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Cherokee Trail

The Cherokee have resided in the North Carolina mountains for over a thousand years. Centuries before contact with European explorers, they had developed an advanced civilization marked by permanent villages, council-based governance, cultivation of corn, distinct clans, highly developed crafts, and matriarchal ownership of houses and farmland. Daily life was permeated by spiritual practices. The concepts of striving for balance and giving thanks were at the center of many Cherokee customs and beliefs.

In the centuries following European contact, Cherokee society was devastated by disease, warfare, and forced relocation. An adaptive and resourceful people, the Cherokee adopted many European customs, became Christians, and intermarried. Although the Cherokee managed to regain title to a portion of their ancestral lands, boarding schools operated by the US government aimed to eradicate Cherokee language and culture until the mid-twentieth century.

Today, the Eastern Band of Cherokee is working to preserve and reinvigorate traditional Cherokee culture by teaching the native language in its schools, by preserving sacred and historic sites, and by sharing the Cherokee heritage with the rest of the world.

Visitors can learn more about Cherokee heritage at a variety of museums, interpretive centers, and historic sites in the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, including:

Museum of the Cherokee Indian – Cherokee, NC
Oconaluftee Indian Village – Cherokee, NC
Qualla Arts and Crafts – Cherokee, NC
Unto These Hills Outdoor Drama – Cherokee, NC