Cherokee Nation

We invited our friend Mary to join us at the Cherokee National Heritage Center, a museum and ancient village which provides displays and demonstrations of this Native American culture.

We learned about Stickball, a precursor to LaCrosse. These games were used to settle tribal conflicts rather than war, although an intense game would cause severe injury or even death!

Grandpa had visited the Heritage Center in North Carolina, where the Cherokee Nation originally resided. In the 1830's the European settlers began pushing into the Cherokee territory, and when gold was discovered in the region, they came even more intent on occupying Indian land. President Andrew Jackson, influenced by wealthy merchants in the area, authorized the "relocation" of the Cherokees to west of the Mississippi, "to guarantee your survival". Various attempts to save their sovereign lands failed, and the last 16,000 of the Cherokee people were gathered and moved, mostly by foot, in the winter of 1838 to Oklahoma, over 800 miles west. Many children and elders died along the route, which is known as the Trail of Tears. Today, these Native people have reclaimed a small territory in North Carolina, as well as extended their territory in Oklahoma.

We finished our time with Mary in Tulsa with Italiano Bistro dinner and self-serve frozen yogurt sundaes!