Cherokees. INSTITUTION East Tennessee State Univ., Johnson City
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
DOCUMENT RESUME ED 310 898 RC 017 120 AUTHOR Arnow, Pat, Ed.; Chiltoskey, Mary, Ed. TITLE Cherokees. INSTITUTION East Tennessee State Univ., Johnson City. Center for Appalachian Studies and Services. PUB DATE 86 NOTE 33p.; Photographs may not reproduce well. AVAILABLE FROMCASS/ESTU Foundation, Center for Appalachian Studies and Services, Institute for Appalachian Affairs, Box 19180A, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614-0002 (subscription--$7.50 for individuals and $10.00 for institutions; single copies $2.50). PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022) Viewpoints (120) JOURNAL CIT Now and Then; v3 n3 Aut 1986 EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *American Indian Culture; *American Indian History; *American Indian Literature; Cultural Background; Cultural Education; Ethnic Groups; Interviews; Poetry; Rural American Indians; Rural Areas; Short Stories IDENTIFIERS Appalachia; Appalachian Literature; *Appalachian People; *Cherokee (Tribe); Rural Culture ABSTRACT This issue of "Now and Then" focuses on Cherokee Indians in Appalachia. It includes poetry, articles, fiction, book reviews, and photos. Articles include "The Story of My Life as Far Back as I Remember" by Aggie Ross Lossiah and edited by Joan Greene; "Goingback Chiltoskey, Master Carver," by Joan Greene; "Daughter of Tahlequah," a profile of storyteller Gayle Ross by Jill Oxendine; "Maggie Axe Wachacha: Beloved WOMan of the Cherokees," by Patricia A. Swan; "Saving the Then for Now," by Pat Arnow; "Cherokee Eden (with Asides): An Alternative to the Apple," by Marilou Awiakta; "Marilou Awiakta: Eye of the Deer," by Parks Lanier; and "Fears and Challenges," by Robert Youngdeer. Short stories include "Brownies: A Cherokee Legend," by Ruth Ledford; and "The Tsali Legend," oy John Parris. (TES) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** NOW A Center for Appalachian Studies and Services/Institute for Appalachian Affairs East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee 1 -PERMISSION Autumn. 1986 TO REPRODUCE THIS HAS BEEN GRANTED BY AA TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office or Educatonel Research andImprovement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) /..*;n,sdocument has been reproduced as receved from the perSOn Or organizat.on orgnatrng rt C Mnor changes have been made toimprove eproduchon ouairlY Pomts of vew or opimonsstatedrntmsdoCu ment do not necessarily represent offictal OERI pos.bon or potocy tar. Will and Charlotte Hornbuckle Chiltoskey(whi ch means falling lossomblossom in Cgrewherokee) and their children Watty (standing) and Goingback, on the Qualla Boundary, 1910. boys up to be renown edwood- carvers. CHEROKEESGuest Editor Mary ?..hiltoskey $2.50 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE and I. Hie Ie that appeared al Southern Exposure's ot fh, ,iith I h s iCt' Inoin From the Editor !l Pit l' 0,1,114'14' '111'4 17 111,11111C I 4_441111 CII1114.1 f41( '411111'I4 ,,I; Pat Arnow an(.4,,t1,1; ,!, Id] began theRit, 11,1: ,,f(ears mat p, op!,, uu 116 hat 15 11( /11, the Cill'/(11CkN.111( /11 of 01(;.1111.111,' 111,' the f tiit'111 Band of the Before the first outsiders moved to the Southeast the Cherokees Cherokee Indians had been the principal people of the Appalachian region for over After the Reniiiy althrough the ,,f the Pltil ,,tittlik. and thousand yearsPresident Andrew Jacksonin his eagerness for on the 2011the CrIk'n,kk't', '1'I4'1.,1'.1 t",14 1.11414;4 to 1,41T1 ,,,,] 41, government to acquire vast ti acts of land played a major tole in the 1110dt4111t110111 c1.1111.1ti Chr,st,aniay ),, ,H 1 p,{' .h i,inguage decimation of the Cherokees in the 1830 shhe renowned Cherokee h11e Cherokee, adapted A tin.: hand oi,.( , hailq0 warrior Junaluska later said that he regretted he didn tkill Jackson in tin), tiddl)tat11)11 appear, '11 IL, u,114211 the 411.11, ,L.111,3141PlIl of stead of helping him win the Battle of Horseshoe Bend (against the Ross Casual e no tells me story of growing up in the s through Creeks) in 1814 An East Tennessee hero, Davy Crockett opposed the turn of the centurk. ipa,j, 5 71 his fellow Tennessean's plan for Cherokee removalIt was a stand that In the 20th centurywith the advent of mi Oen, the helped Crockett lose an election to Ccingress Cher,kee tongue began to fade from For two generations But It was the Chet okee people who paid the highest price fir Cherokee students were punished for read T11,1111111th.,11 \VII vote to remove them forcibly to Oklahoma in 1838. 17 MO Indians languageAn ingenious easy to use Cherokee aly,.,iited by escorted by federal troops, begar the trek across country During 'he Scquoyahin 1621 had made welting a thelaaguagefanny journey that became known as the Trail of Tears 4 000 children widespread ) women and men died Today the Eastern Band Of the Cherokee 'tuts adapte,1 to the domi- Some 1.000 stayed behindsome had beenleftundisturbed nant culture yet has retained son,. of the old .gays C1lk7()NCC Ci111,11011 because they were too old for td: trip some hid in themountains lain to speak and V6rItc, in their native language as well as in English some were protected by William H Thomas, a white man who tried Ancient crafts of basket)kea)..ingpott:rs, 0.11(1\1/4.1), car,,Ing are prac for years to acquire land and benefits for the Cherokees Those few tic ed with pride The Oconaluftee ha,- been set up in Cherokee who stayed were granted the official right to remain ny the North to demonstrate these and other name wafts to visitors Carolina legislature in 1866 In fact the interested outsider may be helping the Cherokees main There is a 1?gend of a hero who made it possible After the removal tam their !Reis; culture Tourism is the number one and almost the on before beginning the difficult task of rounding up the remaining Indians ly) industry on the Qualla Boundary From one quarter million to two to be taken to Oklahoma. authorities made an offer to the Cherokees million tourists visit each year The Indians could stay if Tsali a fugitive who had killed two soldiers The els:tors hay e a choice They can skim the surface of Cherokee was brougnt to justiceFor the sake of his peopleTsali surrendered buying souvenirs that were actually made in Hong Kong and posing and was executed for snapshots with "Indian Chiefs wearingauthenticcostumes Every summer Tsali s noble deed is celebrated in an uu.k.loor drama. (though must of their gear is reminiscent of the Plains Indians Its "Untoiese Hills- performed in Cherokee. North Carolina The Tsai' what the tourists expect.says Mary Chiltoskey) story. taken from a program of Unto These Hills.appears on page Or they can visit the Cherokee Museum with its exhibits and history 15 For the historical account, which is more mundane, though pro tl atglee arealidea of Cherokee eultureThey can see the bably closer to the facts (but whoever said that facts and truth had to be O, ofialuftee erllage1.41114,11 is a lis.ing replica of ci ChcrukLe eummunity exactly the same")) can be found in The Eastern Band of the of 1750 They ear. buy au,hentie, beautiful erafts from the Qualla Arts Cherokees, a thoughtful history by Juin' R Finger which is reviewed and Crafts Mutual,Inc and from some of the other shops in on p 29 by Wiliam Anderson Cherokee They can see the play Unto These Hills. and they can ap- The hardy people who stubbornly remained in their homeland preelate the setting of the Smokes and the beauty of the. people became The Eastern Band of the Cherokees, a separate body from the Aetually either approach will help the Cherokee most of the majority of Cherokees who moved to Oklahoma (and became the businesses in both eases are owned and operated by IndiansBut Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) Most of the Eastern Band lived un ),Isitolg the latter attractions might lead to a bit mote understanding and lards that had been acquired for :hem by Thomas Since 18;6 this appreeiation of an unusual, interesting dignified culture SoI hope, land. called the Qualla Boundary. has been held in trust by the United will reading these pages States government in common with the Tribe with possessory holdings This is the first issue on valid, I worked as editorI would like to issued to individualsThere are 56,573 acres scattered over five thank guest editor. Mary Chiltoskeywho compiled much of the mountainous North Carolina counties bordering the Great Smoky writing in these pages. G B Chiltoskey for being a charming host. Pat Mountains National Park The Council of the Eastern Band of the Swan for her typing. photos and inforaiatiun and Tom Gilmartin for Cherokee Indians governs the holdings and all other affairs (except letting me dig through his notes and photos on arts and crafts These criminal) within the boundary folks and The CenterforAppalachianStudies andServices Many people in the mountains claim Cherokee ancestry But the ac- staff -Director Richard Blausten). scholar in residence Bill Cook and secretary Carolyn Cerrito --have also helped to make this a most in- tual enrollment(theofficiallisting)inthe Eastern Band of the teresting. challenging and enjoyable experience Cherokees is a small group of 8 822 with nearly 3.000 king outside of the Qualla Boundary The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma is much Now and Then needs you, support larger with 53.097 members. 30,000 of them living in their 14 coun- Subscribe today ties From the time of the removal in 1838, the two groups had no for- Give a subscription to a friend mal ties until 1984 when 20,000 people met at Red Clay, Tennessee See page 30 for a handy subscription form Manlou Awakta, whose work is featured on pages 20-23 was there.