WinterHouses

A replica Cherokee winter house stood at the Cherokee National History Museum in Tahlequah, Okla. Photo by Cindy Downes/Contributing Photographer

A replica Cherokee winter house stood at the Cherokee National History Museum in Tahlequah, Okla. Photo by Cindy Downes/Contributing Photographer

Winter houses helped Cherokee survive cold

As winter began to show its teeth over the last few weeks, mountain-dwellers may have felt tempted to crawl in a hole in the ground and not come out until spring.  The instinct to hibernate can be strong this time of year.