The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1861-01-01
THE INDIANS OF WESTERN NoRTH
CAROLINA


James w Terrell, Esq. is the agent of the Uni
Tea states Government in its dealings with the
Indians (; VIM. Ii. Thomas, ESQ is the agent of
the Indians. There are now about l5OG Indians
"a slight increase-l000 in jackson county. and
oOO In Haywood, Macon and Cherokee OF those
IN jackson and Immediately about Quallah Town
must speak. They have church called Echota
MISSION, for which the NJ. +. Church. through the
Holston Conference, make provision. They often
nave preaching from other denominations. They
attend church well, and behave very orderly while
there The preacher the English language
ana an terpreter-usually Charley Hornbuck lie
puts it into Cherokee They have hym book
and Bible in their own language. Some years
ago the plan of Mission School was started but
proved failure, for the reason that the children
went to school, looked at books and heard English
for SIX or eight hours. then went home and heard
nothing but their native tongue for the rest of the
day. Had it been Boarding School and they
heard exclusively English it would not have
failed 1t seems they acquired rather queer idea
OF our language, as 1t was almost impossible to
Keep them from reading and pronouncing the
words backwards. Most of them who learned at
all learned only in that way
They are gradually improving in their habits,
and adopting the customs of the whites They
now marry according to our laws the first marriage
on this style having been celebrated last spring
and was informed that very often the young men
of the tribe may be seen gallanting the females
their ancient and usual custom of walking being
single file, taest first, tapering down to the small
est able to walk. | once met on the Nantihala
mountain Il string thus drawn out and for a very
polite salutatlon got nothing but "Ugh" as / sup
posed, but as | have since learned Oseon, which is
significant to good morning Another salutation
Is Osecenaleh, wish you we'll In olden times
when an Indian died they took him out in the open
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pleased. They still retain this superstition enough
to open all the windows and doors in the house
Most of them dress the white people, even be-
ginning to lay aside the blanket. But one Indian
III the whole tribe now retains and carries out in
their primitive purity all the old customs. dress,
&c; he looks with somewhat of scorn upon the
changes of his brethren. His name is Yonauatta,
or Bear at home; and he carries out his name as
far staying at home is concerned, for he is seen
no where else except once a year when he comes
to Qualah Town to receive his share of the fund
This fund | had best explain. The U. s. Govern
ment appropriated a certain amount to carry the
Cherokees to Indian Territory. On certain
ditons number of them were allowed to remain,
and the money appropriated for their removal was
invested They now receive the annual interest
on it. 1t was 50 much per head Of family, and as
the heads of families die off their children usually
draw the whole and buy land.
tawbas, lives Quallah Town. | was told
of boy, part white and part Catawba, who could
speak English, Catawb and Cherokee. The last
OF the great chiefs of the CherOkees EOnguski
or Bear-In water; the poetry of whose existence
was once traced to the pen of of the great
men, whom my good old home has been honored
with calling one OF her citizens The oldest Cher
okee man living is Hunesugch or Winter
Grape; he is loo years old.
4 he ,hprok nf This State hav oOrrnS
with those in Indian Territory, and several have
passed to and from that country They have a
written language and, as all know who are at all
acquainted with them, some books have been print
ed in their tongue. Their alphabet contains sc
characters, each representing Independent
sound; and they have no sound In their language
which requires them to close their lips All their
words | ever heard were cultural and nasal; and
the sweet Indian names, which romance delights
to speak of, when pronounced by Cherokee, do
not sound very prettiy. They do not call them
selves Cherokees but Eyoueyeh, in trying to say
Cherokee they say Chillkee. Their alphabet | am
told is the invention of Scotch half breed They
are evidently not intelligent race-once very
superstitinus fond of war and the chase Many of
their old traditions, | fear lost forever l
could get but two. One of great giant with an
iron finger, who lived at the head of Shooting
Greek, in Cherokee county. He lived on the
ivers of the tribe; and when an Indian sickened
dropped and died, it was said the giant with the
iron finger had stolen his liver. AT length a
great company gathered together, next to his cave,
and there found him. They shot at him many
times without success, when little bird few down
out of tree and told of the Indians to
shoot him in the finger and it would kill him. He
did so, and it had the effect Ever after that little
bird has been held in reverence by them. An
other: That great many years ago there lived on
the tops of the highest mountains race of lnvsi-
bic people, that any Indian by long life of strict
morality and good deeds, would become pure
that he could see that invisible Once such
an Indian arranged intermarriage between an
Indian aud one of the invisible creatures con-
tract In which was that all the Cherokees should
be made immortal. he meeting to be half
way upon a high ntain. and the Indians were
not to speak a word under penalty of annulling
the whole bargain. The Cherokees marched up,
a great white cloud began to move down. AS they
came very near, a Cherokee spoke, immediately the
cloud vanished-their hopes were at an end. CA
lady to whom | mentioned this tradition suggested
that had it been of white men they would
have said a woman spOke)
They have their own physicians-mOstly using
herbs and roots | have book called the
Cherokee Physician, which [ am informed has al
most no truth at all in it. For the cure of hoop
ing cough aud measles they generally pitch the
children into cold water. Not being able to see
one of their doctors, GOULD not get such informa-
ton of their medicines rs | desired Indians have
no beard on THEN faces
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