"unto the hills"

The terrain, air, weather, and water in Cherokee are all imbued with an earthy, mountain flavor. Flat roads and paths are brief, man-made atrocities in the midst of the mountains. The motion of the mountains is like that of a musical movement: full of crescendos and decrescendos, ebbing and flowing and bleeding into one another constantly, creating a unique kind of beauty. These mountains are old. Their symphony began to be crafted long before we invaded the land. But invade, we did. And our invasion introduced new instruments into the mountain orchestra. We built roads and buildings and cultivated the land into the new world where we live now. But the land will outlast us.

The Mountainside Theatre is just as the name suggests: a theatre built into a mountainside.

A brief walk uphill from the theatre takes a person to the dormitories our company calls home for the few months we're spending here. The housing area is referred to as "The Hill." If you continue uphill from the dorms, you can follow the winding, thin road to the Oconaluftee Indian Village. Here you can view reenactments and demonstrations of Cherokee life in the mid 1700's. Just above the village proper is a nature walking path, the Cherokee botanical gardens.

The Cherokee Historical Association was founded in 1948 and Unto These Hills began performing in 1950. It has, of course, changed a fair amount over time. Still, I find myself humbled and honored to be welcomed into this historical company. I get to spend my summer working as an actor. I perform both in Unto These Hills and will also be performing in the village in Time of War, a battle reenactment. I may even direct an in-house canteen production.

Given that I grew up in the mountains only about 120 miles northeast of Cherokee, I feel at home here simply due to the flavor of my surroundings. I am comfortable. I am happy. When I accepted this position, I hesitated, because I had another offer to work across the country in Olympic National Park, an offer I really wanted to take. However, I chose to follow the path that made the most sense career-wise. We are only three weeks in and I have no doubt that I made the right choice. I am exactly where I need to be.

Psalm 121 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

² My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
³ He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
⁴ Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
⁵ The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
⁷ The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
⁸ The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.