The land of the Cherokee did not belong to the Cherokee from the beginning of time. They took it from someone who was weaker.
Namely, the Cherokee took their lands from the Creeks and continued pushing the Creeks and the Catawba out of their vast new holdings. The Cherokee then assimilated better than any other tribe and were rewarded, when gold was discovered in Dahlonega, GA, by Andrew Jackson who literally stole the lands which the white/Cherokee assimilated families had developed. These were white people, who had plantations that produced vegetables for the all-cotton coastal cotton is king economies down the Savannah River. The families had names like Cleveland (hero of King’s Mtn.) as in Cleveland, GA and TN (one vast plantation).
No, not an apologist for Fauxahontas Liz Warren (who is not remotely a Cherokee- bogus claims). The legal land titles of GA and SC were ignored in the federal land grab for ... gold. Shameful treatment of true Americans,leading to the Trail of Tears to OK and slaughter/starvation- the story is quite sad and appalling. These were many people of substance and possessions amongst the common people forced out with them. All history is composed of these type of transitions, good and bad.