Oconaluftee Indian Village — Attraction in Yellowhill Community

This is one of those "been there, done that"-type of attractions. If you're looking to learn about the Cherokee, visit the Museum of the Cherokee. This place is overpriced for what they have to offer, but I was nevertheless happy to pay the $19 (each) admission fee to help keep them in business; that said, I hope that the employees are getting a fair wage for their (undoubtedly boring) efforts. I was last here 60 years earlier, as a young boy, and I was unimpressed even then (albeit for different reasons). Then, the Cherokee natives [I assumed] giving the description of each exhibit/site and artistic activity were seemingly authentic and obviously knew what they were talking about. Our group's guide was clearly reciting a rather-poorly-memorized talking script, and had to be corrected (in a clear Southern drawl) by the "artists" who were supposedly to mostly remain silent during the "talk." The site seems to be not so well-maintained (not surprising), and many things were in an obvious state of disrepair (that could have easily been fixed). Be sure to watch out where you park if you come in late September or early October, as the acorns falling from the very tall oak trees WILL leave dents in your vehicle or break windshields. We saw one in our group get hit on the forearm by a falling acorn, with the result of a minor, but nonetheless blood-gushing laceration on her forearm. Others were hit on their head (including several bald ones) with very painful, if not similar, results. So be sure to bring a hat. If your eyes are sensitive to wood smoke, also be careful, as there are about a half-dozen wood fires around the pathway you will need to stroll. It's barely suitable for powered wheelchairs or motorized personal transports, and some areas are, no doubt, inaccessible thereto. Children will be interested in some of the exhibit sites, but too many things are in the category of "don't touch" so the youngest or those whose behavior cannot be well controlled will be reprimanded. Some of the very old artifacts on exhibit are delicate and obviously precious, so be warned (you can't handle them, either). It will take as much as an hour at the slow pace the groups obviously have to take. But you can walk ahead and join another group, or lay back and get the next one; we did that because our native guide was, in our opinion, completely unsuitable for public talking. We did find one that was actually competent and knowledgeable, who could answer even the most tactless and ignorant questions from folks, but the portion of the sites where the guide actually him/herself talks is only a subset of what there is to see. Finding the place (it's not obvious where you have to drive to get to it), getting there, parking somewhere safe, getting your tickets, waiting for a large enough group to accumulate, and then waiting for the group ahead of you to move on along far enough that your group can even start, and then walking (and standing) around for up to an hour, all will take as much as 2 to 2.5 hours, so be prepared to be underwhelmed for what must surely be less than a handful of interesting things to see (and learn). Avoid it if possible (go to the Museum instead, which itself is underwhelming if you have any knowledge whatsoever of what happened to the...

my wife and i visited the Indian Village on Saturday and had a fantastic time! we followed around one of the tribesmen who took us along to different stations explaining how different things were made and gathered.

we saw a beadmaking and weaving station that showed several different ways of making sashes and belts and other beaded garmets and jewelry while a lady sat actually making and weaving an item. extremely fascinating to watch the way she cared for each strand and placed it perfectly within the weave.

we also stopped by a pottery station where we saw several different types of clay pots and vesels, as well as carved utensils from bone and horns.

at the weapons station, we learned how different types of arrows and arrowheads were made, and got a demonstration from another tribesmen as he used a rock to carve out an arrowhead right before our very eyes! this station also featured bows, skullcrusher mallets, and an attaladdle used for throwing spears.

we also attended a talk up on the hill where they call "the square" which is literally a sandy square surrounded by bleacher style seating. here one of the younger tribesmen talked about the 7 different clans within the Cherokee Nation, their respective roles within the tribe, their structure, and demonstrated a drum and dance with turtle shell shakers for us as well.

lastly, we stopped by the Council House and heard a lady talk about the tribe structure and how the heads of the clans met together to discuss issues. she talked about the peach chief and the war chief, and how they interacted. on display were several ceremonial garmets that were worn by different people during the council meetings. extremely informative talk.

overall we had a great time seeing the different artifacts, houses, and learned a lot about the Cherokee Nation. would love to go back...

Drove from Indiana simply for the village with the expectation to learn more about my own heritage. I will not return! Arrived at the village and waited for dance demonstration to begin. Stepped into the concessions area and was hopeful as I saw many elders eating, assuming it was break time. Went to the area in which the dance demonstration would be. This is where I became disgusted. Young man running lead on the tribal dances was wonderful. His voice was wonderful, he was respectful and professional. The dancers were not. As dances began, these young men and women were cutting up, tapping spectators with a stick, harrassing the young man attempting to lead the dances and just being disrespectful and mocking their own culture. It looked like a 5th grade play. It was uncomfortable to watch and quite frankly made me angry. We then went on the guided tour of the village. Our tour guide flew through her obviously written nd over rehursed bits at each of the areas of the village..maybe a 1-2 min blurb speaking so quickly I may catch 1-2 sentences of content. We got to the end of the village and she said "wait right here, I need to find out what they want you to do". She acted like she had no idea where we needed to go..we waiting 5 or so min then we're directed to the next area. I was so angry we just left. $25 a piece, which I don't mind paying to learn and observe demonstrations of cherokee culture, but $50 for my husband and I and an 8 hr drive for me to watch a bunch of young adults disrespect and mock cherokee herritage/culture.......no thank you..we won't be back. I truly whish my experience...