The Snowbird Cherokees looks at life in the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, particularly in the relatively isolated traditional community of Snowbird, deep in the mountains of western North Carolina. When Cherokees were evicted from their native lands by the United States government in 1838, many of the ancestors of Snowbird managed to flee in advance of the soldiers, returning to their homes after months of hiding in the forests of the Smokey Mountains.

In addition to exploring the daily lives and culture of the Eastern Cherokees, this program delves into the history of the Cherokees, especially since the arrival of European whites in their territory. Descriptions of traditional Cherokee beliefs offer some insight into their worldview and how Cherokees today see their world and their future. Intercutting historical elements with contemporary life in the Eastern Band, this is one of the few programs that focuses on Eastern, rather than Western, Cherokees.

French and Indian War, Part 1 | History In A Nutshell
Episode 1

Video

Although the French and Indian War began officially in 1756, rising tension and engagements between British and French colonists happened years prior. With the English, French, and Native Americans...
Andrew Pickens
Episode 2

Audio

Dr. Rod Andrew, Jr. discusses the Pickens family’s early history, their Scots-Irish roots, and their transition from Northern Ireland to settling in the back country of colonial South Carolina. Dr...
Andrew Pickens
Episode 5

Audio

Attacks by the Cherokee still occurred in 1776, in backcountry S.C. It was during the Cherokee Campaigns where Andrew Pickens earned his reputation as an Indian fighter. The Catawba Indians allied...
Andrew Pickens
Episode 7

Audio

After the Revolutionary War, Pickens becomes known as the premiere negotiator with Native American Indians. Pickens, who originally established a reputation as an Indian fighter, emerges as a peace...
Constelena Kelly | Blythewood History
Episode 2

Video

Constelena Kelly's great-great grandfather, a Caucasian man, was married to a Cherokee Native American who lived on the reservation. A time came when she was not allowed to live anywhere but on the...
Attakulla Kulla | South Carolina Public Radio

Audio

"A" is for Attakulla Kulla. Cherokee Leader. Diplomat. Attakull Kulla, also known as Little Carpenter was an influential leader of the Cherokees in the midd-1700s. As a diplomat, he worked to advance...