Cherokee Heritage Trails Guidebook [Paperback]

Barbara R. Duncan (Author), Brett Riggs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 2003

Enriched by Cherokee voices, this guidebook offers a unique journey into the lands and culture of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in the mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. Every year millions of tourists visit these mountains, drawn by the region's great natural beauty and diverse cultural traditions. Many popular aspects of Cherokee culture are readily apparent. Beneath the surface, however, lies a deeper Cherokee heritage--rooted in sacred places, community ties, storytelling, folk arts, and centuries of history.

Cherokee Heritage Trails Guidebook is your introduction to this vibrant world. The book is organized around seven geographical hubs or communities within the original Cherokee homeland. Each chapter covers sites, side trips, scenic drives, and events. Cherokee stories, history, poems, and philosophy enrich the text and reveal the imagination of Cherokees past and present.

The Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, North Carolina, is the main interpretive center for the Cherokee Heritage Trails. Among the many other featured sites are Kituhwa Mound, origin of the mother town of the Cherokee; Junaluska Memorial and Museum, with a preserved gravesite and medicine plant trail; and Unicoi Turnpike Trail, part of the Trail of Tears and one of sixteen national millennium trails in the United States.

The Cherokee Heritage Trails are a project of the Blue Ridge Heritage Initiative and its partners, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, the North Carolina Arts Council, the Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association, the North Carolina Folklife Institute, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the Blue Ridge Parkway Division of the National Park Service.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A gem of a book."
— Journal of Applachian Studies

About the Author

Barbara R. Duncan is Education Director at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, North Carolina, and editor of Living Stores of the Cherokee.

Brett H. Riggs is a research archaeologist at the Research Laboratories in Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (April 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807854573
• ISBN-13: 978-0807854570
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,254,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barbara Reimensnyder Duncan (1952-) grew up on a farm in central Pennsylvania, baling hay, milking cows, canning green beans, and playing square dance music with her father's band. She received her Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982, supporting herself by playing blues and jazz in the Philadelphia area. After meeting some Cherokee people while consulting for the Smithsonian, Duncan moved to the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina,where she has lived for more than twenty-five years. Working with Cherokee people as a collaborator, Duncan has collected Cherokee stories and presents them in the exact words of the people. (Living Stories of the Cherokee and Origin of the Milky Way)During the Cherokee Heritage Trails Guidebook project, Duncan researched Cherokee sites throughout the southeast with co-author Brett Riggs, Ph.D., archaeologist, and then trained Cherokee people to serve as tour guides on the trails. In 2008 New Native Press published her first book of poetry, Crossing Cowee Mountain. Duncan's work has received the Thomas Wolfe Literary Award, World Storytelling Award, Willie Parker Peace History Book Award, and the Preserve America Presidential Award. The North Carolina Folklore Society recognized her contributions to the study of North Carolina Folklore with the Brown-Hudson Folklore award in 2008. Duncan said, "I'm honored to work with Cherokee people to bring back some of the nearly-lost traditions, like 18th century Cherokee clothing and dance--through the Warriors of AniKituhwa dance group sponsored by the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. They are the modern warriors who are fighting to keep their culture alive. It's a privilege to work with them and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely the best., September 18, 2009

By 

J. D. Courville (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cherokee Heritage Trails Guidebook (Paperback)

This book is essential for anyone planning a trip to old Cherokee country. We stayed in Cleveland, TN and then used this book to plan our daily outings for five days. Next we moved to Cherokee, NC and again, this guide book provided all the necessary information to ensure we saw all of the historic sites. Road directions, hours of operation, site history, applicable fees, you name it. Everything you need to know to plan and tour is in this book.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Useful, October 4, 2010

By 

Randall K. Faulkner "Kidcounselor" (Fort Gordon, GA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cherokee Heritage Trails Guidebook (Paperback)

Spent 10 days up in Cherokee. This was a very useful guide, though some of the non-historic places had closed OR moved - and at least 1 historic place had been moved to allow for road widening and construction... but the mounds and other sites are easy to locate... if it is ever reprinted, adding GPS coordinates would be great!