We went to the Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The museum itself is filled with interesting artifacts. We were most excited about visiting the Ancient Village, which shows what life was like among the Cherokee at the time of the Pilgrim’s Thanksgiving. We gathered under the museum’s clock to meet our guide for the tour.
The clock used Cherokee numbers. The Cherokee were one of the few Native American groups to have a written language.
We strolled through the village, admiring the homes and learning from our guide what daily life was like for the people of that time.
Cooking was quite an undertaking, requiring a lot of hard, physical labor.
Dried corn would be pounded in the hollow stump you see here with the wooden post leaning behind it, and all the cooking utensils had to be made by hand before any food preparation began.
The people kept chickens and other small animals for food, as well as hunting and growing crops like squash, corn, and beans to eat.
We enjoyed our trip into the past. There was also an 1890’s village, and you can visit both the Ancient Village and the pioneer-era village virtually at the Heritage Center.
During Native American Heritage Month, it’s good to study the Native Americans who lived in your region, as well as those who joined the Pilgrims for the first Thanksgiving celebration.
How did they cook their food? Over a fire or in an oven?
Both, depending on the kind of food.