Native Americans

The Cherokee people have lived in the lands that now comprise the park for more than 1,000 years. Their nation once stretched across much of the southeastern U.S., and the Cherokee had perhaps the most highly organized community structure among the tribes of North America, with permanent towns, substantial farmlands, and an intricate network of connecting trails. Despite their advanced state of civilization and a willingness to adapt to European ways, conflicts arose between the tribe and white settlers in the region, and in 1838 most of the Cherokee Nation was forced to relocate to Oklahoma and Arkansas. More than 4,000 people died on the journey, known as the Trail of Tears. Some Cherokee managed to avoid relocation, however, and today about 11,000 of their ancestors live on a reservation near the park.