Before European settlers arrived,
the Great Smoky Mountains was
the homeland of the Cherokee Indians.
Frontiersmen began settling here in the 18th
and early 19th centuries
and in 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed
the Indian Removal Act,
forcing the removal of all Indian tribes east of the
Mississippi River to what is now Oklahoma,
resulting in the "Trail of Tears."
Both the journey and the route
were called the "Trail of Tears"
because of the devastating effects of this forced removal.
The relocation of the Cherokee nation
from their lands in the Southeastern
United States resulted in the deaths
of approximately 4000 out of 15,000 Cherokees.
In the Cherokee language,
the event is called Nunna daul Isunyi -
"the Trail Where They Cried."
In the winter of 1838,
the Cherokee began their forced
thousand mile march
with scant clothing and supplies.
They faced hunger, disease, and exhaustion.
The Cherokee were given used blankets
from a Tennessee hospital where an epidemic
of small pox had broken out.
Because of the diseases,
the Indians were not allowed to go into
any towns or villages,
which meant they had to travel
much farther to go around them.
Most of the Cherokee left,
but some, led by renegade warrior Tsali,
who opposed the removal and remained
in the Cherokee Homeland,
hid out in the area that is now
the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Tsali and his small group of Cherokees
formed a rebellious resistance
against the United States.
Tsali was eventually captured
and executed by the United States
in exchange for the lives of the small band
he protected.
The band of Cherokees remained
in the Cherokee Homeland
and became the modern Eastern Band.
Their descendants live in the Qualla Reservation
south of the park.
Cherokee, NC, is the headquarters
for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians.
It is also an extremely tourist-oriented area,
located at the entrance to the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park,
the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway,
and the site of a Harrahs Cherokee Casino.
The casino is owned by the Cherokees
and operated by Harrah's Entertainment.
Upon driving through the main drag,
Mr. Hawthorne and I were on the lookout
for Indians, tepees,
bows and arrows, tomahawks,
pintos, smoke signals -
anything to signal that this was Indian country.
Gambling is a huge business here
and just by looking around,
one must acknowledge that the house pretty much always wins.
We ended up checking out a few of the shops.
I wanted to get a knife for Youngest Hawthorne
for Christmas
and I bought me some moccasins.
I'll show you the mocs later.
Rosie...I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed your posts about your trip. When I was a child (circa 1960s), we travelled to all of these spots, and this brings back some very fond memories for me. THANKS!!
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ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your comment.
I do so appreciate it. Hope you enjoy the rest of our trip.
Rosie
LOVE the plant stand!!! Can't wait to see the furrrrr!!!!!!
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