town in E Swain County on Oconaluftee River that is the governmental and spiritual center of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Alt. 1,955. The name probably is from the Muskogee Indian word tciloki, meaning "people of a different speech." The outdoor drama Unto These Hills, written by Kermit Hunter, has been produced there each summer since 1950; the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and the Oconaluftee Indian Village Living History Museum are also there.

was formed in 1839 from Macon County. Located in the W section of the state, it is bounded by the states of Georgia and Tennessee and by Graham, Swain, Macon, and Clay Counties. It was named for the Cherokee Indians, some of whom still live in the region. Area: 467 sq. mi. County seat: Murphy, with an elevation of 1,535 ft. Townships are Beaverdam, Hot House, Murphy, Notla, Shoal Creek, and Valley Town. Produces corn, poultry, dairy products, livestock, hogs, hay, textiles, apparel, tools, lumber, marble, talc, and crushed stone.

rises in SE Rutherford County and flows N into Second Broad River.

on Jackson-Swain county line near Oconaluftee River.

See Qualla Boundary.

community in E Wayne County between Nahunta Swamp and The Slough, settled prior to 1833. Name is a corruption of the former name, Sherard, by which it appears on the MacRae map, 1833, or Sherards Crossroads, as it was known as recently as 1915. Named for a local family that settled in the area in the eighteenth century.

rises in N Swain County and flows W into Forney Creek.

SW Macon County at the head of Allison Creek.

rises in N Transylvania County and flows NE into Looking Glass Creek.

rises in S Haywood County and flows NE into Allen Creek.