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Living History in
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Cherokee, NC: On May 15, the gates opened for the 48th season of Cherokee's Oconaluftee Indian Village, welcoming visitors and groups from around the world. The Village presents a living depiction of daily activities in a typical eighteenth century Cherokee community, featuring demonstrations of native crafts, food preparation, hunting, governance, and spiritual life by enrolled members of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee.
The Oconaluftee Indian Village is a unique living monument to the Native American experience. The Oconaluftee Indian Village has often been compared to Colonial Willamsburg for its ability to communicate so effectively the feel of life in the historical past. History truly comes alive for visitors to Oconaluftee and Willamsburg in a way that museums can never equal.
The Village is fully staffed with guides and craftspeople who dress, work and dance in the traditional ways passed down from generation to generation. Set in a lush and peaceful forest in part of what has emerged as the cultural and historical center of Cherokee, the Village is a recreation of centuries-old native architecture, showcasing the dwellings and community structures of the period between 1750 and 1780. The Village isolated physically and thematically from modern life, which allows visitors to feel as though they've stepped back in time to a place an people whose very existence depended upon their knowledge and stewardship of the land, animals, and plants surrounding them.
Botanical Gardens
Adjacent to Oconaluftee Indian Village is the Botanical Garden, with trails winding up the mountainside. along the trails, visitors can see clearly labeled native trees and vegetation mentioned in craft, building, and cooking demonstrations in the Village.
A self guided tour of the Botanical Garden is included as part of admission to the Village. From mid-June to August, visitors can also purchase a discount Historical Cherokee Valu-Ticket for the Village, the outdoor drama "Unto These Hills," and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.
Open May 15 to October 25,. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., including Sundays. Call the Cherokee Historical Association at 828/497-2315, email cheratt@dnet.com, or visit www.oconalufteevillage.com
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Copyright 2000, Blue Ridge Digest Publishing Company
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