Course Description
A field study of the native plants of the Cherokee landscape and their historical and contemporary uses. The Cherokee landscape describes the region consisting of the eastern Cherokee Homeland, the route westward along the Trail of Tears, and the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
In addition to the course notebook, sketchbook, drawings,
watercolors, graduate students will complete an additional
report on a specific site from the journey and participate in
an exhibit of the journey, events/locations.
Athena Title
PLNT COMM CHEROKEE
Non-Traditional Format
This a 3-week intensive field study travel course that would meet at least 5 contact hours a day.
Undergraduate Prerequisite
LAND 4360
Graduate Prerequisite
LAND 6320
Semester Course Offered
Offered summer semester every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Knowledge and Skills: To develop an understanding of the traditional uses of native plants by the Cherokees. To develop an understanding of the natural habitat of specific native plant communities. To develop methods of observation including, quantitative analysis, sketching and journaling. Values: To develop a sense of the traditional Native American relationship with the land. To develop a sense of the cultural consequences of Indian Removal. To develop a sense of societies role in past and future events, and in the relationship between people and the land.
Topical Outline
1. Week 1 1.1. Topics covered 1.1.1. Cherokee History – pre-Removal 1.1.2. Cherokee Myths & Legends 1.1.3. Southern Appalachian Natural History 1.1.4. Southern Appalachian Plant Communities 1.1.5. Cherokee Ethnobotany 1.2. Places visited 1.2.1. Cherokee, NC – Eastern Band of Cherokees Qualla Boundary (reservation) 1.2.2. Great Smoky Mountains National Park 1.2.3. Mingo Falls – significant natural landscape 1.2.4. Kituwha Mound – sacred landscape 1.2.5. Oconaluftee Village – interpretive Cherokee village reconstruction 1.2.6. Museum of the Cherokee Indian 1.3. Guest lectures and tours 1.3.1. David Cozzo – Director, Revitalization of Cherokee Artisan Resources 1.3.2. Davey Arch – Cherokee storyteller and artist 2. Week 2 2.1. Topics covered 2.1.1. Cherokee History – Trail of Tears era 2.1.2. Cherokee Myths & Legends continued 2.1.3. Trail of Tears route Natural History – Chattanooga, TN to Tahlequah, OK 2.1.3.1. Changing ecoregions and Plant Communities 2.1.3.2. Human response to changing landscapes – physical and emotional 2.1.4. Cherokee Ethnobotany continued 2.2. Places visited 2.2.1. Vogel State Park, GA 2.2.2. Blood Mountain, GA 2.2.3. Sosbee Cove, GA 2.2.4. New Echota State Historic Site, GA 2.2.5. Red Clay State Historic Site, TN 2.2.6. Fall Creek Falls State Park, TN 2.2.7. Trail of Tears Memorial Park, KY 2.2.8. Trail segments in Pope County, IL 2.2.9. Cache River Wetlands Center, IL 2.3. Guest lectures and tours 2.3.1. Jace Weaver, Director, UGA Institute of Native American Studies 2.3.2. Erin Medley – Ranger, Red Clay SHP 2.3.3. Stuart Carrol – Ranger, Fall Creek Falls SP 2.3.4. Mike Brown – Ranger, USFWS Cache River 2.3.5. Joe Crabb – Historian, Pope County, IL 2.3.6. Tony Gerrard – Historian, Pope County, IL 3. Week 3 3.1. Topics covered 3.1.1. Cherokee History – post-removal era 3.1.2. Cherokee Myths & Legends continued 3.1.3. Ozark and Great Plains Natural History – Cherokee Nation (Tahlequah, OK) 3.1.4. Cherokee adaptation to the landscape of the West 3.1.5. Cherokee Ethnobotany continued 3.1.6. Contemporary Cherokee arts and natural resources policy 3.1.7. Preservation of traditional knowledge through education and outreach 3.2. Places visited 3.2.1. Roaring River State Park, MO 3.2.2. JT Nickel Preserve (Nature Conservancy) – Tahlequah, OK 3.2.3. Tahlequah, OK – capitol of the Cherokee Nation 3.2.4. Cherokee Heritage Center - OK 3.2.5. Murrell Home Historic Site - OK 3.2.6. Cherokee Landing State Park – OK 3.2.7. Cherokee Nation Government Complex – OK 3.2.8. Northeastern State University – OK 3.2.9. Cherokee Native Arts and Plants Society (CNAPS) complex – OK 3.3. Guest Lectures and Tours 3.3.1. Chad Smith - Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation 3.3.2. Carey Tilley – Cherokee Heritage Center 3.3.3. Tommy Wildcat – CHC Village Director and Cherokee Musician 3.3.4. Scotty Ennis – Cherokee storyteller 3.3.5. Heather Williams – Senior Project Manager, Cherokee Nation Enterprises 3.3.6. Jane Osti – Cherokee National Treasure, potter 3.3.7. Roger Cain – Cherokee National Treasure, artist 3.3.8. Jane Osti – Cherokee National Treasure, basketry artist 3.3.9. Dorothy Lee Ice – Cherokee National Treasure 3.3.10. Jeremy Tubbs - Preserve Director, JT Nickel Preserve 3.3.11. Chris Walls - Land Steward, JT Nickel Preserve 3.3.12. Dana Espinal - Director, Cherokee Nation Planning and Development