It consisted of the Cherokee ( ᏣᎳᎩ — pronounced '' Tsalagi '' or '' Cha-la-gee '' ) people of the Qualla Boundary and the southeastern United States ; those who relocated voluntarily from the southeastern United States to the Indian Territory ( circa 1820 — known as the " Old Settlers " ) ; those who were forced by the Federal government of the United States to relocate ( through the Indian Removal Act ) by way of the Trail of Tears ( 1830s ) ; Cherokee Freedmen ( freed slaves ) ; as well as many descendants of the Natchez , the Delaware and the Shawnee peoples
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Cherokee Nation (1794–1907)