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Info for RVers... |
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...from a full-time RVer |
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Cherokee
Heritage Center
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Tahlequah,
OK
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I took a day trip to the Cherokee Heritage Center while I was staying at Tenkiller State Park. The brochure said it featured the nationally acclaimed Trail of Tears Exhibit and was the place to learn about Cherokee traditions through an interpretive experience. I couldn't pass that up as I've always been fascinated with the Indian culture and their viewpoints on life and nature. |
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Jenny
and Rachel demonstrated their basket making skills and told us about
the different materials used, how the baskets were decorated and
dyed, as well as their uses.
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Rachel
was our guide through the Ancient Village and also showed us how
the pottery was made and decorated.
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She
told us about how village life was before European contact. The
Cherokees were not nomadic and they always settled near water, which
was their lifeline. Families had separate small summer and winter
houses, built to protect against the weather. The houses were used
only to sleep in, as all other village activity took place outdoors.
We were surprised at how cool this summer house felt on the inside
on such a warm summer day.
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This
is a winter house. It was ingeniously constructed to gather and
hold in the heat.
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The
Council House was where village business was conducted and all decisions
were made. The structure is seven-sided, corresponding with the
seven clans that all villages consisted of. There were also two
separate chiefs - a peace chief and a war chief.
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The
Adams Corner Rural Village is a reconstruction of a typical Cherokee
community following their forced removal to the Oklahoma area.
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Rachel
was a delightful guide, showing us one way of hunting used - the
blowgun. She told me she was so happy in her job here, getting to
meet people from all over and sharing her culture with them. I felt
honored to hug her after the tour.
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There
were so many other interesting things Rachel shared with us - the
box turtle shells filled with river rocks the woman tied to their
legs to accompany the songs since it was job to keep the rhythm
- how the canoes were made - the two things that make Cherokee baskets
unique and easily identifiable - the differences in the arrowheads
made according to their intended use - the game used to settle disputes
without having to resort to war - the names of the seven clans and
their "specialties." I highly recommend a visit here to
find out about these and other fascinating accounts of this generous
culture.
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There
are nice shaded picnic tables on the grounds surrounding the museum,
parking and turnaround areas are available for RVs and all paths
are wheelchair accessible.
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