Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee - Learn About Native American Life

José Demonstrating Shooting a Blow Gun at Oconaluftee Indian Village © Katrena

Marilyn Demonstrating Making Pottery at Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee © Katrena

The Oconaluftee Indian Village is located at 218 Drama Road in Cherokee and is adjacent to the Unto These Hills outdoor drama. The village is set up to replicate an Indian town in 1750 with areas featuring a guided tour, self-guided tour, theatrical production, educational sessions, and a walking trail. My family visited the village in August 2019.

Karen Demonstrating Finger Weaving at Indian Village © Katrena

Kim Demonstrating Bead Work in Cherokee Indian Village © Katrena

Wood Carving at Oconaluftee Indian Village © Katrena

Wood Carving Demonstration in Cherokee Indian Village © Katrena

Kayla Demonstrating Basket Weaving in Cherokee Indian Village © Katrena

Kevin George Making Arrowheads at Oconaluftee Indian Village © Katrena

A guided tour offers participants the opportunity to see local artisans demonstrating skills that have been handed down for generations. Visitors can learn about finger weaving, beading, pottery, wood carving, basket weaving, and weaponry. Guides describe the process used to create each type of art and the supplies for creating finished products years ago compared to today.

Self-Guided Tour at Oconaluftee Indian Village © Katrena

Chipper Shares Memories of Cherokee Life at Indian Village © Katrena

Older Cherokee Home at Indian Village © Katrena

Rachel Educates Group Inside Council House at Oconaluftee © Katrena

Part of the tour is self-guided where visitors can learn about the housing, transportation, counsel house, trading, and more. Several local people are available in these areas to answer questions, and an educational session was offered inside the counsel house. Many of the changes over the years were a method of self-preservation. For example, Americans often automatically burned down the older style of Cherokee houses, so they began making their houses to more closely resemble the houses of American settlers. A self-guided nature trail highlights and names local plants.

Guide at Oconaluftee Indian Village © Katrena

This village is staffed by many people who grew up in Cherokee. Some have lived in the area all their lives while others moved away only to return to this beautiful mountainous region that celebrates Native Americans. As we traveled from one exhibit to the next, the guide would describe techniques used for each special type of skilled work, mentioning how the supplies have changed over the years. Some of the guides begin working at the village at a young age and go on to learn skills in acting and local artistry.

Seven Cherokee Tribes at Oconaluftee Indian Village © Katrena

One of the best parts of this village experience is being given the opportunity to ask questions. Each person working at the village had an interesting story! Most of them learned their artistic skills from an older relative.

Learn About Trading History of Cherokee Indigenous People in NC © Katrena

I particularly liked how many of the people in the village spoke of their personal histories when asked. One mentioned that her mother had been chosen to be the Beloved Woman, a great and rare honor in this culture. She spoke of how the Cherokee particularly value women within their culture.

Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee NC © Katrena

One artisan at the village has appeared on billboards and many advertisements for Cherokee while one demonstrator mentioned that his grandfather had been a chief. Another mentioned living in a house similar to the one on display when she lived with her grandparents many years ago.

Learn About Cherokee Life in 1700s and See Local Artisans at Indian Village © Katrena

A young staff member mentioned how her grandmother had been punished for practicing her culture and how she hesitated to teach the Cherokee language to her descendants for fear they might suffer as she had many years ago. She also mentioned that her grandfather met former President Obama when petitioning for the Cherokee people to be allowed to harvest certain plants only located in the Great Smokey Mountains National Forest.

War Demonstration at Oconaluftee Indian Village © Katrena

War Reenactment at Cherokee Indian Village © Katrena

Combat Scene in Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee © Katrena

Visitors also have the opportunity to see actors, many from the Unto These Hills theatrical show, demonstrating either a fight scene or a prayerful dance giving thanks to the Creator. The show is alternated every other day. Visitors sit in covered areas named for the seven tribes featured in the area. We had the opportunity to see the fight scene on the day we visited.

Taylor and Other Cherokee Actors Use Red and Black War Paint at Indian Village © Katrena

Actors from Unto These Hills at Oconaluftee Indian Village © Katrena

Visitors learn about the different paint colors used for battle and also Cherokee beliefs related to the afterlife. We were given the opportunity to speak with the actors after the demonstration with photo opportunities.

Square Grounds and Dance Demonstration at Cherokee Indian Village © Katrena

The vast majority of the Cherokee people have adopted a modern lifestyle, but they are also proud of their heritage and seek to preserve some of that past and to educate others about the truths of their culture. Some aspects of authentic traditional Cherokee life, such as traditional medicine techniques and healers, remain protected from outside interference to this day. Unfortunately, many people have a very limited view of Native Americans that has been built around inaccuracies portrayed in movies and the media. This village provides an opportunity to learn more about a culture that was often left out or misrepresented in history lessons years ago and in modern times.

Fighting to Protect Cherokee Way of Life © Katrena

Cherokee natives in North Carolina fought hard to maintain their land and their way of life. Much came at a great price to indigenous people who lived in North Carolina and in other states. One only need to delve into the history of the Trail of Tears to get a glimpse of that agony. One can feel some of the stark reality of that pain before arriving to the village as you might see a glimpse of a graveyard near a picnic/park area immediately before the box office and parking area for Unto These Hills. Yet memories live on in those who now enjoy modern conveniences while preserving age-old talents. Oconaluftee Indian Village celebrates the innovations of those determined to carve out a life despite the hardships placed upon them.

Beautiful Bead Work at Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee © Katrena

A gift shop is located in the Oconaluftee Indian Village where visitors have the opportunity to purchase goods made by many of the local artisans who were demonstrating their craft. Some of these items include a card naming the artist, and we recognized several of the names as those people we met on the tour. Local artisans also sell their handcrafted goods at Qualla Creations across the street from the museum in Cherokee.

Learn About Seven Tribes at Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee © Katrena

I particularly enjoyed this experience and my family found it to be educational and engaging. I'll admit that I was worried this might be a very fake experience, but I enjoyed learning about the authentic history of many who were working in the village and also how the Cherokee people are moving toward the future inside and outside the local reservation. Many of the artisans have relatives whom they loved and respected who suffered greatly under forced rules of assimilation yet still managed to instill a great sense of pride of the Cherokee culture in their descendants. The celebration of that pride is quite evident at the Oconaluftee Indian Village.

Learn About Native American Life in Past and Present in Cherokee Indian Village © Katrena

Thanks for reading my Travel NC With Kids blog! You may also wish to read these related articles:

• Unto These Hills Outdoor Drama in Cherokee NC
• Unto These Hills Backstage Tour and Drama in Cherokee
• Oconaluftee Islands Park in Downtown Cherokee - Nice Free Park Downtown
• Mingo Falls in Cherokee - It's Still Beautifully Majestic 40 Years Later!