Art In The Streets Photography Challenge – Week 5

Art In The Streets Photography Challenge – Week 5

February 10 – 16

This is the 5th week of my participating in the Art In The Streets Photography Challenge and I not only enjoy posting my photos but also seeing the many wonderful photos from other bloggers. This week my Art in The Streets  will be taking you to the sites of beautiful Cherokee, North Carolina

Welcome to Cherokee, North Carolina, home of the Cherokee Indians and beautiful scenery.

I love taking the five hour drive to Cherokee, North Carolina where you can find the peaceful Oconaluftee River flowing,  beautiful views driving through the Great Smokey National Park and the visiting the Oconaluftee Indian Village to get a glimpse of the past.

A spectacular replay of the Cherokee story, “Unto These Hills” is put on in an outdoor theater. They portray the legacy of the Cherokee people through their power, their heartbreak of the Trail of Tears, and finishing in the present day where the Cherokee people continue to rewrite their place in the world, based in traditional Cherokee values.

This is also the place of the memorial site of the Eternal Flame.

This Fire is a Memorial to Those People Who Suffered and Died on the Infamous Trail of Tears. It Also Commemorates the Reuniting of the Eastern and Western Cherokee Nations Here at Red Clay. Aug. 7, 1837 – April 6, 1984.

When the Cherokee were being harassed by the white settlers and by the State of Georgia they made their last council at a lovely large spring that flowed in a depression just across from Georgia into southern Tennessee. This was the Red Clay Council Grounds. As the original settlers left the land that was so sacred to them they carried along with them what they were able.  Many pots of fire were taken from that last great council flame, not just as a memory, but of necessity for they had no matches. Amazingly the original fires survived in the homes of hundreds of people who were resettled to the west, and in the 1950’s coals from that fire were delivered to the Eastern Band of the Cherokee. Then in April of 1984 ten Cherokee braves returned that flame by relay runners from Cherokee, North Carolina to their sacred Council Ground at Red Clay.

A monument had been prepared to receive the heat of the flame and to keep it burning forever. A stone fireplace with a secured plexi-glass front was built on a rise above the great spring. A large propane tank was hidden in a declivity beyond the altar to furnish the source of energy to maintain the fire from that long ago Council. It was to be a memorial to all mankind of the horrors experienced by these simple people. The fire was never to be allowed to be extinguished for it was to live on as a reminder to us all.

A short walk from the outdoor theater and the Eternal Flame is a small but well kept cemetery.  They date back to long ago up to recent.   This is a memorial left by loved ones.

This was one of the older markers from a Cpl. who served in World War I.

I hope you enjoyed visiting Cherokee Indian Reservation through my photos, this is a beautiful place to visit.

Stop by http://www.justmeplease.com/ to see some breathtaking Art in the Streets photography!

Do you like to take photos of interesting  things you see?   Why not join the Art in the Streets Photo Challenge.  I’d love to share your photos!  #ArtStreets

How to Participate in the Art in the Streets Photo Challenge:

Every Wednesday I will post a photo of an artwork in a public place that has caught my eye with a brief description on what it is it is and how to find it. If you would like to join in this photo challenge, create a blog post with your photo which includes the tag ‘ArtStreets’. Link your post to mine. You are welcome to post any day of the week. When I’ve read your post, I will tweet it and share on my Facebook page to say thanks for stopping by. Can’t wait to see the beautiful things that you find.

Click on this link to add your blog post with photos and view the other bloggers that are doing this photo challenge.

http://www.inlinkz.com/new/view.php?id=591482