Waleska — Lavonna Pettit joined a gathering here on Reinhardt University’s campus this weekend to learn about her people, a small but historically important part of Georgia’s population. A Dalton resident, Pettit is among about 2,400 Cherokee Nation citizens living in the state.
The two-day event she attended at the university’s Funk Heritage Center was led by historians from the Cherokee Nation and Oklahoma Historical Society. And it featured lessons about Cherokee history, language and culture.
Pettit was particularly interested to learn more about the leadership roles women played in the Cherokees’ matrilineal communities…