Existing comment:
Warriors and Traders:
Following game paths, American Indians journeyed through the Gap on hunting and warring expeditions. For centuries, the Shawnee, Cherokee, and Iroquois fought for control of the land. In more peaceful times, they traveled through the Gap to trade with other tribes.
The Shawnee, Cherokee and Iroquois all claimed the rich hunting grounds in the Wasioto, the Shawnee word for "mountains where the deer are plentiful." When European hunters traveled to these mountains they called the Cumberlands, competition for game animals increased, which led to friction between tribes. The north-south trail through the Gap used by American Indians became known as the Warriors' Path.
However, trails through the Gap also provided American Indians the best route for trading expeditions. Often traveling to villages hundreds of miles away, tribes swapped goods that were necessary or had sacred value. American Indians of the Cumberland region would have traded items such as salt, chert and tobacco for sea shells, colorful feathers, and other items of southern American Indians. |