My great grandfather was part Cherokee Indian. Cherokee Indians have a very unique culture and that culture they have built has been from other culture’s influences. They have traditions and customs that they hold close and practice still to this day. I am going to go into detail about their dances and everything that goes a long with it such as music and their costumes. The Cherokee have many traditional dances, ancient, modern, religious, social and there are some that are no longer practiced. The stomp dance is the most important of all. The stomp dance ritual occurs throughout a time span of a whole day. They prepare for the dance all day long. Creating a fire, cooking food, give sermons, and play stickball, a game resembling …show more content…
The stomp dance is considered to be a holy event for worshipping Unetanv (God, The Creator). The dance begins with the leader and he circles the sacred fire and is followed in single file by those who are invited to participate. He leads the dancers counter-clockwise around the fire, singing, shaking leg rattles, and dancing in a stomping order. Men and women alternate positions behind the leader, organizing themselves by age and skill, with the youngest and least experienced dancers at the end of the line. Of course the stomp dance is not the only dance performed. Their purpose of dancing is also seen throughout the names given to dances. Such as the rain dance, sun dance, and snake dance, all have a story that goes a long with the title of dance. Dances in the Cherokee are mainly just performed in order to insure the community’s wellbeing and honor the …show more content…
Cherokee music has evolved over time. New Cherokee music includes the fiddle, percussion, guitar and mandolin. Many of the instruments all have spiritual significance. They play everything from traditional Native American music, to bluegrass, to rock and roll music. Music is used for healing and building community connections and when music is played there is usually dancing. Ceremonial instruments are usually made of natural elements to honor God the Creator. Cherokee dances have deep ceremonial significance. Dance songs feature call and response patterns or even short sections of lyrics sung in specific orders. Cherokee music often includes lyrics and vocals with tribal stories, prayers and chanting. Vocal lyrics are used along with instruments to create a strong rhythmic beat for ritual dancing. Many songs can be sand as a solo or as a group. Cherokee sing traditional tribal songs to invoke the power of nature and spirits and to respect tradition. They ask for healing or a plentiful harvest, and show gratitude to the