Description

Prior to the late nineteenth century, the mountain valleys of western North Carolina were marked by dozens of platform mounds and townhouses built by the Cherokee and their ancestors. These monumental structures are important places on the Cherokee cultural landscape, but many have been damaged by looting, development, and modern agriculture. In this presentation, Dr. Ben Steere talks about how collaborative archaeological and archival research and community outreach have led to a better understanding of these sites, and in some cases, have helped combat erasure and put important Cherokee cultural places back on the map.