The Eastern Band of Cherokees from North Carolina is featured in an exhibition at the new National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

The tribe is one of 24 Native communities that was asked to select 10 events that shaped its history. Of particular interest is Event No. 9: November 13, 1997, the day the tribe's casino opened.

Tribal leaders were wary of getting into gaming for fear it would lead to corruption. But they now praise the casino as helping them become more self-sufficient. Gaming revenues have been used for education, health care and infrastructure, and they were used for Event No. 10: the purchase of a historic tribal site.

Other events include the creation of the earth, represented by a beetle, the development of the Cherokee syllabary and the execution of an ancestor considered a hero by the tribe.

Get the Story:
Where Myth Meets Reality (The Washington Post 9/14)
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Relevant Links:
National Museum of the American Indian - http://www.nmai.si.edu

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