Abstract:
A fragment of the Cherokee migration story presented to Alexander Long in 1717 is provided and then analyzed. The story’s explanation of the Cherokee migration seems unlikely from a contemporary perspective because of claims about their ancient writing system, their diet, and a migration pattern from east to west. All of these seem unlikely for various reasons, but the author focuses on the migration pattern. However, when considered the geography in the tale from a different perspective, this could be an account of an Indian crossing from Northeast Asia into northwestern North America.