29 July 2013
Approximately two hours from Roaring Springs State Park in
Missouri you will find the Cherokee National Museum and George Murrell Home in
Tahlequah, Oklahoma. On this occasion we found out that the George Murrell home
was closed, but about .8 miles down the road is the Cherokee National Museum
which houses an exhibit of the Trail of Tears, a re-make of a Cherokee Village
after they settled in OK and a re-constructed village of native life in their
ancestral home in the early 1700's.
One of the biggest
surprises for me is when we went to pay our admission fee, the attendant saw
that I was wearing my Operation Iraqi Freedom hat and she asked me if I was a
veteran. Of course I said yes and she handed us a ticket for free admission. This has happened to us a number of times in
our travels at some sites but nothing with the frequency it happens when we
visit sites involving Native American. Every time we visit these site we always
receive a substantial discount or admitted for free. This is due the respect that Native Americans have for those
who defend their homeland.
After we received our
tickets we proceed to the re-constructed Cherokee Village where we were met by
a young man who was well versed in his culture in the old and modern ways of his
people. We spend two hours with him walking around the village to various sites
learning about his culture. We saw a demonstration on how to make arrow points and bows and
pottery.
One on the highlights
of this tour was when the young man took us into the winter lodge enlighten us
about the various clans within the Cherokee Tribe and their importance to the
Cherokee Nation. He then proceed to sing a few songs in his native language.
This young man, at least in my mind and heart, was an inspiration to me in that he is walking in two worlds,
the modern and his true world on his heart and people and it was good to know
the ways of his people have not been forgotten.
After this tour we
toured the museum which is very enlightening as well. There are a number of
exhibits which you can listen to in both the Cherokee language or in English, I
listen to these exhibits in Cherokee, but there is an English translation to
follow along as well. The most moving exhibit for me was the life like statues
of men, women and children as they might have been seen as they walked the
Trail of Tears. There statues seemed
life like to me and the stories you listen to are first and second hand
accounts of their trials and tribulations. The entire time I was reading and
listening to these accounts of a noble people I had one thought on my mind.
Their story was a very familiar one to me and I could not get the thought out
of my head of Nazi Concentration Camps of World War Two.
If you are
interested in Native American culture a visit to this site is a must.
Circa 1710 re-constructed Cherokee Village
Our Native Guide
Native making arrow points
Our Native Guide
Native making arrow points
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