Southern Appalachian Culture Series

Without a knowledge of Cherokee culture and history, the appreciation of Southern Appalachia would be limited. The Cherokee have lived in the southern Appalachian area for thousands of years, perhaps since 9,000 BCE. In the nineteenth century James Mooney collected tales and recorded histories told by the Cherokee people who remained in North Carolina after the Trail of Tears took the majority to Oklahoma in the late 1830s. These tales and histories, the traditions of the people, reveal not only their values, but also the extent of the foundations upon which present day Appalachia rests...In our attempt to explore the many facets of the whole of Southern Appalachian culture our mission is to educate in ways that lead to greater understanding. Learn More

Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina is accepting presentation submissions for its biannual Southern Appalachian Culture Series, an interdisciplinary conference to be held October 12-13, 2012. This year will feature presentations on Cherokee culture, although we also invite and encourage other papers that deal with any aspect of Southern Appalachian culture, literature, or tradition. The conference is part of a symposium which will offer concurrent sessions of presentations by writers and scholars, including graduate and undergraduate students, and prominent Cherokee scholar and storyteller, Freeman Owle. Learn More