Blue Ridge Country March/April 2021 - 32
TENNESSEE'S
RED
CLAY
The Little State Park
That Burns Bright
The 263-acre east Tennessee park has a history that goes back to
1830, and which, in 1984, completed a re-linking of Cherokee history.
O
n a small hillside amongst 263
acres of park land in the valleys and mountains of southeastern Tennessee burns an
Eternal Flame-a testament to
strength in the face of adversity, the indominable will to
survive and honor for those who perished.
It is also a sacred reminder of the respect
owed to every human culture, specifically
the Cherokee People.
One hundred and ninety years ago, the
Indian Removal Act of 1830 set in motion
the forced relocation of thousands of First
Nation peoples.
32
BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
By ANGELA MINOR | Photos courtesy of RCSHP
" While the Cherokee were fighting in
courts to remain in their homelands, the
Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Seminoles
and other native people were also dealing
with their Removals, " says Danielle Shelton, former doctoral resident at Red Clay
State Historic Park. " Life would have been
chaotic during these years. "
Shelton, who is completing her Ph.D.
dissertation on the events at this location, says that " by 1835 approximately
two-thirds of the Cherokee were homeless
and had fled to lands in Tennessee, Alabama and North Carolina. [At Red Clay]
we know that by 1836 there were 91 log
buildings on the grounds [where these
refugees had built a new community]. "
" Red Clay was called Ela-wodi-yi,
which translates into Red Earth Place, "
says Erin Medley, park manager. " Many
general council meetings were held here
over the years with 3,000 to 4,000 Cherokee in attendance. This location had become the new capital in exile for the Cherokee people. "
Elsewhere in the region state governments of that time were legislating antisovereignty laws for the purposes of land
grabs for white settlers. These actions
came before the U.S. Supreme Court in the
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Blue Ridge Country March/April 2021
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