April 1, 2014 continued.
“There is a
quiet peace in this mountains. It lures
you in with the whisper of the wind and dances with a subtle flicker of the
sun. The trees are firmly rooted as time
changes, able to bend in storms. The
leaves lie naked in vulnerability in hiding from the winter chill, only to
burst forth in spring color, a reminder life persists against the depths of
frozen death, test and resolved and resilient.
So that when the seasons of Spring and Summer enter the precipice of
winter’s breath, they do not shy away from the struggles ahead, instead the
full beauty of wonder of the forest sings in an explosion of color, golden as
kings of the mountain, tears of joys they shout in color when the crisp golden
orange leaves start to fall. I find my
life in the quiet peace of the forest.
It is not a startling revelation, but a slow climb up the back of a
mountain to a vista I could have never imagined in my wildest dreams.”
I wrote the passage
above describes the subtle and deep wonder of the Oconaluftee region of The
Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
With each footstep on the compact dirt ground the past rumbles. This land was created by conflict in geologic
forces, upheaval in motion, only in that chaos could such mastery be formed,
soft and sweet as spring emerging from the cloak of snow. The song of the Cherokee, their language and
legends is connected with this land. The
connect runs so deep that each Cherokee story and word comes from the mountains
and the clear waters of the Oconaluftee River, while the energy of the Cherokee
civilization remains alive in these hills, as stewards of the land.
The town of Cherokee North Carolina is located at
the southern terminus of the Newfound Gap Road.
Set against the backdrop of tall ambling forests and the peaks of the
Smokies, Cherokee is the perfect spot to soak one’s senses in the lore of this
ancient land and commune with the history and mystery of the mountains. Located on the Cherokee Reservation, within
the Qualla Boundary, it continues to be the ancestral land and center of the
Eastern Band of the Cherokee Tribe. The town boasts a thriving arts and
cultural scene define by the diverse culture of a tribe older than millennium.
I prefer Cherokee as a base to Gatlinburg because
it still reflects the heart of the land.
Cherokee is a town built in the mountains, echoing the mists of the
mountains. It is not elegant or refined,
rather homey and inviting. It exudes a
calm peace and forgotten tranquility without losing modern convenience. Cherokee is laid back and sophisticated. It has a nice balance of touristy and the
heart and soul of the mountains. It has
numerous hotels and bed and breakfasts, homegrown restaurants and Cherokee art
galleries. Cherokee has keep the
personality and character of the tribe’s culture imbued into the city
streets. The Cherokee language paired
side by side with English. The Cherokee
have an excellent museum working to educate others on their outstanding culture
and history. In the summer months,
travelers can enjoy top notch drama in ‘Unto These Hills,’ an award-winning
theatrical production telling the story of the Cherokee, including their tragic
persecution in the Trail of Tears.
I am fascinated
by Native American culture. The Cherokee
are the song of the Smokies, a great civilization cut down by the nefarious
aims of strangers driven by selfish aims.
For 1000 years the Cherokee lived in the Smokies. It is the Cherokee who bestowed the name: ‘Shaconage,’
translated as ‘The land of the blue smoke.’
The Cherokee cared and tended these hills as a holy place. The corrupt spirit of man may fail, but the
healing powers of the Oconaluftee and the Blue Smoke of the mountains had the
spirit of hope and healing. The blue
smoke rising, the forest’s shade and winding backs of uprooted trails and
weeping waterfalls and roaring rivers provides timeless inspiration. It is a place of quiet peace even when the
ominous storms gather, the rain falls as nourishment for the hills…The Cherokee
have faced insurmountable odds driven by prejudices and hate, yet their
persevering song and traditions are a reminder of the power of healing and
forgiveness, hope in despair and fighting for social justice in all times. I only have admiration with the tribe. I eagerly continue to learn and grow in
knowledge of their history, lore, culture, art and civilization. It is woven into the tapestry of the Smokies
as much as the trees and rivers themselves.
The Cherokee have lived on this land for
generation after generation and to step humbly into their sacred land is a
gift. I only had hospitality from the
locals and look forward to returning and continuing to blog about Cherokee and
their cultural history.
Famished after
traversing mountains, my mom and I decided to stop at Wendy’s for a late lunch,
after which we returned to the Oconaluftee Visitor’s Center (Smokies) to load
up on hiking information, human and geologic history of the region and
sightseeing tips.
The Oconaluftee
Visitor Center is beautifully sited in a ‘cove,’ a dell in the midst of
rambling rock fortresses and the Oconaluftee River rushing in the near
distance. The center is completely LEED
certified and has a plethora of exhibits.
The Ranger
suggested that we take time to explore the Mountain Farm Museum on site before
ambling along the Oconaluftee River Trail.
The Mountain
Farm Museum is a collection of historic log buildings gathered from throughout
the Smoky Mountains. The edifices
narrate the story of nineteenth century life in the land of the blue
smoke. Intrepid pioneers settled in the
Smokies of Tennessee and North Carolina in the 1800s, building agriculture
communities…these communities were actually highly sophisticated given the
remote and harsh life one endured in the mountains. It took fortitude and a hardy belligerence to
let roots grow deep in these hills. In
every plank of wood and nail, there is a story, in every cinder box a conflict
and a peace. Closing my eyes and
breathing in the mountain air as I step into the antiquated log structures, I
sense the past and the more you search the past you find how relevant it is to
the present – from neighborly feuds, camaraderie, the rosined bow of fiddle and
the toil, sweat and tears in agriculture, battling frost and disease, death and
resurrection the human and natural element ties us together into universal
truths and lessons, lessons about preserving the land and the costs of
mismanaging the natural treasure of the mountains (logging…deforestation, over
grazing…
~
The Oconaluftee
River Trail offers a glimpse into the living legends of the Cherokee, a
riparian ecosystem and mixed forest topography.
It is one of the easiest trails in the park in terms of elevation gain
and grade, but it continues to be one of my favorites. The Oconaluftee Trail embodies the quiet
peace and glorious restlessness of the mountains and coves. With each step you are on a journey, a
journey that engages the soul to pause and the mind to contemplate, while
inviting hikers to pause, staring at the river rapids, allowing the beat of a
haunting wind whisper the legends of the Cherokee, who carved their culture,
inspired in creation by this resilient land.
Along the 2 mile (4 mile round trip) dirt path are signs bringing to
life Cherokee lore.
Oconaluftee
comes from the Cherokee word, ‘Egwanulti,’ which means by the river. The
Cherokee consider the Oconaluftee River to be a sacred place. The ritual of ‘Going to the River,’ stepping
waist high into the paradoxically roaring and calm waters of this the flowing
water is said to cleanse a spirit and heal a body’s wounds. Every day the Cherokee would ‘Go to the
River,’ as a sign of repentance and reflection.
In Cherokee tradition the river is known as ‘The Long Man,’ as it
stretches out long and narrow, other times wide and flooding over its banks
tempestuously. Standing on the banks of
the Oconaluftee there is a sense of the river as a metaphorical spirit. It is a life force that feeds vegetation,
nourishes crops and quenches the thirst of man.
It supplies trout for both bear and man.
It is the wading waters of wildlife.
It the mountains are the heart of the ecosystem, the trees are the
oxygen and the rivers arteries and veins – a sustaining force.
The Oconaluftee Trail meanders through a dense
forest of eastern hemlock, yellow buckeye, eastern sycamore, flowering dogwood
and tulip trees. One thing that has
astounded me about the Smokies is the diversity of trees, and the expanse of
deciduous trees. Right now the deciduous
trees, recovering from the harshest winter in twenty years, remain asleep,
barren and seemingly lifeless. On my next trip to the Smokies this same forest
will be alive with a spectrum of color from hues of green to the wildflower
violets and vibrant yellows. Over forty
species of wildflowers grown on the banks of the Oconaluftee River.
The highlight of this trail are the interpretative
signs detailing the myths of the Cherokee, their cultural history and flare for
storytelling. Their stories are inspired
by their love of this ancient land, a land of lore that they are intrinsically
tied to in body and spirit. The Cherokee
like many other Native Americans were monotheistic, believing in one Creator
God, The Great Spirit who was all powerful and good. They knew of the battle of good and evil and
that good in the end is more powerful, yet there is an eternal tug of war in
this world. They belief everything in
the earth has a spirit, a life within it, from the trees and forests, to the
muddy and hard ground, the rivers and streams, animals and wildflowers. They revere the land because it is given by
the Great Spirit. I think this is akin
to the Christian and Jewish traditions and we can learn a lot about selflessness
and respect of the land from the Cherokee’s reverence for the Great Spirit,
God, the Creator and his glorious creation in the world around us.
The Cherokee Creation Story: The Buzzard
When the earth was formed at the beginning of this
distant time, the world was covered in water and all the creatures of lived in
the sky in constant flight. On land one
dreams to soar to the clouds, still the birds and sky creatures need a
foundation to rest.
The creatures of the sky were curious about what
lay underneath the expanse of water, deep and hidden. So one day Dayuni’si, a small, yet intrepid
water beetle volunteered to explore the depths of the water. Skimming across the surface he found no solid
ground, however when he dived down he found mud and the foundation of the
earth. In time the ground expanded,
spreading out from the water and to the ends of the earth. After all this occurred, one of the animals
attached this new land to the sky with four strings. Just after the Earth was formed it was flat
and soft. The sky animals decided to
send a bird down to see if it had dried.
They send the great Buzzard from Galun’lati to prepare the earth for
habitation. The buzzard flew down and by
the time he reached the Cherokee land he was so fatigued that his winds began
to hit the ground. Where the wings crashed to the ground, there a mountain or
valley formed. The mountains of the
Smokies still resemble an ocean, a blue mist expanse of mountains and valleys –
all carved by the wings of a weary and magnificent bird. The land was lit by
the sun and moon and the stars and it remains the land of the Cherokee and
creatures of the forest.
Other stories along the trail included the tale of
Utkena, the giant serpent and the battle for her magical rock, as well as the
creation story of evergreens and the ‘sleeping’ deciduous trees
The
interpretative signs along the trail – The Buzzard/Creation/Utkena.
As we were
returning to the visitor center my mom and I spotted four cow elk wading on the
banks of the river, shrouded in the shade of evergreens. Elk are very common in Yellowstone and
Montana, still this viewing is a special treat.
Elk, like bison, wolves and cougars once called this land home. Elk measured in the thousands to millions
only to be depleted by hunters and obliterated like bison from the Appalachian
Mountains. In 2001, Great Smoky National
Park began a reintroduction program of elk into the park. In the past thirteen years their numbers have
grown with a healthy population around 160 elk.
To gaze upon these elegant and massive creatures in their historical
range, thriving, is a joy as a conservationist.
Driving home
the sun began to set as a firestorm of color before dipping below the
mountains, leaving an aura of twilight.
In the interlude of dusk, several wild turkeys crossed the road. We paused once again at Newfound Gap, the
panorama a soft and alluring glow of warm reds and burnt oranges in the mists
of the mountain fog. Darkness revealing
lonely stars twinkling as beacons in the night.
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