The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1888-08-30
CHEROKEE INDIANS.
FORTY OF THEM PASS THROUGH
MARIETTA.

off of the Marietta and North Geor-
gia Railroad train, enroute to Allan
ia, having been hired by a couple of
gentlemen to give some performan-
ces there of ball and dances. They
rested in the city park and were
soon surrounded by large crowd of
our citizens who were intent on see
ing "real, live Indians" These In
dams were from North Carolina
and got on the train at Muir
ply. They were oddly dressed.
Some with pants and shirt and bare
footed, heads tied with redhandker-
chiefs. Some wore full suits, pants,
coat, vest, shoes, and with feath-
ers in their hats, while others wore
red trousers, shirts and caps, and a
number of them had marks of red
and black paint on their cheeks and
forehead. About fourteen squaws
were along, and wore calico dresses
and shoes, no ''bustles" or corsets.
The Constitution cleaned some in
formation about them when they ar
rived in Atlanta. These Indians are
a remnant of the old Cherokees who
owned this country. When the old
nation was driven from Georgia.
Tennessee and the corners of North
and South Carolina, six or seven
thousand refused to go, and the mat
ter was settled by giving them a
home in the southwestern corner of
North Carolina. They own $4,000
to 100, 900 acres in Swain, jackson.
Graham and Cherokee counties,
comprised in what they call the
quala-quala lines. That was form
ally surrendered to them by the new
Echota treaty, about 1887, and there
they have have remained until this
day, unchanged in their habits, save
for the last five years, a few schools
and churches being established there
but not we'll patronized. There are
about three thousand of them now.
They are in mountainous country
and most of them live wild lives. If
an Indian family is large, say six or
seven in all, they cultivate an acre
and a half or two acres. 1.-THE fam
lily is small the farm is small in pro-
portion. The women do most of the
work, while the men laze about and
in the tall fish and hunt. They
have five towns, Soko, Birdtown,
Yellow Hill, Big Cave and Cheoah.
Yellow Hill is the capital. In town
of course, they put on considera-
bly, style-have floors to their huts
and make the dogs sleep out of
doors.
They are under the laws of North
Carolina, but are allowed great tree
dom in their local government. Ev-
cry four years they elect a chief.
Then they have a council, a member
from each of the five. districts, and
they are the chiefs cabinet. The
present chief is Jarrett Smith, one
eighth white, and the handsomest
brave among the Cherokees. Most
Of his time is spent IN Washington,
where he represents his people pref
ty much as congressman would his
E district.
The land is held in common. An
Indian is privileged to move upon
any unsettled land, but must pay
State taxes upon what they claim.
They transmit from generation to
generation the right to hold certain
lands just as if the family owned it,
or the present owner can sell his
right of possession to an Indian,
though never to a white man. They
refer disputes to the acknowledged
head man of the settlement, gener-
ally one of the members Of the coun-
Gil, and faithfully abide by his de-
cision. If you went to a village and
wanted to make a trade of some
kind, and the head man was gone,
you couldn't coax them into trade.
Go to the Bird country, for exam
pie, when old Jim Kegg was gone,
and you might as well try to trade
with the chestnut stumps. When
old Chiltoski (corn tassels) leaves
his town business stops so far as
white people are concerned. They
are naturally distrustful of whites.