Native Mountaineers

              From: Zeigler and Grosscup, The Heart of the Alleghanies ( 1883)
From " The Native Mountaineers"
The Eastern Band of Cherokees have title in fee simple to 50,000 acres of land on the
Ocona Lufta and Soco creek, known as the Qualla boundary. A few small tracts
belonging to individual Indians are included. Besides this boundary, there are belonging
to the band and individuals 1,521 acres in detached tracts lying in the counties of
Cherokee, Graham, Jackson, and Swain. According to the census of 1880 there were
living in the Qualla reserve, 825; in Cherokee county, 83; in Graham county, 189 and in
Macon county, 12, making a total of 1,109. This number is ten per cent. less than in 1870
The Graham county Indians live along the head branches of the Cheowah, those in
Cherokee county on Valley river.
The Indians have no towns, nor does their manner of life differ in many particulars
from that of the white people among whom they reside. A stranger, unless he sees the
inmates does not distinguish an Indian cabin from a white man’s, nor, with few
exceptions, an Indian’s little cove farm from one of its class cultivated by a white man.
The valley of Soco is the locality of densest Indian population. The fields, originally of
average fertility, are worn out by bad farming. There is an abundance of fruit— apples,
peaches and plums. The predominant crop is corn, which is reduced to meal by the simple
little mills common to the mountain country. Small herds of ponies are frequently seen by
the wayside. These, and a few cattle, are the main sources of revenue upon which the
people rely for what money they need. Taxes and expenses incident to their government,
including schools is the extent of cash demands made upon them. They manufacture their
own clothing. The primitive dress of the warriors and hunters consisted of deer skin
leggins and moccasins, a highly colored shirt, and a kind of turban ornamented with
feathers. The moccasins alone survive, the dress of an Indian in all other respects being
like that of his white neighbor. The Cherokee women of the present generation are
unattractive. Some of the young children who attend school are clean and neat in person
and dress, which is more than can be said of many of the mothers. The women arc seldom
seen upon the road without burdens, though the men rarely carry anything. The lower
valley of the Soco is barren of scenic interest, yet these metamorphosed representatives of
a primitive population cannot fail to occupy the attention of the tourist. You may be
interested in some of the details of our trip from thc mouth of the Ocona Lufta to Soco
gap.
The loquacious innkeeper at Charleston started us off with a comfortable breakfast and
the information that the distance to Yellow Hill the residence of Chief Smith and
Cherokee seat of government, was about eleven miles, and from there to Waynesville,
through Soco gap, was twenty- five. Two hours’ ride through the sandy, but well
cultivated valley of the Tucka- sege brought us to the Ocona Lufta. From this point the
road follows the general course of the stream, but, avoiding its curves, is at places so far
away that the roar of the rapids sounds like the distant approach of a storm. At places the
road is almost crowded into the river by the stern approach of precipices, and then again
they separate while crossing broad, green, undulat- ing bottoms. Overtaking an old squaw