This photo shows the Eagle Dance being performed during “Unto These Hills” ca. 1950s. The first show of the long-running production was on July 1, 1950 at the Mountainside Theatre in Cherokee, N.C. where it has remained all of these years. (Photo courtesy of the Museum of the Cherokee People)
By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – “Unto These Hills”, the outdoor drama that tells the story of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), is set to celebrate its diamond anniversary (75 years) this year. The first show of the long-running production was on July 1, 1950 at the Mountainside Theatre in Cherokee, N.C. where it has remained all of these years.
Laura Blythe, an EBCI tribal member who serves as program director for the Cherokee Historical Association (CHA), commented, “This year, we’re working hard on recognizing the generations of Cherokee people who have come through the show.”
She said nostalgia plays a huge part in returning patrons. “I know this show has gone through a lot of changes over the years. The original Kermit Hunter script was three hours long. We wound up bringing that script back up onstage in 2017. With that script, though, 2017’s audience wouldn’t sit through a three hour show, so we had to make a lot of cuts. We kept all the iconic scenes that people remember and are nostalgic about. But, we also did a lot of changes with the Native roles, taking over their character instead of just portraying a Native onstage.”
“Good Morning America” broadcast from “Unto These Hills” for the 50th anniversary. (CHA photo)
This year’s show has a run time of around 1 hour 45 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. The show will open to the public on May 31 and run through Aug. 23. It is the third longest running outdoor drama in the country behind “The Ramona Pageant” in Hemet, Calif. and “The Lost Colony” in Manteo, N.C.
Blythe said a lot of work has been done recently on making the show more Cherokee-centric. “We want more traditional elements, more authentic Cherokee elements. We’ve included a lot more Cherokee language into the script so our Cherokee cast members do get to speak the language.”
This year’s show has 77 total cast members, ages 8 to 81, including 22 youth cast (all of which are EBCI tribal members). A total of 55 percent of the cast are members of either EBCI or another federally recognized tribe.
She added, “Today’s CHA staff is just very excited to be able to still continue to tell this story, but we also have the creative freedom to make it our story. We have so many different elements that we’re bringing in and that have been brought in over the past few years, but we want to continue to make those changes and make it a little more community-friendly, authentically Cherokee.”
Nakoa Chiltoskie, an EBCI tribal member, worked at “Unto These Hills” from the time she was 9-years-old until age 18 (1987-96). “I worked as a crowd scene actress. At the beginning of the pre-show, Mrs. Maybelle McDonald had a small dance group one year, and we would perform a couple traditional Cherokee social dances.”
She enjoyed her time with the drama. “My favorite part about working with the show was developing such good friendships with the cast. It was so much fun sitting by your friends on the bridge area backstage waiting for your cue to go out for your scene. Many laughs were shared.”
The 1960 “Unto These Hills” program (Photo courtesy of Museum of the Cherokee People)
When asked her thoughts on the show turning 75, Chiltoskie said, “Wow! I have watched the show go through many iterations. Even though some of the scenes have changed it still does a great job at depicting our Cherokee history. I look forward to watching it every summer with my friends a family.”
Blythe said the outdoor drama is an excellent way to educate the public about the EBCI. “We get comments of ‘we didn’t even know there were Native tribes, especially in the Southeast area’ so this kind of tells the story of our Cherokee people from first contact all the way through the resiliency and the strength that it took to make it through the Trail of Tears and how we’ve become the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians today. So, I really enjoy the piece where they learn that we are here, we created our story, we are survivors, and the big word is just resiliency.”
She thanks everyone in the community who has played a part over the years in the success of “Unto These Hills”. “You can’t run a production like this without community investment of some sort – community buy-in, community cast members, community tech and production team – all of it. I’d like to extend a big thank you to them because without them being here throughout all of those years, CHA wouldn’t still have this as a staple in the cultural district.”
Tickets can be purchased online at: https://cherokeehistorical.org/attractions/unto-these-hills/. Prices are as follows: Adult General Admission – $35, Child (ages 6-11) General Admission – $25, Infant (ages 5+under) – Free, Adult Reserved Seating – $45, Child Reserved Seating – $35, and VIP (includes reserved seating, early admission, and souvenir goodie bag) – $60. Senior and group rates are available. Enrolled members of the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee Nation, and United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians) receive two free tickets per enrollment number with additional tickets available to be purchased for $7/each. For the 75th anniversary show on July 1, tickets will be $19.50 in homage to the year the show started.
The eternal flame is a staple at the Mountainside Theatre as shown in this photo from Wednesday, May 21, 2025. The sign at the facility states, “The Eternal Flame here at the Mountainside Theatre was kindled from the century-old Oklahoma fire on June 23, 1951.” (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)
