Dedication of the Cherokee Worldview Garden.
Cherokee Worldview Garden at the South Carolina Botanical Garden by Karen Hall
On June 19th, 2010, the Cherokee Worldview Garden at the South Carolina Botanical Garden was opened to the public. Less than a mile from the last known location of the Cherokee town of Esseneca, it acknowledges the first human beings to inhabit the land that the Botanical Garden now stewards.
Meant to focus on ‘worldview’, the garden is not just a collection of plants used by a particular people. Instead, it aims to bring about a deeper understanding of a tribe historically important to the state while acknowledging that today, tribal members continue their rich traditions in North Carolina. Given the extreme impact that contemporary American culture has had on the natural world, a new way of seeing may be worth considering.
The garden is not intended to interpret Cherokee life at one point in time or only with food plants, but instead embraces a wider view of the Cherokees relationship with nature. Design elements and selected interpretation are meant to convey certain aspects of the way in which Cherokee people see the world. Structures include a watch tower (typical for crops), fire pit, dry creek bed, benches and rivercane screening. Plants in use for food, shelter, medicine, basketry, weaponry, trade and more are contained within the garden.
The idea for the garden grew out of the dissertation work of Karen Hall. It represents the culmination of many years worth of work by Clemson faculty, students and botanical garden staff. Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians were and continue to be involved in the project.
Opening day included a celebration with Cherokee cultural ambassadors, the Warriors of Anikituhwa, Freeman Owle (storyteller and elder), mineral pigment painting with David Bradshaw, primitive technology demonstrations, guided garden tours and more. We hope the garden will stand as a significant portal to a culture that first inhabited this land that we, too, love.
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