Life Among the Cherokees
Some interesting remiiiiseoiiees by Mrs.
Ku.ssell II. Holt of her experienees at the
Indian reservation where» she lived from
1907 until 1926.
Cranfills Gap. Texas,
December 3. 1949.
Mr. Carl Goerch,
The State.
Raleigh. N. C.
Dear Mr. Goerch:
We are one of the Carolinians in
Texas, and have been reading The
State and especially enjoyed the
articles on "Western North Caro¬
lina." We lived on the Government
Indian School grounds at Cherokee
for many years, and know all the
roads and places mentioned in the
articles.
I came to Cherokee in 1907 as
a bride of two weeks. We were
met at Whittier by a two-horse
wagon with Uncle Dave Owl driv¬
ing as the school surrey was out
of repair. The road over and around
the mountain from Whittier to
Cherokee was the roughest I had
ever seen. At one place a large rock
caused the team to slide so I
thought we were surely gone, but
they caught a fresh foothcld and
on we went. At times the driver
was working the handbrake to
keep the wagon from running away
and slipping on the sideling road
going down a steep slope. I had
lx.*en as far as Asheville, but this
was beyond anything 1 had ever
dreamed of experiencing. Finally
we came in sight of the school, and
my husband, Dr. Holt, began to
point out our home and othc>
buildings. What a relief to be at
our journey’s end!
We entered the cottage at the
back door, and my first inside view
was the kitchen, where I was to
spend many happy hours. It was
not modern like the one I have
now. The house was a log cabin
that had been weatherboarded out¬
side and ceiled inside, with bed¬
room in the attic and a small hall
for the stairway. The kitchen was
a lean-to the length of the house.
It really was cozy and comfortable,
and we had the promise of a larger
home sometime.
In a few days the Indians
brought their children to school,
and I interested myself in watch¬
ing the Indian fathers, dressed in
bright-colored shirts and jeans, sit¬
ting in the shade of the large oaks
and pulling out the hairs of their
beard: hence, they needed no shav¬
ing. Some of the women came to
call on the Doctor's new wife and
sell their wares. I still have the
first piece of pottery that I bought
from a Catawba woman married
to a Cherokee. Cherokees learned
pottery-making from this woman.
Cherokees are basket makers.
They use oak splints and cane;
dying the cane with root dyes and
the oak with Diamond dye. The
root dyes do not fade easily. The
basket will wash and may be re¬
shaped to dry. I have one that I
bought in 1907. and it is still nice
and bright.
I.orenzo Daw Swnncy, Cherokee
player in the Indian games on the
reservation. This picture was
taken by Mrs. Holt in 1907.
In those days only a few Indians
were married by law. When the
man wanted his girl, he paid her
father in goods, such as a shawl
or the like. They built a home and
lived there. If one tired, he or she
just walked ofT. found another mate
and started all over again.
I remember one father walking
along the road, carrying his baby
and a bucket of milk. The mother
had slipped off one night while
he was sleeping, and he was left
with the baby. All this was cor¬
rected when someone reported it
Then a law was passed that a
white person could not marry a
person that was as much as one
fourth Indian. Some of the white
men would marry Indian women
to get free medical service, and
have their children in boarding
school. The government takes care
of them during the school year.
The Indian ball game was one
of the highlights of their lives. As
they were playing across the
Oconalufty River from the school.
I went with my husband to the
games. It was necessary for him
to be there, as often someone
needed medical aid. The game is
similar to our football, only they
use a woven bat to carry the small
ball and must not touch it with
their hands. Sometimes they throw
it in their mouth, and run to the
goal. The goal is two living small
trees set about six feet apart. Be¬
fore the game starts the opposing
teams give the war whoop from
opposite directions. They have a
whipper instead of an umpire who
helps to keep down the fighting,
and it is indeed a very rough game.
There was a gambling feature in
which both sides make equal do¬
nations of goods. These goods were
given to the winning side. Guns
were fired during the game to
cheer the players. After the game,
a big feast was held for the play¬
ers. The Indians were transported
across the river in boats that day.
Uncle Dave did the rowing.
Cherokees have had some ad¬
vantages in religious training that
other Indians did not have, and
(Confirmed on page 20)
io
THE STATE. DECCMOCR 24. 1949
