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Feature article
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Cherokee Indians visit land on Long Island.
By Matthew Lane
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| Cherokee Principal Chief Leon Jones talks with D-B student Lisa Brown. David Grace photo. |
KINGSPORT - Representatives from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians were in town Thursday to meet with local officials and tour a piece of their land many had never seen before.
Leon Jones, principal chief of the EBCI, along with members of the tribal council, toured the 3.61 acres of land located across the South Fork of the Holston River on Long Island. They also spoke with students from Dobyns-Bennett High School about their reservation and their people.
Following a tour of the land, tribal representatives met with Kingsport Mayor Jeanette Blazier.
"We own this property, and I've never been here before," said Jones. "The tribal council decided that we set up a retreat in Maryville, where we own several pieces of property. We spent Monday touring property there, and now we're here today to see this piece of property.
"It's probably a good idea that we know where it is and what it looks like."
A stone monument sits beside the swinging bridge on Long Island to mark the Cherokees' land.
An inscription on the monument reads that the Cherokees relinquished the land in 1806, and in 1976 the city gave the land back to the Indians.
"We lost all track of the land in our history," said Bob Blankenship, tribal council chairman. "In 1976, the city had a deal for us, which is a switch. The Mead gave it to the city, and the city gave it to the tribe for historic purposes."
Jones said when he returns to the reservation, he's going to encourage others to come and visit the land on Long Island.
"It's a very historic site, and we need to know more about it," Jones said. "I think it's a beautiful site, and I'm waiting to learn more about it and what exactly is here.
"I understand there's some graves here, and it's the home property of the Cherokee that lived in this part of the country."
The Cherokee Indian Reservation is located in western North Carolina and is home to 12,500 enrolled members. Cherokee is adjacent to both the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Jones' visit to Kingsport comes just days after a visit with President George W. Bush in Washington, D.C.
Jones said the council is working to acquire 168 acres of land in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to build three schools - an elementary, middle and high school.
"We have applied to the Park Service to let us have 168 acres of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and in exchange we have found 210 acres that we're willing to buy and give to them so the park isn't diminished any," Jones said. "This is a piece of flat land ideal for schools that I can use to educate my youngsters."
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