Glimpses of Life Among the Catawba and Cherokee Indians of the Carolinas

This archival footage, drawn from Wes Taukchiray’s 1974/5 Smithsonian report, offers a rare window into the daily lives and traditions of the Catawba and Cherokee Indians in North and South Carolina. Filmed in the mid-20th century, it captures children snowball fighting and lining up for school, alongside cultural moments like Sam Blue performing the bear dance and wild goose chase with bow and arrow. Close-ups feature Catawba figures like Elsie Blue, Bertha George Harris, and Edith Brown crafting pottery, while Joe Sanders demonstrates a blowgun. A poignant record of a vanishing way of life, this film is a treasure for history buffs and those interested in Native American heritage.