HISTORY OF THE CHEROKEE OF SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA
Southwestern Virginia was one of the original homes of the great Cherokee of pre-colonial times, the history of the Cherokees in southwestern Virginia is long and colorful according to treaties with our government,with many in our tribe as Cherokee descendants having family history showing where their ancestors lived in Southwestern Virginia during the many wars among the many tribes who existed in Southwestern Virginia and had to flee from the infamous Trail of Tears or other acts of coercion and presecution initiated by the United States government.
The Cherokee owned all of Southwestern Virginia at one time ( 1/5 of the present state)
See Royce's map of the Cherokee Nation.
This land was sold through a series of treaties which Virginia has forgotten.
The Smithsonian and the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma still have a lot of these early records. (We are slowly retreving some of them from our Cherokee members in Oklahoma.)
The Cherokee hunted in this area,raided their enemies during the different wars, and visited different forts and trading sites. They owned the land and it had to be purchased from them.
All of this is documented, but is never written about in the history books. The colony and later the state of Virginia tried to forget about its Indian past. It was state policy. No knowledge of the subject meant no obligation to treaties and living descendants.
The Cherokee Indians claimed most of the land in southwest Virginia during the 1700's.
This territory was from the top of the Blue Ridge(Blew Ledge) and included Vesta,Meadows
of Dan,and Tuggles Gap. In the Treaty with the Cherokee at Hard Labor,SC in October,1768,
the British government purchased most of the tribal holdings east of the New River in southwest Virginia including Vesta,Meadows of Dan, and Tuggles Gap.
The Cherokee sold this area due to white squatters moving in, When the Cherokee were here
in Patrick County, this area was their hunting grounds. They would hunt in the Spring,Summer, and Fall and return to Cherokee in the Winter.
There are many people who live in Patrick County who are the descendants of these mighty Cherokee who roamed this area of Virginia.
We are in the process of writing the first book on our Cherokee people who resided and still do reside in the Southewestern part of Virginia. We will show through treaties with the United States and with England that our people did and do live in this area and were recognized by our government and the Cherokee government that this regeon did belong to the Cherokee until the purchase of this part of Virginia known as Southwestern Virginia in the 1700's.
The book will show actual copies of the original treaties with the US government and with England that we have in our possession.
It will also show where the Cherokee people from this part of Virginia were taken on the Trail of Tears along with otherNative American people from other states to Oklahoma to live. It will show where many of our people went half way on the forced march then ran away and came back to this area.
MORE TO COME:
