Cherokee legend says
that the Cherokee came from the far away Northwest. This may be true. Centuries
ago, people probably did come from Siberia. Some moved further south and
became known as the Indians of South America. Many stayed in North America.
The Cherokee
lived in Northern Georgia, Eastern Tennessee, and Western North Carolina.
Cherokees said that the Great Spirit gave them their land. It was beautiful
land. Their territory was in the Appalachian Mountains. It covers eight
states. The Cherokee formed one Woodland tribe.
Later, they needed a capital. They started a capital called New Town in
Georgia. Then they changed the name to New Echota. They sold plots of land
in New Echota and laid out streets.
Most Cherokees
lived in log houses in their towns. Some were made out of grass and mud.
Wild grasses were used for the roof. They had fireplaces for warmth in the
winter. Summer houses were oblong. Men built the houses.
Their only form of
transportation was by canoe. They made them by hollowing out a log using
hot coals. Then they would scrape the inside of the log with a sharp stone.
The Cherokee raised
corn, squash, sweet potatoes, and beans. They also gathered wild plants.
Fish were very important. They caught them in traps. They fished in cold
mountain streams.
Most clothes were made of
animal skins. Skirts were made with hemp plant. Skirts were knee length.
They also had cloaks.
The men had many responsibilities. They had to hunt deer and bear. The men used blowguns, spears, and bows and arrows to kill the animals. The men also had to cut down trees to prepare for planting crops. Some other things they did were building houses and making canoes.
Women also had a lot of responsibilities just like the men. They made clothes, planted seed, and harvested crops. Women also had a part of government. They had their own council called "Ghigau" or "Beloved Women". Each clan selected an "honored woman" to attend the yearly.
Children had responsibilities,
too. Girls had to pound corn, prepare food, gather nuts, make pots to hold
water and meat, and learn household duties by watching their mother. They
did errands for their mother and helped care for sisters and brothers. They
also assisted in weaving baskets and gardening.
The boys had many jobs, too. They learned to hunt food and older boys and
men learned to be warriors. They did things together. They learned by listening
to stories. They withstand hunger and pain. As a result they respected the
earth and its animals, and were polite to adults.
Men loved to play stick ball. First they would divide fifty on each team. Then they would try to score goals.
The most important ceremony was the Green Corn Ceremony. It was held when the corn was ripe. It marked the ending of the old year and the beginning of the new. Ceremonies were made to keep harmony. Cherokee tried to behave correctly for lives to be good. They believed the world was kept in balancein this way. At ceremonies men wore died buckskin shirts with matching headresses. Before war parties left they had ceremonies.
The Cherokee never had
a written language. One man, named Sequoyah, saw how important a written
language was. Sequoyah was born about 1775. His mother was a Cherokee and
his father was a white trader. Sequoyah never went to school and never learned
to read or write English.
He saw whites using what he called "talking leaves". Through studing
and reading the 26 letter English language, he developed an Indian language
that contained 80 characters. Each character stood for one syllable. Soon
the characters became know as the Cherokee alphabet.
Nancy Ward was a famous
woman because her husband was killed by the Creeks. Then she picked up her
husband's gun and started fighting with such courage that she inspired them
to beat the Creeks.
Another leader was Tsali who gave up his sons and his life. At the last
minute his youngest son was let go because of his young age. His father
yelled "Take care of the land with all your heart!"
Like most tribes, the
Cherokee had war chiefs and peace chiefs. Before war parties left there
would be ceremonial rituals which took place. There were raids by the Iroquois
and the Chickasaw. They had a war with the Creeks at Tali'wa in Georgia
and also with whitemen.
The United
States Supreme Court said the land belonged to the Indians. Andrew Jackson
ordered them to leave anyway. Soldiers rounded up every Cherokee they could
find. Eight thousand were jailed until boats took them by river to Fort
Gibson. They arrived in winter. There wasn't any farming and food was scarce.
There was no warm clothing and the land was different.
The Cherokee that were left behind voted to
travel over land to Indian Territory. They marched through Nashville, Tennessee,
up to Hopkinville, Kentucky, through Southern Illinois and into Missouri.
They stopped at Fort Gibson, Arkansas. More than seventeen thousand Cherokee
began the march. About four thousand died along the way. This is why this
is called the "Trail of Tears". Western Cherokee set up its government
in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The Cherokee National Capital was built.
Today the Cherokee
people have many different jobs. Some are ranchers, farmers, doctors, lawyers,
and teachers. Others have creative jobs like artists, writers, and musicians.
There are now two bands. The two are the Eastern Band and the Western Band
of Cherokee. The Eastern Cherokee Reservation has its headquarters in Cherokee,
North Carolina. They were joined by 112 Cherokee who had escaped from the
Trail of Tears. Many lived in North Carolina or near the Great Smoky Mountains
Park. Some Cherokee depend on tourists for income. Others have homes along
Oconulftee River. These Cherokee have set up a typical Cherokee village.
The Western Cherokee Band had 53,000 members. Cherokees in Oklahoma are
called the Western Band. Some families in the Western Band make money from
oil on their land. Others raise cattle.
Author, Leah Montre, at the statue of Sequoyah at the Eastern Cherokee Reservation in North Carolina.
Many aspects
of the commercial area of the town of Cherokee are in poor taste.
The Cherokee museum is located next to Great Smoky
Mountains National Park.
Links to other Cherokee and Native American web sites.
- First-class student site.
- U.S. Government Bureau of Indian Affairs.
- American Indian Tribal Directory.
- A commercial site in North Carolina.
- Native American resources.
