Smoky Mountain Cherokee Culture

by Mary Anne Lonze

The year is 1829. As a young woman in Southern Appalachia, you hold property rights to a farm producing corn, beans and squash. You fight in battles, vote, make speeches and have an active voice in government. You are head of a household, perhaps even a chief. You have power and prestige. You are Cherokee.

This is the advanced culture nearly destroyed by white settlers eager for farmland and quick riches, after gold was discovered on tribal lands in Georgia.

Following passage of the Indian Removal Act 15,000 Cherokee people were rounded up into concentration camps and marched off to Oklahoma in the bitter winter of 1838. Along this “Trail of Tears”, over 4,000 perished of cold, disease and starvation.

Only 400 natives, known as the Oconaluftee Cherokee, were allowed to remain in their stockade towns.  Today, their descendants are one of the few Native American tribes to still occupy their original homeland that now makes up the 100-square mile sovereign nation of Cherokee.

A typical village, dating back to the 1750s, held between 30 and 60 houses made of bark, wood, earth and clay. Cherokees never lived in teepees. In the center was the council house, where representatives of the 7 clans (Bird, wild Potato, Deer, Wolf, Blue, Paint and Long Hair) would gather around the sacred fire to discuss current issues. Everyone had a say in the village affairs – women and children included.

Women held a very high place in Cherokee culture. Wives were the heads of households, which included extended families. Several generations (grandmother, mother, and grandchildren) lived together as one family.

The Cherokee nation had a matrilineal kinship system meaning a person was related only to people on his mother’s side. His relatives were those who could be traced through a woman. The child was not related to the father. The most important male relative in a child’s life was his mother’s brother.

Although a man lived in the household of his wife (and her mother and sisters), if a husband and wife did not get along and decided to separate, the husband went home to his mother while any children remained with the wife in her home.

Today, the Oconaluftee village on the Qualla Reservation in Cherokee, North Carolina is open to visitors interested in learning about this ancient culture. Wander through this outdoor museum. Take the self-guided tour to see baskets woven by women who learned the craft from their mothers. See a demonstration of weaponry. Did you know the Cherokee were the only North American people to use blowguns?  Around the bend, another member of the tribe stands beside a giant log topped with burning embers, telling how dugout canoes were made. Later in the evening, watch the story of the Cherokee unfold in the outdoor theatre production of “Unto These Hills”. Experience what it means to be Cherokee.

Oconaluftee Indian Village is open seven days a week May 1 – October 24 from 9am – 5pm. Tickets are available on line and at the door. For a listing of packages and prices, visit their website at www.cherokee-nc.com. Nearby is the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Qualla Arts & Crafts center. Cherokee hosts numerous cultural events throughout the year.