ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) — Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park hosted its 3rd annual Cherokee Heritage Day on Saturday, where community members spent the day learning all about the region’s local Cherokee history.
Among the day’s activities were basket weaving, Cherokee language lessons, flute music, blowgun weapons, dancing and storytelling.
Indian Creek Productions hosted many activities at the event, and its president Mark Finchum said there’s a rich Cherokee history at Sycamore Shoals Park and its Fort Watauga.
“Our organization is all about education,” Finchum said. “And, of course, the Fort has education as its goal, as well. So we work well together. And I think the public has enjoyed it because there’s nothing like it in this area where the whole focus is on just the Cherokee Nation.”
Finchum told News Channel 11 that the demonstrations like moccasin-making aim to show the public, in a realistic and hands-on way, how people of the Cherokee Nation lived in this area in years past.
“The demonstrators today have included people doing woodcarving beadwork, finger weaving baskets, shell carving wampum, beads, silversmithing,” he said. “So a good variety of moccasin making as well. A lot of good variety of crafts that the Cherokee are known for. Done by experts. By people who really know what they’re doing. By people who’ve had it handed down through the generations.”
More information on Sycamore Shoals State Park and its events can be found on its website.
