CHEROKEE CHIEF AND TRIBAL MEMBERS ADDRESS UNCA STUDENTS

Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians spoke to UNCA students about “History and Culture through Storytelling” on Thursday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Two members of the Museum of Cherokee Indians performed traditional songs and dances, and the tribal Chief spoke about the history and governance of the Eastern Cherokee tribe.

 

Jared Wildcat and Mike Crow from the Museum of Cherokee Indians showed examples of traditional Cherokee practices. Wildcat performed a song on his wooden flute and told “The Blanket Story,” a traditional Cherokee story addressing respect and love for one’s elders.

 

Crow invited in audience to participate in the traditional Bear Dance and Friendship Dance. The Bear Dance was meant to represent the four seasons by mimicking bears. The Friendship Dance was an important communal activity that solidified tribal relationships and established new friendships with strangers.

 

“I may have known some of you, but most of us were unfamiliar,” Crow said. “But now we’ve danced together, and that’s a big part of our community.”

 

UNCA student Joseph Walstone appreciated the opportunity to learn about Cherokee culture directly from tribal members.

 

“It’s different than just reading about it in a book or seeing it in a museum,” Walstone said. “They’re everyday people too, it’s not just history.”

 

Principal Chief Richard Sneed gave his keynote address about the history and governance of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, specifically about their past and present relationship with the United States government. He talked about laws concerning Indian tribes, the role of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and his own political practices as leader of an entire tribe.

 

“It’s a really big deal for him to be here, cause he’s the leader of a sovereign nation,” Walstone said. “It’s like if the president was here.”

 

Sneed discussed the importance of sovereignty of Indian tribes, and how their place as a “nation within a nation” has affected tribal members.

 

“I think more than anything else it’s just a matter of having respect for each individual tribe and tribal member,” Sneed said. “Just having a respect for each tribe as an individual nation.”

 

The event was sponsored by the Key Center as a part of the UNCA Cherokee Cultural Week.

 

The third and final event for Cherokee Cultural Week is a concert featuring Cherokee rock band, River Kane, and hip-hop group, Banished DG, on Friday at 8 p.m. in the Highsmith Student Union.