From their site: ‘Also known as ‘Cherokee Black,’ this variety excels as both a snap and a dry bean; when mature, the 6” purple-tinged green pods encase shiny, jet-black seeds. This bean was shared with Seed Savers Exchange by the late Dr. John Wyche of Hugo, Oklahoma. His Cherokee ancestors carried the variety over the Trail of Tears, the infamous winter death march from the Smoky Mountains to Oklahoma (1838-39) that left a trail of 4,000 graves.’
According to my seed packet they carried them along the Trail of Tears, eating some but saving some and planted them as soon as they arrived, (they were obviously still starving but at least I guess they could hunt when they weren't being forced to keep moving) and the beans helped sustain their heritage as well as their lives.