Cherokee
Location: The homelands of the
Cherokee (chair-oh-key) includes the southern Appalachian Mountains, present-day western North and
South Carolina, northern Georgia and Alabama, southwest Virginia, and the
Cumberland Basin of Tennessee, Kentucky, and northern Alabama. Currently, the
Cherokee live in eastern Oklahoma. There are also Cherokee in North Carolina,
Missouri, Arkansas, Georgia and Alabama.Language: Iroquian, but Cherokee differs
significantly from other Iroquian languages.Daily Life: Many Cherokee live on
reservations and work hard to preserve their rich cultural history. Others have
moved across the United States and have assimilated into the dominant culture.History: At the time of European contact, the
Cherokee were a settled, agricultural people. Homes were usually a circular
framework interwoven with branches and plastered with mud. Agriculture relied
heavily on corn, beans and squash supplemented by hunting and gathering of wild
plants. In less than 30 years the Cherokee underwent radical change. The clan system of
government was soon replaced by an elected tribal council. A written
constitution modeled after that of the United States was added in 1827. Many
Cherokee became prosperous farmers with comfortable houses, beautiful
cultivated fields and large herds of livestock. Christian missionaries arrived
by invitation, and Sequoia invented an alphabet that gave them a written
language and overnight made most of the Cherokee literate. They published a
newspaper, established a court system, and built schools. Although the poor
Cherokee still lived in simple log cabins, many Cherokee were more prosperous
and acculturated than their increasingly envious white neighbors. When gold was
discovered on Cherokee land in northern Georgia, miners arrived and Indian
removal was suggested. The Indian Removal Act was introduced in Congress in
1829. This was the beginning of the Trail of Tears. Forced to abandon most of
their property, the Cherokee were marched west without adequate shelter,
provisions, or food. As many as 4,000 died.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not
claim expertise on the Cherokee.
Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the web address of this page.
If you are Cherokee, your feedback is much appreciated.
Resources:
- The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians
- http://www.charweb.org/neighbors/na/cherokee.htm
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