WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather & SportsMembers of Cherokee Nation Meet to Celebrate Native American Traditions
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BRADLEY COUNTY (WRCB) - Members of the Cherokee Nation gathered Sunday at Red Clay State Park in Bradley County for the 26th annual Cherokee Days of Recognition Festival. It is designed to celebrate and honor Native American traditions.
Folks could enjoy the traditional dancers, story-telling, arts, crafts and even Cherokee foods.
Organizers say preserving and sharing their heritage and language is important.
"We all live in this great United States and this world, and we have to survive. So we put on our suits and ties like everyone else during the work week and earn a living to support our families," said Chief Michell Hicks, Eastern Band of Cherokee. "The language and the culture are highest priorities."
Hicks says they meet to commemorate separation of the Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears and to grow stronger as a nation of three tribes.
Hicks says he wants a meeting of all three tribes at red clay next year. It would be only the second such gathering since the Trail of Tears in the 1830s.
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