A documentary detailing the lives of the Snowbird Cherokee. A small group of Eastern Band Cherokee who live in the farthest Cherokee community; Snowbird in Graham Co. NC
I am 3/4 Cherokee my father's family survived the trail of tears and was born on the reservation in Oklahoma. He left the reservation. At 15 when his parents died traveled to St. LOUIS MO. I was born when my parents were much older and my dad's second family. My mother was Cheerokee and Irish her mother was full Cherokee my maternal grandfather was an Irish immigrant My father taught me a great deal about my native history and I am extremely proud of my heritage. I am blessed
I just took my daughter to Echota today. I picked two flowers at the side of the road,one for her and one for our ancestors. She placed it on the marker 300 yards where the city use to be. It's a shame how the Cherokee were denied the ability to keep their history.
-- who ever you are, because you don’t even seem to have a name. Do you mean to say that computers belong only to the white man? Wow you couldn’t be more brain dead. Learn to accept the truth that our tribal cultures are way beyond the white mans culture. That is why to this day we are able to have close knit family ties to say the least.
@Sira S No it's what every ethnic group in human history has done. I am a mix of Cherokee and Irish. To hate on white people is to also hate myself. Even the native Americans dominated other tribes, took land, some had slaves and did exactly what every other culture of the world has done. I don't blame anyone in the past for anything. If those series of events didn't happen the way they did then chances are I wouldn't be here. Bad things have happened to every ethnic group in every nation since time began. To generalize an entire group of people and blame people today for what happened hundreds of years ago in my experience obsolves people of today of all of their personal responsibility and essentially gives them a free pass to be a horrible human being. I treat every person with respect and for the most part I get it in return. For those that don't offer the respect I deserve then that person is an asshole, not an entire race. See how that works?
@-- Exactly, if I'm going to lay blame at anyone's feet it would be government. They have the world record on thieft and genocide and the force to back up such policy as the Indian Removal Act. If anything I've learned from the past and stay armed to the teeth because of what they do.
My grandfather was Cherokee. He raised his family this way and my father raised us this way. Our family lives all over but my father made sure we knew our family. He showed faith in God every day.
My family was on the Daws Roll when they came west through the trail of tears. I may only be ¼ Cherokee but my father was raised by his white mother and I was raised by my white mother. I'm almost 30 and I'm just now learning about my culture. I know more about my mother's Scottish culture than I do about my grandfather's Cherokee culture. I'm looking forward to learning more.
My great-great grandfather was on that roll as an infant. He made it to the west and returned to the Eastern Cherokee band to live out his years . I was born not far from Echota. My uncles and aunts and cousins all lived on the northern side of Fort Mountain and all to the west of Dalton, Ga. I was born in Dalton, 69 years ago. I visit Cherokee,NC when I can. Blessings
@@ckryegrass11 That's so very Cherokee of you to pass judgement and denigrate those of us that have ancestors listed on the Daws Rolls. I'm proud to see an example of our preference for peace and fellowship being demonstrated so enthusiastically in these modern times. You make us all proud.
My great grandmother is a full blooded cherokee woman but the strong physical traits of the white men married into the family and eventual marriage of more white couples in the family has left me very pale with blue eyes. But i thank the cherokee people of Oklahoma who still treated me like i could learn like the full blooded kids. I appreciate the kindness that stays with me from the tribe. I grew up feeling love from the cherokee people i met and overwhelming acceptance. I hope to share that as i get older and have kids. I really hope to use this language in my life, to keep its sound echoing through time.
My great-great grandmother and her mother were on the Trail of Tears! My great grandmother was born on the Trail of Tears and my grandmother was born after they reached the reservation in Broken Bow, Oklahoma!
My Great Grandfather was full blooded Cherokee from the Paw Paw Kentucky area, and that's where my Mother was raised also. I'm proud of both my Cherokee & Hillbilly Ancestry. I was raised in the North, but did move to & live in Kentucky for 20 years. Best people in the world.
I grew up beside new echota and found out that I had ancestors that lived there and escape from the trail of tears by running to north Carolina and hide in snowbird
My grandmother is Cherokee through her Thacker line but the lady at 10 minutes could be my grandmother’s clone down to the hairstyle and glasses...So much so, I sent my dad a pic and he thought I’d found a picture of his mom. My jaw is on the floor!!! 😱 My family are Southeastern Kentucky since around 1790 & my Sizemore line hid Natives in caves during the Trail of Tears. I just can’t help but to cry thinking about that time. It’s broke my heart since I was a child. 😞😢
Thank you so much for sharing yourselves .My ancestors came to this beautiful land in the 1680,s . In New York , I,m French on both sides , my fathers side got burnt out of France in the 1600,s and fled to this land , my mothers side I found came from France to England between the mid to late 900,s . Then eventually to Plymouth . I live in the Alleghany Plateau of the Appilachian Mountains , in north central Pennsylvania . I love the hills and the wilds, we have alot of forest . I feel at peace and very spiritual out in these places and dream that I could be back in the old days living , give and take from the forests . Sorry I rambled , Thank You so much for Sharing , May the Creator of All Bless you and yours .
my grandfather is Cherokee and from swain county... the museum has a statue of my very very great family member sequoia ....when my grandfather came to the charlotte area he for some reason had his last name changed from "guess" to "Johnson" ...i remember my grandfather speaking to someone in Cherokee language when we visited family and i wish i would have asked him to teach me when he was alive...and seeing that gravel road running along the creek dead end into the trees he told us about the cabin he was raised in up in those woods and talking about a friend of his named Jim Swaney whom is probably deceased now as well.....and now the government has taken it all =(.
Cherokee diaspora spreads to every state. But hoping you could clarify some things. You said Sequoyah was your aunt? Did you mean uncle? The man who invented the syllabary was Sequoyah whose white name was George Gist/Guess. There are still families among the EBCI with the last name Sequoyah. However Sequoyah was born in Tennessee and would later move down to Georgia area. The Cherokee who reside in Swain/Jackson co. are usually from their ancestors who negated the trail and hid in the mountains. This group of Cherokee spoke Kituwah/Middle dialect and come from North Carolina. This of course means they way they spoke was different from that of Sequoyah who would have spoke Overhill/Upper dialect. Now the Cherokee who reside in Graham co. would closely share the same dialect as Sequoyah. But I do not know the connection or relationship between the man who created the syllabary and those who have the last name Sequoyah. I can say through genealogy that Cherokee families like present day, shared the same name without family connections. It is also harder to prove bloodlines because up until the early to mid 19th century Cherokee families did not go by two names. It was not up until census records that Whites began giving families the surnames of the head man of the house.
Peridot Rain I am half Cherokee. My father was Cherokee and Mom was white. My last name is Johnson. Seems that Johnson was a common last name that some Cherokee took.
I think choosing Johnson as a surname was common. My grandmother was full blooded Iroquois from Canada. She moved down to the US to hide from an abusive husband (4th if I remember correctly). She moved in with her daughter who was passing as white. Lamothe was her married name at that time, as the husband was a Frenchman. She left behind her son, with her sister, because she knew he would search for her until he found his son. He didn't care about finding his daughter as much. Oddly enough I found no further evidence of him ever returning to Quebec or that he ever searched for her. I found cousins in Canada that had a lot of details that I didn't have.
This is amazing. I am a descendant of European (Italian) immigrants to this country, and I am so glad and proud to learn about the indigenous Native Cherokee people who live in this area (I'm in North Carolina, the Piedmont, and I'm an immigrant from NY). Thank you so much.
I’ve got a little bit of Cherokee heritage in me. It’s cool to learn more about it. I wish history had gone a little differently. I think if natives had been able to win the cultural wars we would not be in such an environmental crisis.
I miss my mammaw!!and Pap!!God Bless all we live here together people be humble and kind!!!from Kentucky on the line were 3 states connect in mountains on dead end road and the way some are talking on here we are still at a dead end road.Be Blessed😊
I learned some lessons about the Cherokee Nation in the local high school Here in New York . I were told about the Trail of Tears 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢...I can relate to the Trail of Tears.... ❤
@@Threezi04maybe you should stay in your lane? Are you one of the indigenous peoples of Australia, where you live? If not, why would you feel it appropriate to comment on something that is not your concern? Only the tribes have the right to say who or who is not a member of their nations. That is what sovereignty means! And for some Cherokee bands, blood quantum is used, and others not. In any event, no outsider has any right to comment on it.
My half brother shorty lives there. I wished I was close with him but I'm not and it is what it is. Now I'm in Hendersonville at the moment cooking for 53 residents in a facility over ran with covid 19. I miss home.
My great grandfather was put through a native boarding school. He was a man of few words and a serious face all of the time. His mother, my great great grandmother was the same way. Tough as could be. I had the privilege of knowing both of them. They lived to be near 100 years old.
This is an excellent video, and sounds so much like my people out in Hollister Halifax County. Traditional customs and ways of living as an "Indian" is just a "part of you in your heart". No paper needed to identify you with that.
that lady in the blue pants speaking she favors my mother very much. my mother is now in Heaven along with my father. when i seen this lady I thought of my mother. very pretty lady. My mother was also Cherokee, My 4x great grandmother was said to be 3/4ths cherokee. she was written in the Cherokee log books. just amazing.
If you are a direct descendant of a person listed on the Dawes rolls, your path to becoming recognized as a member of the Cherokee Nation is much easier than those who do not know their ancestors names or if they are listed. I encourage you to get your Cherokee CDIB card and be counted. CDIB is an acronym for Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood. We need to be as accurate and complete as possible. Please contact the Cherokee Headquarters in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. You COULD start at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in Washington DC, but that's not as precise as weeding out all the other unnecessary red tape. The information you have is all you need. You'll end up being referred to Tahlequah in the end, anyway. Be counted! Be a participant! Be involved!
I'm a product of the few surviving from the Trail of White Tears. Cherokee didn't cry even when their family died on trail. They carried their dead as they continued walking. The whites lined the trail crying from the sight they saw.
Henny Oldman just STOP! These Beautiful, Caring, civilised, intelligent,people have suffered enough! White peoples DESTROYED EVERYTHING that WAS RIGHTLY THEIRS! White people HAD Absolutely NO Respect or Right to treat these beautiful people the way they did! And YOU will find that white people in my opinion where the instigators of SLAVES!! So! Be Quiet YOU know nothing!!!!
Bernadette Hayes You know I am half White and half Cherokee...What the white man did to the Indians were bad. There are not any white man alive today who took the Cherokee land. I don't hate the white man because I would be hating part of myself and part of my family. If you hate all white man does that mean you hate all of me or just half of me.
My great great grandparents were survivors of the Trail of Tears and my grandpa’s native but doesn’t live on the reserve and I agree that it’s a beautiful heritage.
Kaitlyn McCary So you are 1/8 Cherokee DNA? Have you taken a DNA test to see the percentage Indian blood? You look white so I assume the 87.5% is European, if you are 1/8. I suggest getting a DNA test...you saw what happened with Elizabeth Warren...you don’t want to be that lol
I love Cherokee hymn singing. They use the four point harmony like the Old Chuck Gang. My grandpa use to talk about the Cloud family and how beautiful their singing was.
My mother was Afro American and Indian mix, she resembled An Indian, her maiden name was Snow. From her appearance she had very strong Indian genes. I’m looking forward to seeing her again in the new system.She hard a very hard life, trusting in the resurrection hope when the dead will hear his voice and come out.
I clicked on this video not expecting to be brought to tears. As soon as I heard the singing I knew instantly that was my pastor. Pastor Bill Drywater passed a couple years back. It felt so good to hear that voice. His wife has just recently moved back to North Carolina to be with their daughters husbands family, who were eastern band. So yeah, were all one people anyways. Hard times caused confusion. I can't blame my ancestors.
My grandmother in Oklahoma was very into genealogy when I was a child. Nathan Kirkland, Cheesesquire, was my 5th great grandfather. She rooted me in knowing that this is my heritage, despite my pale skin and blonde hair. Despite these physical traits I am proud to be part of the bird clan.
Thank you for sharing this! I'm fascinated by this history! It's a crying shame what was done to our Native American ppl. We could've learned so much rather than seek dominion over their land. Progress isn't moving forward if you forget where you've been, IMHO.
Almost every day I use some of the Cherokee language of the little bit that I know and this makes me feel so truly American. This is what for a goodly part really makes America great, being able to align myself as one who is mostly of European origin to function in the moment by enjoying the use of an American language, the Cherokee tongue.
It behooves stores that are in towns such as Bryson City, N C , Waynesville, NC , Canton, N C Murphy,N C and Hendersonville, N C to have the general signage there in English and Cherokee. Which would give exposure of the Cherokee language and it's syllabary on behalf of the common public.
Am from jamaica,am of taino herittage,before i found out,when i was a child,i watched a native american movie ever since i fell in love with them,i make a little bow along with arrows made from stick and nail,i used to chase fowls for their feathers.and it is 7 years ago i found out my father was (indigenous taino)i love all native americans.we are family,
My mother who would be 95 this year always told us that her mother was half cherokee indian, born in South Carolina. She died from burst appendicitis when my mother was five, around 1930, in Massachusetts.
My Greatgrandmother was one of the ones who hid and stayed in the East. She later married a Choctaw Chief. My Grandmother was half and half! DNA testing revealed that in the roll of the DNA dice, most of my DNA is American First Nations. I’ve been told that I very much look like my main DNA heritage! At 70 years of age, my hair is still dark, my skin is darker compared to Europeans, and my facial features are just like my Grandmother’s and as stated, she was full blooded Native American…half Cherokee and half Choctaw. Ancestry has verified this bloodline! I have always felt that pull. My Grandmother taught me a great deal. If you had an ailment, she knew exactly which herb from the forest to get to make you feel better. She lived to be 107 years old, best that we could tell. I miss her a great deal!
Mary. You are both, 1 impossible without the other. You have a good heart. I stumbled upon the spiritual belief of my great grandmother.. Today. I practice a hodgepodge of religious beliefs and the creator"a name I had never heard exclusively any god that was who I asked to forgive me for not knowing names or his will. So I just let him guide me. I have sang to deer & birds for hours. I know of this sounds crazy but faith is uniquely the same everywhere u look. I feel that only fuels it's validity. all life is the honorable in my heart, but I'm proud of my survivors. My Cherokee Heritage is honorable. .
I come from Cochise County Arizona........ We have a ranch near Tombstone we also employ Chiricahua Apache Native Americans as ranch hands..... They are expert horse wranglers they have a way with the horses they call it horse whispering its uncanny the horses do what ever the Chiricahua want them to do......... As well as Horses i have witnessed an Apache snake dance .... They dance and handle live Rattle Snakes...... Again these reptiles are completely under their control The Chricahua live for the land on the land ... not like us white Americans take take if only we could listen but we are deaf They are a proud Nation ...I am proud to say i know them / work with them and share their culture ........ For although what has happened in passed years they can still care for us ..... incredible there is not a thing they wouldn't do for us and us likwise ............ If more people in our Country were as kind thoughtful as Chiricahua it might just be one hell of a better place..... My Great great great parents came from England in the early 1800s.... Crossed America by wagon train along with thousands of other white pioneers Every one contributed some way to make our Country a place where freedom is precious Thank God for America Amen
I have Tsalagi ancestors from both my father and mother. Dad's mom, the only grand parent I knew growing up, told how her own grandmother came from "eastern Tennessee and told stories of coming to eastern KY in a covered wagon". I remember the highway going over the mountains where the tunnels are now (into Harrogate, Tn and its hard to imagine horses crossing them while pulling a wagon load of stuff. Automobiles often over heated trying to cross there.
Proud 1% Eastern Band Cherokee... My 5 times great grandfather was from The Smokies. I am so proud and so deeply connected (from an early age) to every Cherokee!! Ayo! 🙏 While being proud I am so upset, I don't connect to my euro side at all..... I'm actually ashamed of them!
Ella Jackson looks VERY physically similar to my grandmother, who had a great grandmother that was full blooded Cherokee in late 1800’s. Wonder if we are related.
My father and his father ,my Grandfather ,were both born on the reservation. My Grandfather on my mothers side was also born there. My mothers father was Rev. Ronald Holland that was a circuit preacher in that entire area for most of his life!! He was Ronnie Milsap's Godfather and was also named after him I've been told. There is a book for sale on Amazon titled "High Calling The Journey of a Mountain Preacher" that explains it much better than I can.
delonzo83 LOL you know tha's a lie. Crows are so far from Alabama. ROFL It is just a family myth that your mother is Crow. Everyone knows by now that every black family had that myth that they were Indian. For some reason blacks sure idolized Indians, that they told lies to their family that they were Indians.
Aryana Saiter Not true. Most Black Americans do NOT have Native American ancestry, instead it's mostly Caucasian ancestry. We even look more Caucasian than say Black Latinos and Black Carribeans.
Many whites even those in places of authority are deceived - not nearly as smart as they think they are. I have repented of pride and all my sins and have come to have a deep respect and love for our Native Americsns. Jesus is our Lord and Savior and He makes all the difference in attitude, behavior and relationship. Fellowship is so precious. Thank you for this valuable documentary. God bless America as we continue to learn truth and change our ways where truth requires.
I recently found out my grandmother father was a snowbird Cherokee he's a rattler I knew her mother line was Cherokee but they where in the painttown area
I am not Cherokee but I believe we are all human beings and we are all synchronized so we are all part of everyone and if you tap into your real true self you will find more love and care from nature and people who cherish the real beliefs in humanity as they truly are with all differences and similarities as long as someone is good and by his and her behaviours brings good into this world should be let free accepted and have all the rights to live according to such freedom and discovery without good foundation that is tradition we won't be able to carry ourselves through this world into the new being of ourselves and another so we need to be open hearted open minded for another discovering new cultures is always an incredible journey for all our senses and mind it can help to heal from unhealthy social script and connect with more powerful healing sources and wisdom thank you for this documentary ! 💚
Great documentary! My husbands grandmother that raised him was Cherokee and Blackfoot. She was a Christian woman that always took care of the babies in the church nursery for free. She would give the pay back. If not for her what would my husband have done!? She is his real mother. I met my husband at that church. God bless and keep you guys! 🙏🫶🏻🙂
Many years ago I found out that my great grandfather is Creek, my grandmother never spoke of anything about that part of my family, I have been trying to learn everything I can,, the culture, language, dress, everything I can about Creeks
Where do you live? Do you want to be put in touch with a medicine man/healer? I'm sure you'd rather not have to travel a long distance if you have a choice. If you have not received replies to your question, it's likely because your comments are not set to receive responses. The only option offered through your account is to REPORT your contribution to the CZcams police if a participant thinks it's necessary.
I am sorry for the loss of your Elders. I must say, it saddens me a bit to see my people baptizing themselves to Christianity. So much was taken...but, I am happy if you're happy.
Great spirit nurtures. Yahweh is an energy parasite. A massive one. If you think Christianity speaks to great spirit then you have no clue who great spirit is
You are very wrong - I am of the wolf clan. When the white man came to our land we were already baptizing our children. The Great Spirit walked with us and taught us His ways. This is what we told the white man. We also showed them our drawings of the Great Spirit, His Son and the Fire Spirit. We have known of the 'trinity' from the beginning. I suggest you go back to your elders and perhaps seek council from other clans. Peace be unto you.
N. Joanne Mathis That's a myth. White folks visited us as early as the 1500's, long before they had began moving in on us. Earlier Europeans taught us about the Bible and that was how we knew those things when the whites began to settle among our folks. European doctrine states that "the first Christians on any land own it". Dead give-away that we weren't praying to Jesus.
@@Joanne88346 you are 100% right. Keep telling the truth. I'm so glad to read your comment, that you actually know because it's been passed down, from even before God saved a righteous Hebrew family from the 2 ND destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem & made a way for their escape to the Promised Land. & Even now the evil ppl still persecute the Natives because they are the chosen ones, a Royal Priesthood, Sacred Blood. The Scottish & Irish are, too. See how England & the Crown persecuted them & the genocide of them, too. I've always felt in my Spirit I was different than others, & the more I learn about everything, I understand why. Thanks for letting ppl know that The Great Spirit was here & did teach His Gospel & ordances, like baptism by immersion & so more, you are very intelligent!?
Have been to Cherokee in NC several times. Last time I went I searched for the hand made moccasins but found out a factory that made them no longer did due to " the gambling casino". I was stunned for a while and was upset but said nothing & we got some head gear..{ and yes am part Cherokee]
this world is twisted that they would protect a fish and not a people?? I live close to old town hiwassee in tn it's absolutely beautiful that's where the warrior path starts on starr mountain and goes to tellico town a great cherokee town but long gone
I am 3/4 Cherokee my father's family survived the trail of tears and was born on the reservation in Oklahoma. He left the reservation. At 15 when his parents died traveled to St. LOUIS MO. I was born when my parents were much older and my dad's second family. My mother was Cheerokee and Irish her mother was full Cherokee my maternal grandfather was an Irish immigrant
My father taught me a great deal about my native history and I am extremely proud of my heritage. I am blessed
STOP LYING IT CHEROKEE FROM THE LAKE LANEAR THAT THEY FLOADED AND MADE A LAKE OUT OF!
I just took my daughter to Echota today. I picked two flowers at the side of the road,one for her and one for our ancestors. She placed it on the marker 300 yards where the city use to be. It's a shame how the Cherokee were denied the ability to keep their history.
my great great grand father was a cherokee I was told by my grand mother I love the native people of America God bless them
-- who ever you are, because you don’t even seem to have a name. Do you mean to say that computers belong only to the white man? Wow you couldn’t be more brain dead. Learn to accept the truth that our tribal cultures are way beyond the white mans culture. That is why to this day we are able to have close knit family ties to say the least.
@Sira S No it's what every ethnic group in human history has done. I am a mix of Cherokee and Irish. To hate on white people is to also hate myself. Even the native Americans dominated other tribes, took land, some had slaves and did exactly what every other culture of the world has done. I don't blame anyone in the past for anything. If those series of events didn't happen the way they did then chances are I wouldn't be here. Bad things have happened to every ethnic group in every nation since time began. To generalize an entire group of people and blame people today for what happened hundreds of years ago in my experience obsolves people of today of all of their personal responsibility and essentially gives them a free pass to be a horrible human being. I treat every person with respect and for the most part I get it in return. For those that don't offer the respect I deserve then that person is an asshole, not an entire race. See how that works?
-- am not a leftist nor am I trying to flame racism. Believe all men are equal I speak what I see and experience . So let us just agree to disagree
@-- Exactly, if I'm going to lay blame at anyone's feet it would be government. They have the world record on thieft and genocide and the force to back up such policy as the Indian Removal Act. If anything I've learned from the past and stay armed to the teeth because of what they do.
Beautiful and honest documentary of our people. Such a blessing the language is returning after a long and bitter sleep.
My grandfather was Cherokee. He raised his family this way and my father raised us this way. Our family lives all over but my father made sure we knew our family. He showed faith in God every day.
LIAR
Whoa, that's an awful strong accusation there! Prove it!😊
My family was on the Daws Roll when they came west through the trail of tears. I may only be ¼ Cherokee but my father was raised by his white mother and I was raised by my white mother. I'm almost 30 and I'm just now learning about my culture. I know more about my mother's Scottish culture than I do about my grandfather's Cherokee culture. I'm looking forward to learning more.
There are many of us that are not on the white mans list and to this day are not accepted. I call it the list of cowards.
My great-great grandfather was on that roll as an infant. He made it to the west and returned to the Eastern Cherokee band to live out his years . I was born not far from Echota. My uncles and aunts and cousins all lived on the northern side of Fort Mountain and all to the west of Dalton, Ga. I was born in Dalton, 69 years ago. I visit Cherokee,NC when I can. Blessings
@@ckryegrass11
That's so very Cherokee of you to pass judgement and denigrate those of us that have ancestors listed on the Daws Rolls. I'm proud to see an example of our preference for peace and fellowship being demonstrated so enthusiastically in these modern times. You make us all proud.
Hello. Do you know of any Logues or Gilmores? Hope to here from you. Looking for my lost family.
My great grandmother is a full blooded cherokee woman but the strong physical traits of the white men married into the family and eventual marriage of more white couples in the family has left me very pale with blue eyes. But i thank the cherokee people of Oklahoma who still treated me like i could learn like the full blooded kids. I appreciate the kindness that stays with me from the tribe. I grew up feeling love from the cherokee people i met and overwhelming acceptance. I hope to share that as i get older and have kids. I really hope to use this language in my life, to keep its sound echoing through time.
Chuck Norris is half Cherokee, you wouldn't know it by looking at him though.
My great-great grandmother and her mother were on the Trail of Tears! My great grandmother was born on the Trail of Tears and my grandmother was born after they reached the reservation in Broken Bow, Oklahoma!
You will not find a more beautiful person than Lou Jackson. So thankful for this documentary!
Am 1/8th Cherokee Indian proud member of eastern band of the Cherokee Nation in North Carolina USA and am a Wolf clan.
James George Do you identify as white or Indian?
Thank you for sharing this beautiful film.
My Great Grandfather was full blooded Cherokee from the Paw Paw Kentucky area, and that's where my Mother was raised also. I'm proud of both my Cherokee & Hillbilly Ancestry. I was raised in the North, but did move to & live in Kentucky for 20 years. Best people in the world.
My home, where I grew up with Cherokee speaking grandparents. I miss it
I grew up beside new echota and found out that I had ancestors that lived there and escape from the trail of tears by running to north Carolina and hide in snowbird
My grandmother is Cherokee through her Thacker line but the lady at 10 minutes could be my grandmother’s clone down to the hairstyle and glasses...So much so, I sent my dad a pic and he thought I’d found a picture of his mom. My jaw is on the floor!!! 😱
My family are Southeastern Kentucky since around 1790 & my Sizemore line hid Natives in caves during the Trail of Tears. I just can’t help but to cry thinking about that time. It’s broke my heart since I was a child. 😞😢
Mine too.
Ummm, we have Thackers and I’d love to find out more on the Thacker line!!
All these people look like my relatives on both sides in middle TN
George Guess I’d like to know his Geneology, we have Guests in our family tree…
I am learning so much this video is priceless. Oconostoda is my direct ancester from my understanding. Dragging Canoe is another…
Thank you so much for sharing yourselves .My ancestors came to this beautiful land in the 1680,s . In New York , I,m French on both sides , my fathers side got burnt out of France in the 1600,s and fled to this land , my mothers side I found came from France to England between the mid to late 900,s . Then eventually to Plymouth . I live in the Alleghany Plateau of the Appilachian Mountains , in north central Pennsylvania . I love the hills and the wilds, we have alot of forest . I feel at peace and very spiritual out in these places and dream that I could be back in the old days living , give and take from the forests . Sorry I rambled , Thank You so much for Sharing , May the Creator of All Bless you and yours .
I have always felt like I was born in the wrong time period, myself.
my grandfather is Cherokee and from swain county... the museum has a statue of my very very great family member sequoia ....when my grandfather came to the charlotte area he for some reason had his last name changed from "guess" to "Johnson" ...i remember my grandfather speaking to someone in Cherokee language when we visited family and i wish i would have asked him to teach me when he was alive...and seeing that gravel road running along the creek dead end into the trees he told us about the cabin he was raised in up in those woods and talking about a friend of his named Jim Swaney whom is probably deceased now as well.....and now the government has taken it all =(.
Cherokee diaspora spreads to every state. But hoping you could clarify some things. You said Sequoyah was your aunt? Did you mean uncle? The man who invented the syllabary was Sequoyah whose white name was George Gist/Guess. There are still families among the EBCI with the last name Sequoyah. However Sequoyah was born in Tennessee and would later move down to Georgia area. The Cherokee who reside in Swain/Jackson co. are usually from their ancestors who negated the trail and hid in the mountains. This group of Cherokee spoke Kituwah/Middle dialect and come from North Carolina. This of course means they way they spoke was different from that of Sequoyah who would have spoke Overhill/Upper dialect. Now the Cherokee who reside in Graham co. would closely share the same dialect as Sequoyah. But I do not know the connection or relationship between the man who created the syllabary and those who have the last name Sequoyah. I can say through genealogy that Cherokee families like present day, shared the same name without family connections. It is also harder to prove bloodlines because up until the early to mid 19th century Cherokee families did not go by two names. It was not up until census records that Whites began giving families the surnames of the head man of the house.
Peridot Rain I am half Cherokee. My father was Cherokee and Mom was white. My last name is Johnson. Seems that Johnson was a common last name that some Cherokee took.
Peridot Rain: May I inquire as to why this land was taken from them?
I think choosing Johnson as a surname was common. My grandmother was full blooded Iroquois from Canada. She moved down to the US to hide from an abusive husband (4th if I remember correctly). She moved in with her daughter who was passing as white. Lamothe was her married name at that time, as the husband was a Frenchman. She left behind her son, with her sister, because she knew he would search for her until he found his son. He didn't care about finding his daughter as much. Oddly enough I found no further evidence of him ever returning to Quebec or that he ever searched for her. I found cousins in Canada that had a lot of details that I didn't have.
My Granny said she was Cherokee and half pilgrim from Lynn, Arkansas Elizabeth Richmond, Walker, my granny❤❤❤🔥🐺
Beautiful documentary. It's nice to see the village where they lived. No walls, no guns, no powerful rulers. This is true freedom.
They have guns
They have guns remember back in the war, the White settles would give them guns to fight off other tribes.
I like listening to this about the Cherokee tribe, This interesting.
This is amazing. I am a descendant of European (Italian) immigrants to this country, and I am so glad and proud to learn about the indigenous Native Cherokee people who live in this area (I'm in North Carolina, the Piedmont, and I'm an immigrant from NY). Thank you so much.
I’ve got a little bit of Cherokee heritage in me. It’s cool to learn more about it. I wish history had gone a little differently. I think if natives had been able to win the cultural wars we would not be in such an environmental crisis.
I miss my mammaw!!and Pap!!God Bless all we live here together people be humble and kind!!!from Kentucky on the line were 3 states connect in mountains on dead end road and the way some are talking on here we are still at a dead end road.Be Blessed😊
Thank you for sharing this story. The Indian is owed a lot.
I learned some lessons about the Cherokee Nation in the local high school Here in New York . I were told about the Trail of Tears 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢 😢...I can relate to the Trail of Tears.... ❤
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I really enjoyed this video about the Cherokees in snowbird NC. Gingdah
Thank you for a very fine portrayal and true representation of our People! Blessings! A-ho!
Thank God I am Cherokee and of the Paint Clan
Thomas Miller my mother was bird clan. My father is Scandinavian.
@@yonagwy5826 My mother's hungarian, and my dad's half hungarian, half german.
I don't have Native Americans blood. No other native ancestry at all..But I like people who respect the Earth 🌎....
Mahima Abm
I do to - it is a living and supporting life planet.
🌱🔆
The trees are fighting to save our water supply... please plant trees as much as you can.☀️🌳💧💜🦅
I found out that I am a Cherokee Indian
@@marythomas6827 You mean like 3%? lol
@@Threezi04maybe you should stay in your lane? Are you one of the indigenous peoples of Australia, where you live? If not, why would you feel it appropriate to comment on something that is not your concern? Only the tribes have the right to say who or who is not a member of their nations. That is what sovereignty means! And for some Cherokee bands, blood quantum is used, and others not. In any event, no outsider has any right to comment on it.
My half brother shorty lives there. I wished I was close with him but I'm not and it is what it is. Now I'm in Hendersonville at the moment cooking for 53 residents in a facility over ran with covid 19. I miss home.
My great grandfather was put through a native boarding school. He was a man of few words and a serious face all of the time. His mother, my great great grandmother was the same way. Tough as could be. I had the privilege of knowing both of them. They lived to be near 100 years old.
This is an excellent video, and sounds so much like my people out in Hollister Halifax County. Traditional customs and ways of living as an "Indian" is just a "part of you in your heart". No paper needed to identify you with that.
My grandmother on my mom's side of the family,told my father that we come from the Snowbird tribe.
that lady in the blue pants speaking she favors my mother very much. my mother is now in Heaven along with my father. when i seen this lady I thought of my mother. very pretty lady. My mother was also Cherokee, My 4x great grandmother was said to be 3/4ths cherokee. she was written in the Cherokee log books. just amazing.
If you are a direct descendant of a person listed on the Dawes rolls, your path to becoming recognized as a member of the Cherokee Nation is much easier than those who do not know their ancestors names or if they are listed. I encourage you to get your Cherokee CDIB card and be counted. CDIB is an acronym for Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood. We need to be as accurate and complete as possible. Please contact the Cherokee Headquarters in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. You COULD start at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in Washington DC, but that's not as precise as weeding out all the other unnecessary red tape. The information you have is all you need. You'll end up being referred to Tahlequah in the end, anyway. Be counted! Be a participant! Be involved!
Thanks for sharing and taking us along on the historical journey
Very beautiful
May "The Creator"
Always bless us all
We Are One ☝️
🌬🌀❤️
Dennis Lockhart Finally some sense Bless you!🙄
I'm a product of the few surviving from the Trail of White Tears. Cherokee didn't cry even when their family died on trail. They carried their dead as they continued walking. The whites lined the trail crying from the sight they saw.
brandon darrin did your family take their slaves with them?
Although I am of mixed heritage...more than anything else, the Trail of Tears makes me ashamed to be white.
Henny Oldman just STOP! These Beautiful, Caring, civilised, intelligent,people have suffered enough! White peoples DESTROYED EVERYTHING that WAS RIGHTLY THEIRS! White people HAD Absolutely NO Respect or Right to treat these beautiful people the way they did! And YOU will find that white people in my opinion where the instigators of SLAVES!! So! Be Quiet YOU know nothing!!!!
Bernadette Hayes You know I am half White and half Cherokee...What the white man did to the Indians were bad. There are not any white man alive today who took the Cherokee land. I don't hate the white man because I would be hating part of myself and part of my family. If you hate all white man does that mean you hate all of me or just half of me.
@@hennyoldman8068 the slaves that were more prosperous than the poor in the North? Those slaves?
I’ve come to find I’m native and proud.
I would be too. Grew up few miles from Cherokee where Scottish grandparents lived.
I'm not Cherokee I'm Choptank Nanticoke their cousin😊
This is like watching a documentary about myself and my family. This is so cool.
Nice
thank you...my heart hungers for Cherokee
Thank you for this!
I love my people
Came here because I miss my grandmother. She was half Cherokee. What a beautiful heritage
My great great grandparents were survivors of the Trail of Tears and my grandpa’s native but doesn’t live on the reserve and I agree that it’s a beautiful heritage.
Kaitlyn McCary So you are 1/8 Cherokee DNA? Have you taken a DNA test to see the percentage Indian blood? You look white so I assume the 87.5% is European, if you are 1/8. I suggest getting a DNA test...you saw what happened with Elizabeth Warren...you don’t want to be that lol
Tito Torres I want to take one! I’m not trying to claim I’m Cherokee or anything, just wanted to appreciate my grandmothers heritage ❤️
Kaitlyn McCary Of course. But you should get one just to see how much actual Indian blood you have. I suggest 23andme, it’s the best one.
I love Cherokee hymn singing. They use the four point harmony like the Old Chuck Gang. My grandpa use to talk about the Cloud family and how beautiful their singing was.
My mother was Afro American and Indian mix, she resembled An Indian, her maiden name was Snow. From her appearance she had very strong Indian genes. I’m looking forward to seeing her again in the new system.She hard a very hard life, trusting in the resurrection hope when the dead will hear his voice and come out.
This system can’t last much longer so soon my sister soon
Thank you alot to take in
Thanking for teaching - hopefully the past can make a strong foundation of good now and into the tomorrow's.
I clicked on this video not expecting to be brought to tears.
As soon as I heard the singing I knew instantly that was my pastor.
Pastor Bill Drywater passed a couple years back.
It felt so good to hear that voice.
His wife has just recently moved back to North Carolina to be with their daughters husbands family, who were eastern band.
So yeah, were all one people anyways.
Hard times caused confusion. I can't blame my ancestors.
My grandmother in Oklahoma was very into genealogy when I was a child. Nathan Kirkland, Cheesesquire, was my 5th great grandfather. She rooted me in knowing that this is my heritage, despite my pale skin and blonde hair. Despite these physical traits I am proud to be part of the bird clan.
Thank you for sharing this! I'm fascinated by this history! It's a crying shame what was done to our Native American ppl. We could've learned so much rather than seek dominion over their land. Progress isn't moving forward if you forget where you've been, IMHO.
Interesting, informative video. Beautiful people. Thank you.
THANK YOU FOR SHAREING
I love native American culture and customs especially cherokee got no ancestry native American but would love to learn more they have so much wisdom
Almost every day I use some of the Cherokee language of the little bit that I know and this makes me feel so truly American. This is what for a goodly part really makes America great, being able to align myself as one who is mostly of European origin to function in the moment by enjoying the use of an American language, the Cherokee tongue.
It behooves stores that are in towns such as Bryson City, N C , Waynesville, NC , Canton, N C Murphy,N C and Hendersonville, N C to have the general signage there in English and Cherokee. Which would give exposure of the Cherokee language and it's syllabary on behalf of the common public.
Is there any online resource to learn how speak Cherokee?
My grand father is half Cherokee so my mom was a quarter and I and my sister are 1/8th. Wish we knew more of the traditions we came from.
Am from jamaica,am of taino herittage,before i found out,when i was a child,i watched a native american movie ever since i fell in love with them,i make a little bow along with arrows made from stick and nail,i used to chase fowls for their feathers.and it is 7 years ago i found out my father was (indigenous taino)i love all native americans.we are family,
The last of the Mohicans is one of my favorite movies. I've watched it at least 4 times or more!!!
Be your own people . Be Proud Cherrokee!! Shankan Wankan Mapya Hota !!!
My mother who would be 95 this year always told us that her mother was half cherokee indian, born in South Carolina. She died from burst appendicitis when my mother was five, around 1930, in Massachusetts.
My Greatgrandmother was one of the ones who hid and stayed in the East. She later married a Choctaw Chief. My Grandmother was half and half! DNA testing revealed that in the roll of the DNA dice, most of my DNA is American First Nations. I’ve been told that I very much look like my main DNA heritage! At 70 years of age, my hair is still dark, my skin is darker compared to Europeans, and my facial features are just like my Grandmother’s and as stated, she was full blooded Native American…half Cherokee and half Choctaw. Ancestry has verified this bloodline!
I have always felt that pull. My Grandmother taught me a great deal. If you had an ailment, she knew exactly which herb from the forest to get to make you feel better.
She lived to be 107 years old, best that we could tell. I miss her a great deal!
Great video
Mary. You are both, 1 impossible without the other. You have a good heart. I stumbled upon the spiritual belief of my great grandmother.. Today. I practice a hodgepodge of religious beliefs and the creator"a name I had never heard exclusively any god that was who I asked to forgive me for not knowing names or his will. So I just let him guide me. I have sang to deer & birds for hours. I know of this sounds crazy but faith is uniquely the same everywhere u look. I feel that only fuels it's validity. all life is the honorable in my heart, but I'm proud of my survivors. My Cherokee Heritage is honorable. .
Fabulous!
I come from Cochise County Arizona........ We have a ranch near Tombstone we also employ Chiricahua Apache Native Americans as ranch hands..... They are expert horse wranglers they have a way with the horses they call it horse whispering its uncanny the horses do what ever the Chiricahua want them to do......... As well as Horses i have witnessed an Apache snake dance .... They dance and handle live Rattle Snakes...... Again these reptiles are completely under their control The Chricahua live for the land on the land ... not like us white Americans take take if only we could listen but we are deaf They are a proud Nation ...I am proud to say i know them / work with them and share their culture ........ For although what has happened in passed years they can still care for us ..... incredible there is not a thing they wouldn't do for us and us likwise ............ If more people in our Country were as kind thoughtful as Chiricahua it might just be one hell of a better place..... My Great great great parents came from England in the early 1800s.... Crossed America by wagon train along with thousands of other white pioneers Every one contributed some way to make our Country a place where freedom is precious Thank God for America Amen
Edwin Thompson
Our folks used to chew a plant called "rattlesnake master", blow it on their hands, and pick up rattles like they were chihuahuas lol
This woman looks so much like my grandfather's sisters. I often come just to hear her
Bless
Osiyo
Two of my three times great-grandmother's Eastern band Cherokee I'm both North and South Carolina
I have Tsalagi ancestors from both my father and mother. Dad's mom, the only grand parent I knew growing up, told how her own grandmother came from "eastern Tennessee and told stories of coming to eastern KY in a covered wagon". I remember the highway going over the mountains where the tunnels are now (into Harrogate, Tn and its hard to imagine horses crossing them while pulling a wagon load of stuff. Automobiles often over heated trying to cross there.
Is this Dragging Canoes tribal city?
Proud 1% Eastern Band Cherokee... My 5 times great grandfather was from The Smokies. I am so proud and so deeply connected (from an early age) to every Cherokee!! Ayo! 🙏
While being proud I am so upset, I don't connect to my euro side at all..... I'm actually ashamed of them!
Be proud!!! You are Cherokee.
I love you all forever
My family is from Jackson County. I dream of one day returning.
dude, this is cool
Ella Jackson looks VERY physically similar to my grandmother, who had a great grandmother that was full blooded Cherokee in late 1800’s. Wonder if we are related.
Nice to know the history of my great-grandmothers people
magnificient thanks alot
My father and his father ,my Grandfather ,were both born on the reservation. My Grandfather on my mothers side was also born there. My mothers father was Rev. Ronald Holland that was a circuit preacher in that entire area for most of his life!! He was Ronnie Milsap's Godfather and was also named after him I've been told. There is a book for sale on Amazon titled "High Calling The Journey of a Mountain Preacher" that explains it much better than I can.
my grandmother still alive she was born in 1923 in Alabama and she always tell me that my ancestors was crow tribe .
delonzo83 LOL you know tha's a lie. Crows are so far from Alabama. ROFL It is just a family myth that your mother is Crow. Everyone knows by now that every black family had that myth that they were Indian. For some reason blacks sure idolized Indians, that they told lies to their family that they were Indians.
delonzo83 * It's true that many black people are part Native Americans. This was proven by DNA. Their history is always an oral record.
2016stormy meanwhile these mixed caucasian/asian hybrid people are recognized as full blooded native
Aryana Saiter Not true. Most Black Americans do NOT have Native American ancestry, instead it's mostly Caucasian ancestry. We even look more Caucasian than say Black Latinos and Black Carribeans.
Lizzie Beth Actually they are Asian/Caucasian mix. Learn to read because that's what the DNA test say
Many whites even those in places of authority are deceived - not nearly as smart as they think they are. I have repented of pride and all my sins and have come to have a deep respect and love for our Native Americsns. Jesus is our Lord and Savior and He makes all the difference in attitude, behavior and relationship. Fellowship is so precious. Thank you for this valuable documentary. God bless America as we continue to learn truth and change our ways where truth requires.
I recently found out my grandmother father was a snowbird Cherokee he's a rattler I knew her mother line was Cherokee but they where in the painttown area
Never forget who we are brother even if the so-called civilized tribe don't accept us because they were rather accept a whites for financial gain
@@kaleahcollins4567 What are you talking about?
@@kaleahcollins4567 ridiculous...
I am not Cherokee but I believe we are all human beings and we are all synchronized so we are all part of everyone and if you tap into your real true self you will find more love and care from nature and people who cherish the real beliefs in humanity as they truly are with all differences and similarities as long as someone is good and by his and her behaviours brings good into this world should be let free accepted and have all the rights to live according to such freedom and discovery without good foundation that is tradition we won't be able to carry ourselves through this world into the new being of ourselves and another so we need to be open hearted open minded for another discovering new cultures is always an incredible journey for all our senses and mind it can help to heal from unhealthy social script and connect with more powerful healing sources and wisdom thank you for this documentary ! 💚
My great grandfather had several interactions with the Cherokee around 1900 in the Low Gap area of N.C..
I want to visit this again I want to find ones that live in Snow Bird
MorningStar Dick my husband was born and raised in Snowbird.
This was good real good
Never Forget! ☮️
As I was watching, my brother appeared. His name is Fred Bradley and is a Cherokee story teller.
Great documentary! My husbands grandmother that raised him was Cherokee and Blackfoot. She was a Christian woman that always took care of the babies in the church nursery for free. She would give the pay back. If not for her what would my husband have done!? She is his real mother. I met my husband at that church. God bless and keep you guys! 🙏🫶🏻🙂
Many years ago I found out that my great grandfather is Creek, my grandmother never spoke of anything about that part of my family, I have been trying to learn everything I can,, the culture, language, dress, everything I can about Creeks
I'm proud to be. Cherokee
I like to learn more about Cherokee History, and Culture since i found out i am of Cherokee ancestry.
Shkee I am Saw-la-gee and will always will be ❤
Siyu osiwotsu to all Cherokee nations
Does anyone know a good source for information on what plants and trees that the Cherokee made use of for medicine,food and other uses?
Where do you live? Do you want to be put in touch with a medicine man/healer? I'm sure you'd rather not have to travel a long distance if you have a choice. If you have not received replies to your question, it's likely because your comments are not set to receive responses. The only option offered through your account is to REPORT your contribution to the CZcams police if a participant thinks it's necessary.
I honor my ancestors of the Deer Clan, and my eastern relatives; we remember.
Olotele Forge you havnt been native American in 300 years.😒
My people were from the deer clan also
i'm proud to be cherokee
I am sorry for the loss of your Elders. I must say, it saddens me a bit to see my people baptizing themselves to Christianity. So much was taken...but, I am happy if you're happy.
They can still believe in their own spiritual ways ......in truth both ways have the knowledge of a great spirit......
Great spirit nurtures. Yahweh is an energy parasite. A massive one. If you think Christianity speaks to great spirit then you have no clue who great spirit is
You are very wrong - I am of the wolf clan. When the white man came to our land we were already baptizing our children. The Great Spirit walked with us and taught us His ways. This is what we told the white man. We also showed them our drawings of the Great Spirit, His Son and the Fire Spirit. We have known of the 'trinity' from the beginning. I suggest you go back to your elders and perhaps seek council from other clans. Peace be unto you.
N. Joanne Mathis
That's a myth. White folks visited us as early as the 1500's, long before they had began moving in on us. Earlier Europeans taught us about the Bible and that was how we knew those things when the whites began to settle among our folks. European doctrine states that "the first Christians on any land own it".
Dead give-away that we weren't praying to Jesus.
@@Joanne88346 you are 100% right. Keep telling the truth. I'm so glad to read your comment, that you actually know because it's been passed down, from even before God saved a righteous Hebrew family from the 2 ND destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem & made a way for their escape to the Promised Land. & Even now the evil ppl still persecute the Natives because they are the chosen ones, a Royal Priesthood, Sacred Blood. The Scottish & Irish are, too. See how England & the Crown persecuted them & the genocide of them, too. I've always felt in my Spirit I was different than others, & the more I learn about everything, I understand why. Thanks for letting ppl know that The Great Spirit was here & did teach His Gospel & ordances, like baptism by immersion & so more, you are very intelligent!?
Aww my great great great grandma and grandpa whitehead were from there probably related to you guys ❤️❤️
She reminds me of my granny toots, they look a lot alike! 🥰
Have been to Cherokee in NC several times. Last time I went I searched for the hand made moccasins but found out a factory that made them no longer did due to " the gambling casino". I was stunned for a while and was upset but said nothing & we got some head gear..{ and yes am part Cherokee]
Go back. You see too much with your eyes and feel nothing. Learn more before going.
Very interesting.
My mother was born and raised in little Snowbird North Carolina.
🐺
Proud to be African Cherokee and blackfoot native
Siksika, You spoke exactly what I was thinking.
@siksika thanks for the info. I'll check it out.
Wanting to learn of my ancestory of the Cherokee, I'm am half Lakota, Cheyenne River Sioux
this world is twisted that they would protect a fish and not a people?? I live close to old town hiwassee in tn it's absolutely beautiful that's where the warrior path starts on starr mountain and goes to tellico town a great cherokee town but long gone
So Beautiful. The 3 fires the 5 doorways 🙏🌈🌎🌱🐦🐛🦋🌬🌪💦🔥🌎