Have you ever wondered about where the streets and natural wonders around us get their names? Something like Shining Rock is a gimme (it’s named for the large quartz deposit near its summit), but what might be less obvious is how many names in Asheville come directly from Native American culture.
🌽 Native American history in N.C. by the numbers
- 15: North Carolina’s ranking on the list of states with the largest Native American population.
- 1.56: The percentage of North Carolina’s roughly 10 million residents that identify as Native American.
- 2,013: The number of people living in Cherokee, N.C.
- 30: The number of Native tribes that lived in the North Carolina area pre-European contact. Today, there are seven.
- 1835: The year the federal government forcibly removed the Cherokee from North Carolina on a march that would come to be known as the Trail of Tears.
🌽What are the area tribes?
Glad you asked.
1️⃣ The Catawba tribe
2️⃣ The Cherokee tribe (now the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)
3️⃣ The Creek tribe
4️⃣ The Croatan tribe
5️⃣ The Tuscarora tribe
6️⃣ The Tutelo + Sappony tribes
7️⃣ The Carolina Siouan bands – which included the Cheraw, Chicora + Waccamaw
The Native population has left its mark on many of the places we live and hike in today, especially in the names of various rivers, streams, mountains + landmarks. Each tribe had a strong oral tradition.
While there are different theories on where some of these names really came from, we did our best to hunt down the origin stories. The cultural exchange of language pre- and post-contact is difficult to trace, but it’s fascinating to see how the legacy of the Native Americans lives on in the words that we use every day. And, of course, we can still experience vibrant Native American culture all around the area today.
For example….
Catawba |📍County, river + town
Creek for place of the crown, originally Katawpa
Cullowhee |📍Town in Jackson County
Creek-Cherokee for place of Kulla people or place of the lilies, originally Kulla-yi
Etowah |📍Town in Henderson County
Creek for tribal town, originally Etalwa
Hiawassee |📍 Street downtown
Creek for highlanders, originally Hilwasie, or Cherokee for meadow, originally Awuhah-si
Junaluska |📍Lake
Cherokee for one who tries but fails, originally Tsunu’lahun’ski
Junaluska was a leader of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who fought alongside Andrew Jackson, and saved his life at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend
Nantahala |📍River in the Nantahala National Forest
Creek for people of the river rapids, originally Nantaha-le or Cherokee for land of the noonday sun, originally nan-toh-ee-yah-heh-lih.
Oconaluftee |📍River valley in the Great Smokies National Forest
Creek for Oconee People who were cut off and massacred, originally Okvna-lufte
Saluda |📍City in Polk + Henderson Counties
Creek for Xuale people, originally Suale-te
Swannanoa |📍Town + river in Buncombe County
Creek for Shawnee River, originally Suwani-owa or Cherokee for trail of the Suwali tribe, originally Suwali-nunna
Toxaway |📍Town + lake in Transylvania County
Creek for kitchen shed, originally Tvksewe
Watauga |📍County + river
Arawak-Cherokee for fire people, originally Wata-gi
Yadkin |📍County + river
Siouan for place of big trees, originally Yattkin
🌽 DYK: The Green Corn Ceremony was the largest annual Cherokee celebration. It was to thank the gods for the harvest.
Want to learn more?
🚶Visit: Museum of the Cherokee Indian | 589 Tsali Blvd. | 497-3481 | $12 | An immersive museum dedicated to perpetuating the history, culture + stories of the Cherokee people. Donate to them directly.
🎭 WatchThis: Unto These Hills | Cherokee Mountainside Theatre, 688 Drama Rd., Cherokee | $28+ | This long-running theatrical production debuted in 1950 and tells the story of the Cherokee people from 1780 through today. The 2019 season opens June 1.
🛍️ Shop: Qualla Arts + Crafts Mutual, Inc. | 645 Tsali Blvd. | 497-3103 | Free | Browse authentic Cherokee arts + crafts – like weaponry, beadwork, finger weaving + work in wood and stone.
🌇 Celebrate: 24th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration | Nov. 23, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | North Carolina Museum of History, 5 E. Edenton St., Raleigh | Musicians, dancers, artists, storytellers, and authors from the state’s tribes will gather for this culturally significant annual event.
🚶Visit: Museum of the Southeast American Indian | Old Main Building at UNC Pembroke, 1 University Dr., Pembroke | 910-521-6282 | Free | A multi-faceted museum and resource for scholarly research and community outreach that focuses on tribes from the Southeast.