
Reservation and Casino
Cherokee Indian Reservation - Cherokee Welcome Center
498 Tsali Blvd.
Cherokee, NC 28719
Latitude: 35° 33' 30.6" N
Longitude: -83° 17' 47.04" W
Cherokee comes from a Creek word
“Chelokee” meaning “people of a different speech.” It is a
city filled with a rich history and lasting culture of the
Cherokee Indians. This city has much to offer from outdoor
activities, cultural arts and crafts, to family
entertainment. This popular stop in Western North Carolina
is sure not to disappoint.
Here in their ancient homeland, the
North Carolina Cherokee still compete in bowmanship and
blowgun contests; they play the ancient game of Indian Ball
and participate in other primitive games and dances that
were begun centuries before the white man ventured into the
region.
A vivid reminder of what life was like
among the Cherokees 250 years ago is provided by Oconaluftee
Indian Village on the reservation. Meticulously recreated,
the village contains the structure of woven cane and clay
used by the earliest Cherokees. Also here are dirt-floored
cabins introduced by white traders.
An outdoor drama, Unto These Hills,
shown nightly from mid-June through July depicts the
Cherokee Indian, Tsali, as he fights, runs, and finally ends
up sacrificing his life so that a handful of his people will
be allowed to remain in the Great Smoky Mountains.
At the Indian Museum in Cherokee is the
largest collection of artifacts of the Cherokee nation.
Spear points on exhibit predate the bow and arrow by
centuries, and the pottery is said to been fashioned by an
unknown people at least 10,000 years ago.
Today, the Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indians has nearly 12,000 enrolled members that live on the
Qualla Boundary, a land area comprised of 56,572 acres
directly adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National
Park. The Eastern Band are descendants of those Cherokee
who, in the late 1830s, remained in the mountains of North
Carolina rather than be forced to march along the infamous
“Trail of Tears” to Oklahoma.
Campgrounds and Cottages within 50 miles.
Cottages
Campgrounds
Timberlake Campground, 3270 Conleys Creek Rd, Whittier, NC 28789, 828-497-7320. |