Why were the Cherokees put into different tribes when they arrived to western land on the trail of tears?

When the Cherokees were forcibly relocated to western lands during the Trail of Tears, they were divided into different groups or "tribes" primarily for administrative purposes and to facilitate control by the U.S. government. This separation aimed to weaken their social cohesion and cultural identity, making it easier for the government to manage them. Additionally, the U.S. sought to assimilate them into a Euro-American framework, which involved categorizing them in ways that disrupted their traditional structures and community ties.