- Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia
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Sautee Nacoochee — Unincorporated community — Location within the state of Georgia
Sautee NacoocheeCoordinates: 34°40′48″N 83°40′51″W / 34.68°N 83.68083°WCoordinates: 34°40′48″N 83°40′51″W / 34.68°N 83.68083°W Country United States State Georgia County White Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) – Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4) ZIP codes FIPS code GNIS feature ID Sautee Nacoochee (or Sautee-Nacoochee) is an unincorporated community in White County, Georgia, near Sautee Creek in the Appalachian foothills of northeast Georgia, approximately 95 miles (153 km) north of Atlanta. The nearest incorporated town is the tourist destination of Helen, Georgia.
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Geography
Sautee Nacoochee is located at longitude -83.68094,latitude 34.67994.
Origin of names
Sautee Nacoochee's name combines two place names of Native American origin.
The word "Sautee" comes from the Cherokee name of a former Hitchiti-speaking Creek Indian village named Sawa-te near the juncture of Sautee Creek and the Chattahoochee River. The name means "Racoon People." By 1540 AD, the area was inhabited by Cherokee people (probable displacement of the Mississippian cultures that preceded them took place between 1200 and 1400 AD), who called the village "Chota" (also spelled Chotte in some texts). The village was at the southern end of what is today referred to as the Sautee Valley.
The word "Nacoochee" comes from the Cherokee pronunciation of a large Hitchiti-speaking town's name on the Chattahoochee River named Nokose (pronounced no-ko-she.) Nokose means "bear" in both the Hitchiti and Muskogee languages (branches of the Creek Indians.) Yonah Mountain is a prominent landmark in the Nacoochee Valley. Yonah comes from the Cherokee word for "bear." The village of Nacoochee was located to the east of Chota, near the foot of Alec Mountain on the Unicoi Trail. The Nacoochee Valley is known for the Nacoochee Indian Mound, at the northwestern end of the valley, which was constructed between 700-1200 AD.
Early boosters of the Nacoochee Valley spread a fanciful Romeo-and-Juliet-like tale that Nacoochee was a beautiful Cherokee "princess," who fell in love with a Chickasaw warrior named Sautee. When their love was forbidden by the Cherokee elders, Nacoochee supposedly jumped to her death on the cliffs of nearby Yonah Mountain. Although the Chickasaw Indians primarily lived over 300 mi|480 km west of the Nacoochee Valley, during the early and mid-18th century, there were several Chickasaw villages in northeastern Georgia. Conflicts between the Chickasaws and Cherokees may be the origin of the Nacoochee Myth.
Sautee Nacoochee Center
Sautee Nacoochee is most noted for the Sautee Nacoochee Center, a cultural and community center housed in the restored Nacoochee schoolhouse. The center was founded by the Sautee-Nacoochee Community Association (SNCA), which was also responsible for getting both Sautee and Nacoochee Valleys placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In September 2006, the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia opened on the grounds of the Sautee Nacoochee Center. The Pottery Museum’s new facility, designed by Atlanta architect Robert M. Cain, features a 3,200-square-foot (300 m2) main exhibit floor that houses more than 150 vessels on permanent display and has space for additional temporary exhibits.
The numerous cultural programs at the Sautee Nacoochee Center led to Sautee Nacoochee being designated as one of "The 100 Best Small Arts Towns in America" in a book by the same name written by John Villani.
See also
Nearby towns
Resources
- 2007 Ancient Roots I: The Indigenous People of the Southern Highlands. Richard L. Thornton. Lula Publishing Co., Morris, NC.
- 2009 & 2010 Ancient Roots V: The Southern Highlands (Three Volumes), Richard L. Thornton, Lulu Publishing Co., Morris, NC
- 2005 In the Shadow of Yonah: A History of White County, Georgia. Garrison Baker, Brasstown Creek Publications, Cleveland, GA.
External links
- InsideOut Sautee - Art Gallery, decorative arts and more!
- Creekwood Resort- Cabin and RV Rental in Sautee Nacoochee
- Sautee Resorts - Cabin Rentals in Sautee Nacoochee Valley
- Images from the Nacoochee Valley
- Sautee Nacoochee Center
- Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia
- Sautee Nacoochee Valleys Associations
Categories:- Unincorporated communities in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Populated places in White County, Georgia
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