Hayesville Celebrates the Opening of the Cherokee Homestead Exhibit

Hayesville’s Cherokee Homestead Exhibit opened officially on Saturday, October 23. The exhibit is located just off the historic courthouse square adjacent to the Old Jail Museum in Hayesville. It celebrates Clay County’s rich Cherokee heritage and culture.  It offers travelers and students a gateway to Cherokee heritage sites in the region and will boost the economy of Clay County as its existence attracts visitors to the area.  The site includes a Cherokee summer house, winter house, and corn crib, designed to conform to the historical record regarding late 16th century to 18th century Cherokee structures. It also displays public art, representing elements of Cherokee heritage and culture, including clan masks, mural panels and contemporary and historic quotes.  The opening recognized the many people who contributed to the exhibit and provided the public with information about Cherokee history and demonstrations of Cherokee culture.

Walker Calhoun, a 92-year-old WWII veteran and member of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, opened the exhibit with an invocation in the Cherokee language. Mr. Calhoun grew up speaking Cherokee and did not learn English until the age of 16. He is credited with knowing more of the ancient Cherokee songs and dances than any other living person. The Raven Rock Dancers, a troupe composed of Mr. Calhoun’s children and others, performed three traditional Cherokee dances: the bear dance, the corn dance and the friendship dance. They also demonstrated how to make a Cherokee blowgun out of reed cane. Mr. Calhoun made some darts, and Richie Bottchenbaugh shot one of the darts into a squash 30 feet away, demonstrating how a Cherokee hunter might use a blowgun to shoot rabbits and squirrels.

Russell Townsend, tribal archaeologist and director of the Eastern Band of the Cherokees (ECBI) Tribal Council Historic Office, explained that in the period leading up to the American Revolution, there was a large Cherokee settlement on the land near the Spikebuck Mound and adjacent to the Hiwassee River. The settlement had dozens of houses and hundreds of residents. Fearing the Cherokee would side with the British during the American Revolution, in 1776, the government sent General Griffith Rutherford on an expedition against the Cherokee, burning the Cherokee settlement here.  The settlement revived after that and maintained a significant presence in the area until the Cherokee removal of 1838. Mr. Townsend and his associate, Johi Griffin, Cherokee Tribal Historic Sites keeper, provided significant advice about the construction of the Cherokee exhibit.

Diamond Brown, educator, storyteller and Tribal Council member representing Snowbird, also spoke at the opening.  He has already given several presentations to local school children at the Cherokee Homestead Exhibit.  He made important contributions to the curriculum designed by Sandy Nicolette for children about the exhibit.  So far, 636 children from three area school systems have come to the exhibit to learn about the Cherokee contribution to their heritage: Hayesville (Clay County), Murphy (Cherokee County), and Hiawassee, Ga. (Towns County).  Several other representatives of EBCI have previously given talks to the public at the exhibit site. They include Kevin Welch, director of the Center for Cherokee Plants, and Davy Arch.

A number of other people who have contributed to the exhibit also spoke.  They included Angie Chandler, executive director of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area; Dr. Jane Eastman, assistant professor of anthropology and director of Cherokee studies at Western Carolina University; and Judi Jetson, small towns coordinator for HandMade in America; and Rob Tiger and Darry Wood of Hayesville.

The program recognized a number of other individuals who made important contributions to the project.  They include Garfield Long, EBCI; Mary Jane Ferguson, EBCI; T.J. Holland, Junaluska Museum; Tyler Howe, Tribal Council Historic Office; Dr. David Moore, Warren Wilson College; Dr. Brett Riggs, UNC Chapel Hill; Scott Ashcraft, USFS; and Mark Butler, reconstruction archaeologist, Moncks Corner, S.C.

The Cherokee Homestead Exhibit is a joint effort of Clay County Communities Revitalization Association (CCCRA) and the Clay County Historical and Arts Council. A large number of additional organizations provided support for the project. They include the following in addition to the EBCI: the NC Rural Center, the Conservation Fund, Clay County Board of Travel and Tourism, the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, the N.C. Arts Council, HandMade in America, Walmart, and the Cherokee Preservation Foundation.