With inspiration that rises from their lineage, the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians is renewing efforts to tell their ancient story at the refurbished Oconaluftee Indian Village.

On the village’s opening day, Sunday, May 15, visitors may tour the re-created 1750s community and, for the first time, purchase authentic Cherokee handicrafts crafted on site. Located in a forested cove, the village sits on the very site where nomadic groups encamped 10,000 years ago.

At the village, tribal members, wearing the traditional dress of their ancestors, perform the rites and practice the crafts as they once were. Tucked among the winding trails of the village, the artisans produce basketry, wood carvings, pottery, finger weaving, arrowheads and weapons. Also, they demonstrate how to make a dugout canoe and demonstrate the use of the blowgun. The tribal members are sharing authentic craft techniques taught to them by their parents, whose parents taught them.

Indian guides tell of the culture of their forebears as they stroll from crafter to crafter, and then allow visitors to step inside replicas of the homes of the ancient Cherokee, the replica of a Council House and Squareground where storytellers speak of the history and culture of the Cherokee.

Also, the village’s Cherokee Arboretum and Nature Trail, where visitors may discover the flora and fauna indigenous to the Western North Carolina area, has been freshened and upgraded.