Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Traditional Land Access

  • Cherokee Language Program Instructor Tom Belt transcribed and translated this passage.
  • Etiyu tsigehv, egwohidv idehe nole ididsgwisdi gehe iditsalagi, nole degiduhe sgwisdi. Uyo’i nunalsdanele nigada sgiyvi. Nole hia iga tsigi si igvwsdi. Anigi nole anakehdi gada igatseli. Igalsdayhdihena sgwisdi eha uhna gadusi dunvdasa. Hiano Aniyunega duniwasgv sgina gado. Ano digaltsode widananesge, ayehli alsdayhdi uhyekv. Hno Danisduhvsgv nole gegisdvhne. Gegikehdade nole wigegiyvsdi nigehvna. “Do digalsdani sgina alsdayhdi?” gelisgo. Nole hia ohni tsidunatasida sgwu, gado duniniyvsv sgwu, sdayv duninihdi gado dunihvi.
  • We lived in a large area and we Cherokees were many and we had many towns. A bad thing happened to them then. And it’s the same today. They are restricting our access. There is a lot of food there up in the mountains. And the white people buy the land. And they build houses right in the middle of it and they stop us from accessing the natural foods, so they are still stealing. And I wonder what is going to happen to that food. And this next generation, the land that they have, we have to remind them to hold on to it tight.