Museum of the Cherokee People

On By nationalparkswithtIn North Carolina
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NPTC Southeast Convention Road Trip➤

My friend Patty and I travelled to Asheville, North Carolina for the 2023 National Park Travelers Club Convention. The convention rotates to a different region each year. For 2023, it was in the Southeast region. On the way down, during the convention and on the way home we visited nine National Park Service units and some other parks. On the third day of our road trip we took the club’s Great Smoky Mountains Bus Tour. The tour stopped first at the Museum of the Cherokee People.

Museum of the Cherokee People ➤

Established in 1948 by the Eastern Band of Cherokee, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian operated initially in a log cabin alongside McLeans Indian Store. The museum provided tourism, employment, and commercial opportunities in an area with high unemployment rates. It also preserved Cherokee culture and countered inaccurate portrayals in mainstream media.

Following a major renovation in 2023, the museum was renamed the Museum of the Cherokee People to reflect unity among the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, based in Cherokee, North Carolina, is one of these tribes. They descended from the Cherokee who remained in the Eastern United States after the Indian Removal Act.

Under the Indian Removal Act of 1830, thousands of Cherokee were forcibly relocated from their ancestral lands in the southeast. The government sent them to designated territories west of the Mississippi River, primarily in present-day Oklahoma. This forced migration, known as the Trail of Tears, resulted in immense suffering, displacement, and loss of life. Despite legal battles and resistance efforts, the U.S. government forcibly removed approximately 15,000 Cherokee from their homelands, disrupting their communities and traditional way of life.

The Cherokee who remained in the southeastern United States after the Indian Removal Act faced significant challenges. They were pressured to assimilate into white society and give up their tribal citizenship. These Cherokee, who primarily resided in North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama, became U.S. citizens but often encountered discrimination and marginalization. Despite these hardships, they persevered and maintained their cultural identity and traditions. They eventually formed the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which is one of the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes today.

Southeast ConventionNational Monument ➤

Location: 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, North Carolina
Designation: Museum
Date designated/established: 1948
Date of my visit: August 3, 2023

9 thoughts on “Museum of the Cherokee People”

  3. What a beautiful museum! One of our next unit studies is going to be on the trail of tears. We recently finished reading a books that in North Carolina that features Cherokee people, and I thought we should dive in to learning more about the history of the Indian removal act.

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  4. I will travel to Cherokee next month. Are we allowed to capture photos in the Museum? I remember they told us not to shoot photos back in 2002. My husband has Cherokee ancestors from his father’s side of the family. So, he wanted to show me the Museum when we first got married. The Mingo Waterfall is also nearby. We will spend a day in Cherokee before we will go to Tennessee.

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    1. Sorry to be late answering this. They didn’t tell us we couldn’t take photos. No sure if it’s because we were a large group off the bus tour and we had reservations for that time. I only used to phone camera while inside

      Reply

      1. That’s okay, Ms. T.
        I couldn’t make it to Cherokee this time. My dog became sick, and I had to cancel the trip. My husband and our daughter went to Cherokee and had a lot of adventures in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

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