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The Cherokee (pronounced CHAIR-OH-KEY) lived peacefully with the white settlers and adopted many of their ways, building log houses and wearing European clothing. In 1763, King George III promised no white settlements in the Appalachians and westward. But greed made it impossible to enforce his proclamation. The Cherokee became dependent on British goods and lost their ability to be self-sufficient. The intent of the 1780's Civilization Policy of the United States was to change wandering hunter tribes into farmers and force them to give up their culture, religion and tribal organizations. Life changed dramatically for the seven clans that made up the Cherokee's matriarchal society. Eventually, President Andrew Jackson ordered the removal of the Cherokee from North Carolina in 1837. Known as the "Trail of Tears," this 1,200-mile forced journey drove 16,000 people from their homeland to unfamiliar Oklahoma and caused the death of at least 4,000 members of their nation. After years of prohibiting the use of the Cherokee language in school, it is now a required subject. There is a resurgence of tradition and pride in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians--descendants of those that hid in the Great Smoky Mountains during the removal. (The Oklahoma group are called the Cherokee Nation.) |
Over
500 years ago, 25,000 Cherokees lived and roamed freely on land now
covering eight eastern states. Invasion and settlement by Europeans
robbed these people of their land, their traditional way of life,
and the lives of thousands of their loved ones.|
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 If You Lived With the Cherokee by Peter and Connie Roop, Kevin Smith (Illustrator) |
) "The
Cherokee made blow guns for hunting out of river cane by using hot sticks
to burn out the inside of the cane. They then used sand and another stick
to file the inside smooth so the darts would go faster, farther and more
accurately."--Harrison |
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) "The
Cherokee made dugout canoes of all sizes--from 2 people to 35! To make
them, they'd cut down a tree, cut the ends to a point, then slowly burn
the inside and scrap out the burnt part, then burn some more. They would
put mud around the edges to keep it from burning all the way through.
It took a long time to make a canoe."--Amanda |
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Yet another wonderful museum find. The Museum of the Cherokee was recently renovated, and the result is a masterful telling of the Cherokee History in the Smokies. From the traditional Cherokee creation story, to the Trail of Tears, the museum guides you through various periods of history. Each period exhibit is prepared with artifacts or appropriate artistic dioramas, sound and animations, and a host of personal stories. One of the best small museums in America. |
 First Woman and the Strawberry: A Cherokee Legend by Gloria Dominic, Charles Reasoner (Illustrator) |
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"We waited two days so we could watch this live outdoor drama without getting rained on. It was about events leading up to the Trail of Tears and having the Cherokee being kicked out of their homes and moved to Oklahoma. I thought it was a good show and a sad story of how unfair people can be. But in the end, the Cherokee that hid in the mountains were allowed to stay in North Carolina and their descendants are still there today on their own reservation."--Harrison |
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The "overmountain people" settled on the west side of the Appalachians, even though colonial law forbade it because of Indian was threats and the cost of policing the extensive border. British agents treatied with the Cherokee for more land in an effort to maintain peace, and were sold 20 million acres of the Transylvania Territory in 1775 at Sycamore Shoals. The next year, young Cherokee Chief Dragging Canoe led an attack on the overmountain settlers, but they had been warned by Nancy Ward, a Cherokee woman, and were prepared. |
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