The Cherokee Tribe By : Danielle

Location Of My Tribe The Cherokee tribe lives in Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Most Cherokees were forced to move to Oklahoma.

Name The word Cherokee comes from a Muskogee word.

Government In the past, each band was led by one war chief and one peace chief. Cherokee chiefs were chosen by a tribal council. Cherokee war chiefs were male but the peace chief could be woman.

Native Alabamian Life There are three federally recognized Cherokee tribes. The Cherokee nation of Oklahoma, the united Keetoowah band in Oklahoma, and the eastern band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina.

Homes A Cherokee would live in two houses one would be his in the hot summer months with a winter home nearby.

Appearance People of this tribe were slim. The skin color varied from a light tan to a dark tan. They had straight black hair. Women rarely cut their hair, as long hair was considered to be beautiful.

Food Corn was their favorite meal cooked in soups, stews, and ground into meal bake bread. Meat came from the animals of forest, meadows, and streams. Plums, berries, mushrooms, wild greens, wild potatoes, and nuts formed a part of their food menu.

Transportation The Cherokee Indians used to make long dugout canoes from hollowed – out logs, over land, the Cherokee used dogs as pack animals.

Weapons Cherokee hunters used bows and arrows or blow guns to shoot game. Fisherman generally used spears and fishing poles. Warriors fired arrows or fought with a melee weapon like a tomahawk or spear.

Arts And Crafts Traditional Cherokee arts included pipe carving, river cane baskets, gourd art, and pottery. After moving to Oklahoma the Cherokees couldn’t get the materials they used to use for traditional crafts, so they considered on other crafts like beadwork and textile arts.

Language The Cherokee alphabet is technically not an alphabet, but a syllabary. That means each represents a syllable, not just a consonant or a vowel. So using the English alphabet ama (water in Cherokee) is written with three letters a,m, and a.

Traditions And Rituals The first new moon of spring ceremony took place “ When the grass began to grow and the trees send out their pale new leaves”. This festival initiated the planting season.

Legends One of the best known people in Cherokee history is Sequoyah, Sequoyah was a very brilliant man. Although he did not know how to read or write in any other languages.

What My Tribe Left Behind The Cherokee had to leave their homeland the terrible journey lasted for 6 months, over 4,000 died along the trail.

Other Important Facts The Cherokee Indians originally called themselves Aniyunwiya, the principal people.