Day 4 Spent the day in Cherokee

 May 24, 2022 – woke to the sound of the Oconaluftee River rushing over rocks.  The water was very high last night with a full day of rain but this morning it was down slightly.  Ducks and geese with their young are right up to our porch.  Bernie would love this.  Breakfast at 8:30 and then we headed out to the Oconaluftee Village to show Zoey what the Cherokee life was like.  Very good guide with lots of information.  I was surprised to learn this is not a reservation.  The government did not give this land to the Cherokee Indians they purchased their own land from the Federal government after it had been taken from them.  They are a separate nation within the United States.  They have their own government, law enforcement, hospital, schools but apparently no one owns their own ground it is all owned by the Cherokee nation.  Years ago the children were taken from their homes, put in “schools” and forbidden to speak their native language or dress like their ancestors.  Why the white man had to be so stupid is beyond me!  Any way, they are now teaching all their children from the age of 3 to speak the Cherokee language; they even offer classes for adults to learn their native tongue.  The casino is very big and very beautiful and half of the profits from that casino is divided among every Cherokee member and they get a dividend check twice a year. For children the money is put in a trust fund and when they graduate from high school they will begin drawing on that fund.  If they do not graduate they must wait until age 21 to begin drawing the money.  And since it will be a very large sum they will get payments, not the full amount all at once.  After the village we went to a couple of shops but one is very much like the next and we were getting very hot and tired.  Zoey purchased a couple of pair of earrings and then we just rode around and ate lunch at McDonalds.  Back to the hotel to rest a bit before dinner.  The sun is shining and the temps are hot; hope tomorrow is a nice day.  Zoey plans to ride on the bike. The ducks and geese were right up to our porch railing and Zoey and Don were feeding them.  Zoey even got brave enough to hold some in her fingers for the ducks to take.  Went to Granny’s Kitchen for dinner with Bill, Sandra and Jimmy; nice buffet of southern cooked food.  Had a nice time just sitting and talking.  Left Zoey in the room, sleeping, and then brought her nuggets, fries and a soda.  Found her outside down the hill near the river with 2 of the ducks trying to feed them crackers.  These ducks seem to have decided our room is a good place to hangout.  Well time to pack everything up, turn in and get ready for a long day tomorrow.