evidence of tribal organization and/or government and tribal rolls for a minimum of five years.
(2) Historical presence in the State for past 100 years and entity meets all of the characteristics of a ‘‘tribe’’ as defined in R. 139–102 (D)
(3) Organized for the purpose of preserving, documenting and promoting the Native American Indian culture and history, and have such reflected in its by-laws.
(4) Exist to meet one or more of the following needs of Native American Indian people - spiritual, social, economic, or cultural needs through a continuous series of educational programs and activities that preserve, document, and promote the Native American Indian culture and history.
(5) Claims must be supported by official records such as birth certificates, church records, school records, U.S. Bureau of the Census records, and other pertinent documents.
(6) Documented kinship relationships with other Indian tribes in and outside the State.
(7) Anthropological or historical accounts tied to the group’s Indian ancestry.
(8) A minimum of one hundred living descendents who are eighteen years of age or older, whose Indian lineage can be documented by a lineal genealogy chart, and whose names, and current addresses appear on the Tribal Roll.
(9) Documented traditions, customs, legends, etc., that signify the specific group’s Indian heritage.
(10) Letters, statements, and documents from state or federal authorities, that document a history of tribal related business and activities that specifically address Native American Indian culture, preservation, and affairs.
(11) Letters, statements, and documents from tribes in and outside of South Carolina which attest to the Indian heritage of the group.
Purpose of the Native American Indian Advisory Committee. It shall be the purpose of the Native American Indian Advisory Committee to preserve the true aboriginal culture of the Americas in the State of South Carolina and to advance the Native American Indian culture by: (A) Advising the Commission regarding Native American Indian Affairs. (B) Identifying the needs and concerns of the Native American Indian people of South Carolina by bringing such needs and concerns to the attention of the Commission. (C) Making recommendations to the Commission to address the needs and concerns of Native American Indian people. (D) Inviting individuals recognized as specialists in Native American Indian Affairs and representatives of the state and federal agencies to present information to members of the Advisory C
Governor’s proclamation recognizing the contribution of the state’s recognized tribes.