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Visit These Non-Profit Web Sites:
Alliance For Native American Indian Rights
Native American Educational Association
Tennessee Trail of Tears Association
Books about Indians:
Loud Hawk : The United States Versus the American Indian Movement
Exploration
of Ancient Key-Dweller Remains on the Gulf Coast of Florida
TOUR GUIDE
Most people come to Nashville looking for singing cowboys, so it might surprise you to learn that Nashville has a rich Native American heritage which stretches thousands of years into the past. Unfortunately, this part of the city's history is sadly overlooked. There are no markers pointing out Native American historical sites, and Native Americans are rarely mentioned in Nashville's tourist guides and travel brochures.
A Guide To Nashville's Native American History offers an introduction to one of the most fascinating, and neglected, aspects of the city's past. It begins with a short overview that describes the 5 different cultural periods of the People who lived in this area, covering a span of 12,000 years or more. Next, you'll find individual site listings. These sites were chosen based on their historical significance, location, and accessibility. Each listing explains the significance of each site, ranging from ancient burial grounds to the point where the Cherokee crossed the Cumberland River on the Trail of Tears. Detailed directions to each site are included.
This guide offers a short version of a very long and complex story. It is meant to serve only as a starting point for learning more about Nashville's Native American history. The sites described here are just a few of the places in the city where Indians once lived or fought for their land. For those who want to learn more about Middle Tennessee's history, a list of some other important sites in the area is included, along with suggestions for further reading.
All the sites described in this guide are found within the city’s limits, surrounded by commercial or residential development. Most of them show no visible signs of being a special place. But they are special. Native Americans were born, lived their lives, and buried their dead here long before Columbus "discovered the New World". While appearances may suggest that the People are gone, their voices will be heard at these places forever, in the wind and the river's song. They'll never be silenced, no matter how much modern society tries to ignore the story they tell. They have something to teach all of us - listen to them.
