| The Heart of the Alleghenies | |||
| Chapter 1 -The Native Mountaineer | |||
| THE NATIVE MOUNTAINEER The "Moon-Eyed People -- Ottari and Erati -- Musical Names -- Legendary Superstitions -- The Devil's Footprints -- His Judgment Seat -- A Sacred Domain -- Cherokee's Paradise Gained -- Aboriginal Geography -- Sevier's Expedition -- Decline of the Tribe -- Younaguska -- A White Chief -- The Qualla Boundary -- A Ride Through the Reservation -- Yellow Hill -- Constitution and Faith of the Band -- Characteristics -- An Indian Maiden -- Soco Scenery |
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| page 15 | "We are excluded from a knowledge of ancient American history by an impenetrable veil of mystery and silence... Mound Builders ; |  |
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| page 16 | "The earliest traditional knowledge we have of the habitation of the southern highlands has been handed down by the Cherokees... "moon-eyed" ;Ottari ; Erati ; Keowee, Tugaloo ; Flint ; Etowa ; Coosa " |  |
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| page 17 | "A keen and delicate appreciation of the beautiful in nature, as associated with the grandeur of their surroundings, inspired them to unparalleled heroism in its defense against intrusion...In the valley of the French Broad there is also a barrenness of prehistoric nomenclature... |  |
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| page 18 | "There is the additional negative evidence of no permanent habitation, in the fact that mention is no where made, in the annals of military expeditions against the Indians, of villages east of the Balsam mountains.. . .Swanannoa is one of the most resonant of Indian names... |  |
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| page 19 | [Swanannoa] is said to have been derived from the sound made by a raven's wing as it sweeps through the air...Cathey's Creek, Davidson's river, Mills' river and Little river ... Henderson County ; Ocklawaha ... |  |
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| page 20 | "Going southward, and crossing the Blue Ridge and Green river, which derives its name from the tint of its water, we come to the Saluda range, the fountain of a river of the same name... Estatoa ; Toxaway (Tochawha) ; Balsams Pigeon river ; Devil's Court-house .. |  |
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| page 21 | "The devil had besides these a supreme court-house, where finally all mankind would be summoned for trial. This was one of the great precipices of theWhiteside mountain, situated in Jackson county, at the southern terminus of the Cowee range... Old Field mountain ... |  |
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| page 22 | [Legends of the Balsams] "It was understood among the INdians to be forbidden territory, but a party one day permitted their curiosity to tempt them... |  |
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| page 23 | ""The mediator, by whom eternal life was secured for the Indian mountaineers, was a maiden of their own tribe. Allured by the haunting sound and diamond sparkle of a mountain stream, she wandered far up into a solitary glen, where the azalea, the kalmia, an dthe rhododendron brilliantly embellished the deep, shaded slopes, and filled the air with their delicate perfume... |  |
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| page 24 | "The great chief of the forest beyond the clouds became the guardian spirit of the Cherokees. All deaths, either from wounds in battle or disease, were attributed to his desire to make additions to the celestial hunting ground, or on the other hand, to his wrath which might cause their unfortunate spirits to be turned over to the disposition of the evil genius of the mountain tops. ...Tusquittee ... |  |
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"Prior to the treaty made between England and France in 1763, the latter nation claimed all the country drained by the Mississippi, the ground of this claim being actual settlement near the mouth of that river and at several places along its course... Watauga ; Nollichucky (Nouachuneh) ; Estatoa (Toe) ; Pigeon (Wayeh) ; Cherokee language ... |  |
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| page 26 | "The country occupied by the Cherokees down to within the memory of men still living, embraced the valleys west of the Balsam mountains... Richland creek ; Scott's creek ;Cheowah valley ; Junaluska ; Little Tennessee ; Tuckasege ; Cashier's valley ... |  |
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| page 27 | "Ocona Lufta, the name of the pearly stream which flows through the Indian settlement, is derived from its having been a nesting place for ducks andother water fowls. ... Raven's fork Soco Swain county ; Younaahqua (Big Bear) Conley's creek ;Qualla town ; "Aunt Polly" ;Nantahala ;Hiawassee ... |  |
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| page 28 | "Cullasaja is the old name of that tributary of the Little Tennessee which heads in the Macon highlands, and is noted for the beauty of its cascades... Horse Cove ; Satoola ; Whitesides ;Sequilla ; Cowee ; ...One of the first white invasions of the picturesque dominion of the ancient tribe was made by slave traders, late in the seventeenth century, in the interest of West India planters. ... |  |
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| page 29 | "After long suppering and much bloodshed, the governor of Carolina, in response to the solicitation of the head men of the tribe, interposed the authority of his government...French and Indian war ...The Cherokee remained loyal to the king during the Revolution, and, associated with [T]ory guerrillas, engaged in many acts of bloody violence...Colonel John Sevier ... |  |
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| page 30 | "An incident illustrative of the times is associated with the naming of Fine's creek in Haywood county. ... Peter Fine ; Vinet Fine ; |  |
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| page 31 | "Emigration after the Revolution became a mania. The Watauga passes were filled with teams en route for the Holston valley, and roads were constructed up the Blue Ridge to the garden valley of the upper French Broad ... Junaluska ; Andrew Jackson ... |  |
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| page 32 | "By a treaty made in 1819 the Cherokees had ceded all their lands, 'saving and reserving one section for each faily who chose to remain.' The clans that desired to emigrate were given lands and transportation. The treaty of 1835 provided for an exchange of all the eastern reservations for lands in the west, with discretion ; but through the influence of Colonel W.H. Thomas, the treaty was so modified that certain town were to have money compensation for their reservations under the treaty of 1819, with which to purchase new homes in their native land. These were to be held in fee simple by as many as chose to remain.... General Scott ; Felix Walker ; Waynesville ; Soco ... |  |
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| page 33 | "The chief, Younaguska, was an extraordinary Indian. He was acute, vigorous, determined ; qualities which made him both respected and feared by his people. He knew how to control their weaknesses and use their superstitions... |  |
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| page 34 | "[Younaguska] deplored the dissipation so common among his own people, and closed by directing Mr. Thomas, from whom whiaccount has been derived, to write thefollowing pledge: 'The undersigned Cherokees, belonging to the town of Qualla, agree to abandon the use of spiritous liquors.' |  |
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| page 35 | "...Colonel Thomas became chief of the Eastern Band of the Cherokees. He had been with them long enough to know their character. ...provided for their education and encouraged religious exercises among them... John Ross ... |  |
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| page 36 | "Lloyd Welsh ; Nimrod Jarrett Smith ; The Eastern Band of Cherokees have title in fee simple to 50,000 acres of land on the Ocona Lufta and Soco creek, known as the Qualla boundary. ... The valley of Soco is the locality of densest Indian population. |  |
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| page 37 | [Illustration] A SOCO LASS "The Cherokee women of the present generation are unattractive. Some of the young children who attend school are clean and neat in person and dress, ... Chief Smith ; Yellow Hill ;Ocona Lufta ; |  |
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| page 38 | "We learned subsequently that nearly all the Cherokee children can speak and write English. ...Yellow Hill ; Chief Smith |  |
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| page 39 | "Under the present constitution the chief's term of office is four years. His salary is $500 a year, and $4 a day additional when on business in Washington. No one but a Cherokee of more than 35 years of age is eligible to the chieftainship...Every male Indian over sixteen years old, and every white man who has an Indian wife, is allowed to vote....A public school is maintained, and even the old and middle-aged are better educated than the whites in many communities. The young are taught in both Cherokee and English ...The Christianiztion of the Cherokees was begun in 1801 by the Moravian missionaries. .... |  |
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| page 40 | [The Cherokee] ...are naturally devout, and most of them are in regular communion with the church, thereby imposing marriage laws and other social regulations. Christianity has strengthened and solemnized the marriage tie, which in the prouder but more barbarous condition of the tribe was a very weak relation. ...Rigid seriousness is a marked element of Indian character, and is written in unmistakable lines upon their faces... |  |
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| page 41 | "The Ocona Lufta crossed our path at the beginning. The purity of the stream seemed to forbid the intrusion of a dirty hoof, but there was no time to indulge sentiment. ...Quallatown ; Soco creek ; ...Pause and look at an 'Indian maiden' by the road side. We did. .. |  |
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| page 42 | [Cherokee women] "Black, coarse, knotted hair hangs down her back to the waist. Under her low forehead is a pair of large, black eyes which, unfortunately, are devoid of expression. ... |  |
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| page 43 | [Illustration] MOUNT PISGAH :West Asheville in the Foreground. |  |
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| page 44 | Blank page | ||