Southeast Cherokee

By: Lindsay Walker

What did they eat?

Agriculture: The Cherokee were farmers, hunters and

gatherers. They grew corn, squash and beans, along with

pumpkin, melons, sunflowers, tobacco, and other crops.

Corn was the most important food. The women made

sure they planted enough crops to provide food for two

years.

Hunting & Fishing: The Cherokee were wonderful

hunters. Legend says ... They could hit a fly from 30 feet

away. They did not hunt for sport. The men only hunted

what they needed to feed their families. Every part of the

animal was used. The most important animal for their

needs was the deer. They hunted turtles for food, and

used turtle shells for rattles.

Tools: They made blowguns, bows and arrows, animal

traps, nets to catch fish, and spears.

What kind of government did they have?

Red Chief, White Chief: The Cherokee lived in villages. Each village had two chiefs - a "white"

chief who led in times of peace, and a "red" chief who led in times of war. Unless the Cherokee

were at war, the war chief had nothing to do except drill and keep himself and his warriors fit.

This was very smart. The Cherokee could response instantly to a war threat with able

leadership.

Village Council: Peace chiefs did not rule alone. They had able council. In peacetime, his right-

hand and his speaker, along with six other men, helped the chief. These 9 men made up the

Village Council. The Council made important decisions for the village.

Village Council House: The council met in the Council House. The council house was the most

important building in each village. It was large enough to hold all the villagers, including the

children. When the council had an announcement to make, everyone in the village could hear

them.

Role of Women in Cherokee Village Government: Women have always been part of Cherokee

government. Only men were priests and chiefs, but women could offer advice, and later on,

participated as council members when chosen, just like the men.

Cherokee Nation Council: The Cherokee Nation was ruled in the same way. It had a chief and a

council who made decisions for the Cherokee Nation.

What was the village life like?

Village Life: The Cherokee lived in villages. Each village was home to about

400-500 people. In each village, there were 30-60 homes, a plaza, a town

square, and a council house large enough to hold all the villagers during a

village meeting. A wall of tall poles tied together surrounded each village.

There was a summer village and a winter village.

Homes: Each family had two homes. These homes were located in the two

different villages, the summer village and the winter village.

Winter Round Homes: Round homes were made of wood, and covered with

mud for additional protection against the cold. Homes had bark roofs. The

homes were decorated with colorful rugs, baskets, and wall hangings. Each

home had a fire burning in the center. Homes had smoke holes at the top to

let out the smoke.

Summer Rectangle Homes: Summer homes were bigger. They were made in

the shape of huge rectangles. Cone shaped roofs were made of bark, covered

with long grass. The house was made with long sticks. These homes were cool

and airy, and let in light.

What were the roles of the men and women?

Roles of Men and Women: In the Cherokee culture, men and women were considered equals.

Cherokee Men: Men cut down trees to clear land for planting. They used the wood to build canoes, homes, and the pole fences

around the villages. They hunted and fished. They made traps, nets, and other tools. They fixed moccasins. Sometimes a man

would move in with his wife's family, and sometimes he might build a home for his wife.

Cherokee Women: The role of Cherokee women in the past was very different than the role of other American women. In the

Cherokee Nation, women were warriors. Women ruled the home. Although the men built the homes, the women owned

them. Women had power over their families, participated in government, and fought as warriors. Very few women had these

rights in Colonial America.

They also did the same jobs as did other Indian women. They were very proud of their colorfully designed baskets. Baskets were

used to gather nuts in the fall, and store goods. The women were the farmers. They planted seed and harvested crops. They

stored food. Young girls pounded corn into flour. Women used the skins of animals to make clothing and other goods. They

also raised the children.

What were the clans like?

7 Clans: The Cherokee Nation was divided into seven clans. A clan is a

family of related people. The seven clans are: Long Hair, Paint,

Bird, Wolf, Wild Potato, Deer, and Blue. When a child was born, he

or she became a member of the mother's clan.

Villages were a mix of clans. This was good because Cherokee law clearly

stated that you could not marry someone from your own clan.

There were many ways to meet people. Villages helped each other.

They got together for local festivals. Relatives visited. Often, there

was a different mix of people in the summer villages than in the

winter villages. Plus, all the clans got together for annual festivals.

There were many chances to meet people from other clans.

What were the rules of marriage?

Marriage

The rules were clear. You could not marry someone from your own clan. But once you

found someone from another clan that you wanted to marry, there were other

rules you had to follow.

First, you had to ask a family member if this was a good decision. You had to get a

positive answer. You might have to hunt through several family members before

you found someone who agreed with you that yes, this would be a good

decision. If you could not find someone to agree with you, then you could not

marry that person.

Second, you had to ask the chief of the woman's village to determine if your marriage

would be a good one. The chief would put two roots in his hand, and say a

prayer. If the two roots moved at the same time, it meant good luck, and yes,

you could marry. If only one root moved, it meant bad luck, and no, you could

not marry.

These steps ensured the people in small villages would get along. That was important.

Arts & Crafts

The Cherokee were and are still famous for their art. In olden days, their talent was

used in making clay pots, carved pipes, canoes, masks, rattles, clothing, baskets,

and beads.

Canoes: Canoes were carved from wood. The men first cut a log. They hollowed out the

log by using burning coals from the fire. They scraped the insides with sharp

stones. Canoes were decorated with designs made with burnt sticks and sharp

stones.

Clay Pots: The Cherokee dug clay. They used the clay to make handmade pots. While

the clay was still wet, they decorated the pots with designs made with sticks and

stones. Then pots were baked in the fire to give them strength. They used clay

pots as cooking utensils, liquid holders, and planters. Planters were placed near

their homes and filled with flowers, spices, and food items. No tribe used a

potter's wheel. Everything was shaped by hand.

Carved Pipes: The Cherokee carved pipes from clay, wood, and soapstone. Pipes used

in religion ceremonies and peace ceremonies were carefully decorated. They also

made pipes for everyday use. They smoked tobacco in their pipes.

What were the arts & crafts like?

What were the arts & crafts like? (cont’d)

Masks & Rattles: In olden days, only the men made masks. Cherokee men carved ferocious masks from wood.

They painted them. Sometimes they added fur decorations. Warriors used these scary masks to make fun of

their enemies. Before a battle, the warriors would dance around wearing scary masks, and laugh and laugh.

This type of mask was called a Booger Mask.

They made rattles to scare away evil spirits, and at the same time, to invite the attention of good spirits. Rattles

were made with turtle shells filled with corn kernels. Some rattles were made from gourds and squashes.

Double Wall Baskets: In olden days, only the women made baskets. Baskets had fancy designs, and were made in

a special way, with double weaving, using river cane, so that they were very sturdy. Designs were handed

down from mother to daughter. Some baskets were painted as well as dyed. The Cherokee created paints

from berry juice, nuts, and roots. Although their baskets added color and gaiety to the appearance of their

homes, they were also useful. Baskets were used for just about everything - to gather the crops, to store

food, to store belongings, to haul.

River Cane Items: The Cherokee used river cane for weaving split dyed gathering baskets, but they also used river

cane for making blow guns, shields, masks, and painted flutes. They were and still are famous for the many

beautiful and useful items they made with river cane.

What were the Cherokee Warriors like?

Cherokee Warriors

Preparation for Battle: The Cherokee have many traditions. In olden times,

they did not eat before a battle. In preparation for battle, they took a

long bath. They drank special tea. And they danced at the Booger

Ceremony.

Booger Ceremony: The Booger Ceremony was held on the day before a

battle. All the warriors wore the booger masks they had carved. They

danced around and made fun of each other. The masks represented

their enemy. If you are familiar with the stories of Harry Potter, this is

similar to what you do with a Bogart - if you laugh at him, his power is

gone.

Battle Techniques: They fought with other tribes, but they also fought

amongst themselves.

War Parties: They did not have armies. Instead, they had bands of war

parties that each had 5-100 warriors.

Weapons: They used hand-to-hand combat as well as arrows.

What were the Cherokee Warriors like? (cont’d)

Hit and Run: Their technique was to hit and run. Once they hit, the band scattered in several

directions. You could only chase after a couple of the groups, and the rest could be following,

ready to catch you in a trap. Cherokee enemies soon learned not to follow the scattered band.

Later, the band would regroup and return. Just because they scattered did not mean you had

won.

Traps: The Cherokee were brilliant at setting up traps to lead their enemy into places where they

could be killed without endangering Cherokee warriors. One such trap was to send in slaves and

captives dressed like Cherokee warriors. An enemy army would think they had a Cherokee band

surrounded, when actually, they were the ones being surrounded as they moved in on the fake

Cherokee band.

The Darkening Land: The Cherokee did not like to lose a single warrior. They believed anyone who

killed a Cherokee was a murderer. The Cherokee believed that after a person died, his or her

spirit could not rest until their murderer was captured and killed. The Darkening Land was the

place Cherokee spirits went to rest. The Cherokee believed that torturing captives helped to

send the spirits of dead Cherokee warriors to the Darkening Land. Captives did not have an easy

time. Lucky captives were sold into slavery. Others were first tortured and then burned at the

stake.

What was Cherokee Religion like?

Cherokee Religion

The Deer God: The Cherokee worshipped the Deer God. They told him, "We only kill what is

needed to feed our families, and we are sorry." This was important to do. They did not

want the Deer God to be angry with them, or the Deer God might make all the deer

disappear. Just as the buffalo was important to the Plains Indians, the deer was

important to the Cherokee.

Animal Spirits: The Cherokee believed in many animal spirits. They wore animal skins as

clothing so the skills of those animals would be shared with them. They believed

everything in nature had a spirit. They prayed to the spirits for good health.

Medicine Men: The Cherokee medicine men were very skilled. They knew how to use bark to

cure many diseases that the white man's doctors could not cure. They knew how to use

roots to make medicine. Some actually studied with white doctors. The more they knew,

the better they could cure their own people.

Festivals: They held many festivals. Some, like the Green Corn Festival, was held annually. The

Cherokee thanked their gods for their good fortune, and prayed to their gods for

continued good luck.

What was the Indian Removal Act like?

The Indian Removal Act - The Trail of Tears

The US government passed a law in 1830 called the Indian Removal Act. This allowed

the US government the right to force Indian tribes to vacate their land

and move to reservation lands, geographical areas the government had put

aside for their use. Most Indian tribes did not want to leave their land. It was

their spiritual and physical home. But the government sent in the army to force

tribes to move.

The Cherokee, like other tribes and nations, were told to leave. They had been given

land in Oklahoma. The Cherokee refused to leave. The Cherokee took their case

to the US Supreme Court. And they won! The Supreme Court said the Cherokee

were right - the US government could not force them to move. But President

Andrew Jackson directed the US Army to capture all the Cherokee they could

find and force them to move.

Most Cherokee had to walk the whole way. They walked through rain and cold and

incredible heat. More than 4000 Cherokees died on the journey. That is why

this forced eviction was called "The Trail of Tears."

What are the Cherokees lives like today?

Today, there are over 260,000 Cherokees in the United States. Most

live in Oklahoma. Some still live in the southeastern region of

the United States.

Cherokees are proud of who they are today. They have learned to

change over thousands of years, but still do some of the same

things they used to do hundreds of years ago. For example,

they still weave baskets, go to Cherokee schools and many can

speak the Cherokee language. But they have also learned to

change over time. Today they even play football and own their

own businesses. The Cherokees are after all the Ani-Yun’wiya,

the principal people.

In the time that the Cherokees had there own land, would I consider them a country?

Yes, I would say that when the Cherokees had their own land, I would consider them their own country. They had their own language which they spoke fluently to each other. They had their own religion which they practiced 24/7. They had their own set of warriors and weapons which they made and used. They had their own set of art & crafts. They had their own rules for marriage. They had separate clans representing different families. They had different roles for women and men. They had their own villages. They had their own government and laws. They also had their own way of finding, preparing, and eating food. The Cherokee had their own nation and their own country until the Americans moved onto their country and pushed them onto other land.