3 tribes to hold historic gathering at Red Clay State Historic Park

Jamie Pheasant performs a modern variation of a traditional pow-wow dance for a crowd at the Cherokee Heritage Festival at Red Clay State Park in Cleveland, Tenn., in this Aug. 2, 2014, file photo.
Jamie Pheasant performs a modern variation of a traditional pow-wow dance for a crowd at the Cherokee Heritage Festival at Red Clay State Park in Cleveland, Tenn., in this Aug. 2, 2014, file photo.

RED CLAY, Tenn. - For the first time since the Cherokee Removal in 1838, the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes will hold a joint council meeting at Red Clay State Historic Park.

The gathering of the Cherokee Nation, Eastern Band of Cherokee and the United Keetoowah Band on Aug. 28-29 also marks the 177th anniversary of the first overland detachment that departed on the Trail of Tears, according to a park news release.

photo Jamie Pheasant performs a modern variation of a traditional pow-wow dance for a crowd at the Cherokee Heritage Festival at Red Clay State Park in Cleveland, Tenn., in this Aug. 2, 2014, file photo.

Along with the council meeting, the event will feature an all-day Cherokee encampment with re-enactors and living history exhibits; Native American dancers and stickball games; arts and crafts, storytelling and herbal and medicinal plant hikes, plus traditional native foods as well as modern fare.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. A $5 donation per car is suggested.

For more information, contact: Erin Medley, Park Manager at Red Clay State Historic Park, at 423-478-0339 or erin.medley@tn.gov.

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