The Great Smoky Mountains; Cherokee village Oconaluftee in NC
We drove off that morning to Cherokee, North Carolina to visit an authentic Cherokee village, Oconaluftee. Auntie Cindy kept raving, "Oooo! It'll be a cross-cultural experience!" Yippee.
I loved it. The Cherokee are an absolutely fascinating tribe--inconceivably advanced in so many ways. We walked by several dwellings in which villagers were working at a particular craft: necklace and sash-beading, pottery-molding, arrowhead-making, finger-weaving, basket-making. The woman basket-weaving is currently featured in the Smithsonian for her art. What a treat!
Soon we were called to gather in the central part of village for a social dance celebration. It was really interesting to observe the differences between the Oglala Lakota or the Midwestern Native Americans (primarily Sioux) and the Cherokee.
People have several misconceptions about Native Americans, obviously. They expect to see feathers and teepees, and hear howling and whooping. The Cherokee, however, rarely used feathers in dancing; feathers were reserved for specific ceremonies, most of which are too sacred to preform for outsiders. They never used teepees; they were far too advanced for that. 
The Cherokee created sturdy, square houses from adobe, straw, logs, and natural formations, like banks.
The Cherokee have a very specific structure. Each tribe consists of seven universal clans: the Wild Potato Clan, the Wolf Clan, the Deer Clan, the Blue Man Clan, the Paint Clan, the Long-Haired Clan, and the Wolf Clan. Each clan is associated with certain qualities and responsibilities. The Cherokee are a matrilineal society; all property belongs to the woman of the house. In fact, the Cherokee offered their women incredible freedom, even allowing them to fight alongside the men in battle, and allowing the Elders to weigh in on Council decisions.
I could go on and on, but I am pressed for time; I will finish if given more time.
After our enjoyable time at the village, we were recommended to sup at Paul's Restaurant for some Cherokee food. It was glorious.
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