The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-03-07

CAROLINA CHEROKEES.

One Of the most interesting places in
this country to visit, and yet one of the
least known even by the citizens of
North Carolina, is the reservation of
what is know as the Eastern Band of
the Cherokee Nation, says a Raleigh
correspondent The history of this res
ervation is odd and interesting. When
the Indians of this state were removed
to the Indian territory by the govern
ment the greater part of the Cherokees
left their old home, reluctantly, for
ever. A strong band Of them, however,
retained land in three Of the western
counties (Swain, Cherokee and jack
SOM. That country was then almost
wilderness. A large tract of land was set
apart as reservation for them by the
state and special laws governing this
reservation were enacted by the legis-
lature. For over half century what
was known as the Cherokee land
laws" were incorporated in the codes
of this state and other legal works
It has been but few years since they
were omitted from the new editions.
They made interesting reading in the
curious effort to mix the laws of the
white men of America with Indian
ideas and customs and rules as to land
tenure.
The tract of land originally held by
the Cherokees was much larger than it
is at present. The reservation now
consists of seventy-f five thousand acres,
in the counties mentioned, right
among the mountains, and some of it is
the best land in western North Caro-
lima. No part of the country east of
the Mississippi river contains a more
picturesquely beautiful region than
these Indian lands, and none better
suited to Indian tastes and require
abounding in fish; its high mountains,
well wooded and alive with nearly all
kinds of game, and its comparative re-
moteness from the haunts of white
men. Bear are plentiful and the wolf
yet roves there. Deer are abundant
and partridges are very plentiful.
The Cherokee is very interesting
Indian. The chief town or capital" of
the reservation is lin English) Yellow
Hill. Bryson City, distant ten miles
from the reservation, is the nearest
railroad station. Yellow Hill is ram
bling place through which rushes a
mountain stream called the Ocona
Lufty. The Indian houses are nearly
all uniform in appearance and are built
of logs, compactly, so as to stand the
cold weather, which is very severe
fc
extreme heat, because of the altitude
The principal occupation of these In
dians is farming and fishing and hunt
ing. and they always have plenty OF
food The band now numbers nearly
two thousand, and the records show
that they are increasing. The health
fulness of that region is the main cause
of this, and many of them reach great
age; several of them now claim to be
centenarians, and the oldest inhabit-
ant" Big Witch" claims to be over
one hundred and forty years old.
The Cherokees vote just as other citi-
zens of this state do. During the civil
war they were intense confederates.
and large battalion of them served in
the confederate army and fought well
Many of them are educsted-an are
civilized Those who are educated
speak English auently. and are fond Of
the white people. who do them many
kindnesses Some of them have inter
married with native whites They dc
not like Negroes, and there IS no social
intercourse between the races Many
OF these Cherokees, however, know nc
English, and are as Withholding as
those on the western prairies- Among
this class the bow and arro~gis stu
used with masseriy craftsmanship