Peter Toth Giant Indian Head.

Peter Toth Giant Indian Head

Peter "Wolf" Toth began carving his "Whispering Giants" series of giant Indian heads in the 1970s. A plaque at the base of this one says that it was dedicated on September 30, 1989; that it was Toth's 63rd giant head; and that it was sculpted on request from the director of the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, whose front lawn serves as the head's address.

Toth said that this head represented "Sequoyah" (1770-1840), inventor of the 85-character Cherokee alphabet. Toth carved it from a Sequoia log. What appears to be a giant rag erupting from Sequoyah's head -- he's depicted in 18th and 19th century drawings in variations of a turban -- is in fact a stylized feather, and Sequoyah is crying, a reference to the Cherokee Trail of Tears. The head has the same craggy, Methuselah-ancient look of all Peter Toth heads.

Peter Toth Giant Indian Head

Address:: 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, NC
Directions:: Stands outside the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. West side of US Hwy 441/Tsali Blvd, about a half-mile north of its intersection with US Hwy 19 in Cherokee.
Admission:: Free

Nearby Offbeat Places

Museum of the Cherokee People, Cherokee, NC - < 1 mi.

Pose with Indians - and Bill the Buffalo, Cherokee, NC - < 1 mi.

The Cherokee Trader, Cherokee, NC - < 1 mi.

In the region:

Hillbilly Moose, Asheville, NC - 41 mi.

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