2. Most of East TN/West NC was inhabited by the Cherokee so
that’s this project’s tribe of focus, especially the Eastern
Band Cherokee
Three Time Periods of Native Americans in East TN/West NC:
Pre-1790: Pre-European arrival into European settlement and conflict
1790-1900: Continued European conflict into Assimilation vs Removal
1900-Present: Assimilation vs Removal into Modern Day
4. Pre-1790: Pre-European arrival into
European settlement and conflict
The seven Cherokee clans, all equal
in status
Branch of the Iroquois Nation
Matrilineal
Masks from left to right: Blue, Long
Hair, Bird, Red Paint, Deer, Wild
Potato, and Wolf Clans
Masks from each of the seven
Cherokee clans, Great Smoky
Mountain Heritage Center,
Townsend, TN
5. 1790-1900: Continued European conflict
into Assimilation vs Removal
Before national removal pressure was placed on the Cherokee by Andrew Jackson, the Cherokee had a
period of change and advancement from about 1800 to 1830.
This included the establishment of the Cherokee Nation which included a democratic government
composed of a Chief, Vice-Chief, and 32 Council Members who were elected by the members of the
tribe. A constitution and code of law were also created for the nation.
This is also when Sequoyah created his syllabary that included 86 characters that could be used for
reading and writing by anyone who knew the spoken Cherokee language.
Lastly, the first ever Native American newspaper, the Cherokee Phoenix, was created, and the first issue
was published in 1828.
Source: NPS.gov
6. 1790-1900: Continued European conflict
into Assimilation vs Removal
1830: Andrew Jackson signs Indian Removal Act
1835: Treaty of New Echota is signed
1838: Massive forced removal. People were taken
from their homes and stockaded. Approximately
14,000 Cherokee were taken west, with about
4,000 dying on the trip.
Source: NPS.gov
Names of removed
Cherokee at the
Cherokee Removal
Memorial,
Birchwood, TN
8. 1790-1900: Continued European conflict
into Assimilation vs Removal
Oconaluftee Cherokee Indians, small tribe in
Western NC that didn’t identify as part of the
Cherokee Nation.
Got permission to be excluded from the move
west from successful businessman William
Holland Thomas, who grew up very close to the
Cherokee and helped them with legal matters
after being officially adopted into the tribe.
Thomas purchased land for these people and
effectively began the Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indians.
Source: NPS.gov
Map of modern-
day Cherokee, NC
9. 1900-Present: Assimilation vs Removal
into Modern Day
After the establishment of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in
1934, interest in heritage tourism specific to the Cherokee exploded
in popularity and the Eastern Band Cherokee began to capitalize on
the steadily growing interest in their history and culture.
Monetization methods grew from the recurring agricultural festival
called the Cherokee Fall Fair that over time became a widely visited
display of Cherokee dance, crafts, games, and history.
The benefits to sharing their culture with tourists also exceeded
that of just money. The public display of Eastern Band Cherokee
culture showcased a more indisputable political identity that helped
them remain autonomous and keep their land when American
Indian Policy still heavily pushed for allotment. Source: Denson
Ch. 2
10. 1900-Present: Assimilation vs Removal
into Modern Day
The most financially successful
example of Eastern Band Cherokee
assimilation is Harrah’s Cherokee
Resort Casino in Cherokee, NC
11. Connection to Broader Narrative of US
History
Key takeaways:
The Eastern Band Cherokee don’t exemplify total assimilation as
much as they do partial assimilation or (a certain amount of)
coexistence, as the Eastern Band Cherokee are a federally and state
recognized sovereign nation, able to adopt certain modern lifestyle
elements while preserving their Native American history and
traditions.
The Eastern Band Cherokee represent a tribe that was particularly
lucky to have been able to avoid the forced removal that many other
tribes faced, but their story specifically is interesting in its display of
the Eastern Band Cherokees’ ability to find some amount of
prosperity, both financially and politically/socially, by capitalizing
on sharing their culture and history.
12. Sources:
https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/historyculture/cherokee.htm.
Denson, Andrew. Monuments to Absence: Cherokee Removal and the Contest over
Southern Memory. : University of North Carolina Press, September 21, 2017. North
Carolina Scholarship Online. Date Accessed 15 Apr. 2019
<http://northcarolina.universitypressscholarship.com.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/view/10.5149/no
rthcarolina/9781469630830.001.0001/upso-9781469630830>.
All pictures other than the map of Cherokee, NC and Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort are
my own and were taken specifically for this project.
