| The Cherokee Tribe “The Principal People” | HIST105 | | Christy Price | 2/10/2013 |

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The Cherokee Tribe “The Principal People”
The word Cherokee, which is pronounced CHAIR-uh-kee, comes from a Muskogee word meaning ‘speakers of another language’. Cherokee Indians, pronounced Tsalagi in their own language, originally called themselves Aniyunwiya, "the principal people," but today they accept the name Cherokee. There are 350,000 Cherokee people that still exist today, mostly living in Oklahoma and North Carolina. Most Cherokee do speak English but there are still 20,000 that also speak their native Cherokee Indian language. The Cherokees were peaceful allies of the Americans and the white settlers called the Cherokee, as well as, the Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole “The Five Civilized Tribes”, probably because these tribes were early converts to Christianity. The five tribes never considered themselves part of an alliance and did not call themselves the Civilized Tribes in their own languages. The Cherokee Indians adopted the customs, laws and religion of the white settlers and many became prosperous merchants, traders, teachers, writers and tribal statesmen. The Cherokees were one of the largest Native American tribes who settled in the American Southeast portion of the country.

The Cherokee Tribe “The Principal People”
"The Principle People", as they were sometimes called, originated with seven brothers in eastern Asia, from which came the seven original clans. They migrated eastward toward the sun and incorporated other customs and means of survival. Long before De Soto, or Columbus, these clans moved to North America carrying with them the sacred fire and knowledge of the spirits of good and evil. They were highly skilled in crafting pottery, sculptures, and metalwork, though they were primarily hunter-gatherers. They farmed crops such as corn, tobacco, squash, pumpkins, and sunflowers. Because of their extensive knowledge and skill in planting, irrigating and caring for food crops, they developed cities long before Europeans did. As settlers and traders moved inland, many Native Americans, including the Cherokee, assisted with food and supplies. The Cherokees taught early settlers how to hunt fish and farm, they also taught them to use herbal medicines when they became ill. The Cherokee Indians traded regularly with other southeastern Native Americans who especially liked their trades for high-quality Cherokee pipes and pottery. The Cherokees often fought with their neighbors the Creeks, Chickasaws, and Shawnees.

The Cherokee Tribe “The Principal People”
Traditional Cherokee art included pipe carving, river cane baskets, gourd art, and pottery. After being forced to move to Oklahoma, they concentrated on crafts like beadwork and textile arts. There are three federally recognized tribes and seven clans within the Cherokee society: Tribes of the Cherokee are; The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, The United Keetoowah Band in Oklahoma, and The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina. The seven clans are; a ni gi lo hi (Long Hair), who are known to be a very peaceful clan. Orphans of other tribes, and others with no Cherokee tribe were often adopted into this clan. The Long Hair arbor is on the East side, and also houses the Chiefs and other leaders of the ground. a ni sa ho ni (Blue), which are considered the oldest clan. From this clan came the people who were able to make special medicines for children. The Blue arbor is to the left of the Long Hair arbor. a ni wa ya (Wolf), known to be protectors and the largest clan. The Wolf arbor is to the left of the Blue arbor. a ni go te ge wi (Wild Potato), members of this clan were known to be ‘keepers of the land’ and gatherers. The Wild Potato arbor is to the left of the Wolf arbor.

The Cherokee Tribe “The Principal People” a ni a wi (Deer), known as fast runners and hunters. Even though they hunted game for subsistence, they respected and cared for the animals. Also known as messengers, they delivered messages from village to village. The Deer arbor is to the left of the Wild Potato arbor. a ni tsi s qua (Bird), they believed that birds are messengers between heaven and earth and were given the responsibility of caring for the birds. Earned eagle feathers were presented by members of the Bird clan, as they were the only ones able to collect them. The Bird arbor is to the left of the Deer arbor. The last clan is a ni wo di (Paint), known as prominent medicine people. Medicine is often 'painted' on a patient after harvesting, mixing and performing other aspects of the ceremony. The paint arbor is to the left of the Bird arbor. Other Cherokee communities in Alabama, Georgia, and other states are considered unofficial by the US government. The knowledge of a person's clan is important for many reasons; Clan members are considered brother and sisters and it is forbidden to marry within your clan. In addition, when seeking spiritual guidance and Indian doctoring, it is necessary to name your clan. Seating at ceremonial stomp dances is by clan, as well. Cherokee Indians lived in villages, usually located near a river.

The Cherokee Tribe “The Principal People”
Cherokee houses were made of river cane and plaster, with thatched roofs, these houses were almost as strong and warm as log cabins. Cherokees also built larger seven-sided buildings for ceremonial purposes. The public house also called the Town House is used for dancing, holding council, and courts. It is built in a circular form, with perpendicular walls ending at a point, giving the roof a conical shape which is supported by interior posts. Puncheons (logs with one flat side) are laid around the inside and serve as seats. The house is covered with the bark of trees held on with the bark of hickory shrubs or white oak shreds. On the outside is a small shed and in front of this is a square leveled and smoothed smooth for dancing. Another building called a ‘Hot house’ is built as small, low huts constructed of small logs, mud and clapboards. The roof is generally a layer of thick puncheons, then a thick coat of mud and lastly, clapboards to prevent the mud being washed off by the rain. A small opening is made in the end for a doorway and all visible ways in which air can get in are carefully closed. Burning coals and embers, or other fuel that produces little or no smoke, are kept in the center and kept burning During the winter months many spent a great deal of their time in the ‘hot house' and roasted potatoes and parched corn.
The Cherokee Tribe “The Principal People”
The Cherokee men were able to be Chiefs and were in charge of diplomacy and political decisions for the tribe. They were also the hunters for their family as well as the tribe. Cherokee men wore short gowns, known as a hunting shirt, made with considerable taste, a beaded belt around the waist and dear skin leggings. The Cherokees didn't wear long headdresses like the Sioux, but Cherokee men wore woven turbans made of hide or cloth. The Cherokee women were in charge of farming, property, and family. They made social decisions and were the land owners. Cherokee women harvested crops of corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers; they also gathered berries, nuts and fruit to be used in dishes and cooked on stone hearths. Cherokee women wore wraparound skirts with poncho-style blouses made out of woven fiber or deerskin and always wore their hair long, cutting it only in mourning for a family member. After colonization, a more European style of dress was adopted including long braided or beaded jackets, cotton blouses and full skirts decorated with ribbon Both genders wore moccasins on their feet. Cherokee warriors usually shaved their heads except for a single scalp-lock towards the back of the head; they would use the scalp-lock to tie one eagle or turkey feather to their heads.

The Cherokee Tribe “The Principal People”
Warriors fired arrows or fought with a melee weapons like a tomahawk or spear. Arrowheads were made from various kinds of stone but flint was the best because it was very hard and easier to chip than most other hard rocks. The tools used for chipping arrowheads were deer antlers and a hammer stones. Spear points were made in the same way but were larger in size and shaped a bit differently. Stone weapons like tomahawks and battle hammers were made from rocks of the correct overall shape and sharpening one edge and grinding a groove around the stone to be used for binding the stone to a handle with rawhide. The Cherokee used blowguns occasionally in warfare and the darts that were used were generally poisoned with the venom of snakes. Venomous snakes were made to strike a piece of spoiled meat and then the dart points were pushed into the meat to absorb the venom, certain plant juices and extracts known to be poisonous were also used. Cherokee hunters used bows and arrows or blowguns mainly for killing small game. Fishermen generally used spears and fishing poles to catch fish. Cherokee also used hand axes for woodworking, flint knives for skinning, and wooden hoes for farming. Pots and baskets were used for storing foods.

The Cherokee Tribe “The Principal People” The Cherokee belief system is based on the premise that good is rewarded and evil is punished and they have a strict belief in this type of justice. It is often believed that some events are caused by someone using evil medicine. Cherokees also believe that after a person dies, his soul continues to live as a ghost. Ghosts are believed to have the ability to materialize, but not all people can see them. The Cherokee also believe they have been gifted by the Creator with an understanding of the gathering, use and preservation of medicinal herbs and that the plants were put on earth not only to heal but as preventative measures as well. Cherokee herbalists have great experience, and have gone through extensive training and have been taught that when you gather, only pick or dig every third plant to ensure that enough specimens remain to continue propagation. If you find a wild crop of useful herbs, do not share its location unless it is to a person very close to you as this will ensure that large numbers of people do not wipe out an entire wild crop in a short time. Many of the plants have disappeared throughout the years or have become extremely scarce. Additional information can be found by talking to the elders of a Cherokee family, many of which can still recall remedies that were used and give information on herbs they themselves use.
The Cherokee Tribe “The Principal People” Story-telling is very important to the Cherokee Indian culture and both genders took part as well as artwork, music, and traditional medicine. Cherokee society is historically matrilineal which means clanship comes from the mother. In past history the maternal grandmother named the daughters of the family and a senior male on father's side named the sons, though in today’s Cherokee society it is common for the maternal grandmother to give all her grandchildren their Cherokee names. Cherokee names are not the same as English names, and many times do not even have a similar meaning to one another when translated. The Cherokees are the original residents of the American southeast region, mainly in Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee but were forced to move to Oklahoma in the 1800's along the Trail of Tears. Trail of Tears was the Cherokee name for what the Americans called Indian Removal. The Reverend Samuel Worcester, missionary to the Cherokees, challenged Georgia’s attempt to extinguish the Indians title to land in the state, and actually won his case before the Supreme Court. Worcester vs. Georgia, 1832 and Cherokee Nation vs. Georgia, 1831 are considered the two most influential legal decisions in Indian law. The Cherokee Tribe “The Principal People” The U.S. Supreme Court ruled for Georgia in the 1831 case, but in Worcester vs. Georgia, the court affirmed Cherokee sovereignty. President Andrew Jackson defied the decision of the court and ordered the removal of the Native Americans from their ancestral homelands. President Andrew Jackson's military command and certainly his life were saved thanks to the aid of 500 Cherokee allies at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814, but unbelievably, it was Jackson who authorized the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The U.S. government used the Treaty of New Echota, which was signed by 100 Cherokees known as the Treaty Party, relinquishing all lands east of the Mississippi River in exchange for land in Indian Territory and the promised money, livestock, various provisions, tools and other benefits, to justify the removal of Indians in 1835. When the Indian leaders signed the Treaty, they also signed their own death warrants, since the Cherokee Nation Council had passed a law calling for the death of anyone agreeing to give up tribal land. The signing and the removal ultimately led to the deaths of most of the Treaty Party leaders once they arrived in Indian Territory. Under orders from President Jackson the U.S. Army began enforcement of the Removal Act.

The Cherokee Tribe “The Principal People”
The Cherokee were rounded up in the summer of 1838 and loaded onto boats that traveled the Tennessee, Ohio, Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers to Indian Territory. An estimated 4,000 died from hunger, exposure and disease. The journey became a cultural memory as the "trail where they cried" for the Cherokees and other removed tribes. Today it is widely remembered by the general public as the "Trail of Tears".