The leader of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina is defending the tribe's decision to seize 205 acres for a potential gaming facility.

The tribal council voted 10-2 to seize the land from Gladys Wright, who died in 2008. Although Wright granted a life estate on the land to her children, her will apparently didn't comply with tribal law.

Wright's "probate documents failed to comply with the Cherokee Code’s inheritance law," Chief Michell Hicks said in a statement. The will only had one signature, instead of two, the tribe said.

But Wright's only option was a life estate since her children are not tribal members. Only enrolled citizens can inherit land within reservation boundaries.

“I didn’t even know this had happened,” Elizabeth Poscich, one of Wright’s daughters, told The Smoky Mountain News. “A concerned citizen called me and told me.”

Get the Story:
Cherokee descendents lose land over technicality in will (The Smoky Mountain News 8/3)
Protest of land seizure Thursday (The Cherokee Scout 8/3)

Also Today:
Being the middleman for bulk liquor sales at Harrah’s not as lucrative as it seems (The Smoky Mountain News 8/3)
Cherokee election politics fixed on looming casino debt (The Smoky Mountain News 8/3)

Related Stories:
Eastern Cherokees seize 205 acres for potential gaming facility (7/27)