Cherokee
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Cherokee legend says that the Cherokee came from the far away Northwest. This may be true. Centuries ago, people probably did come from Siberia. Some moved further south and became known as the Indians of South America. Many stayed in North America.
The Cherokee lived in Northern Georgia, Eastern Tennessee, and Western North Carolina. Cherokees said that the Great Spirit gave them their land. It was beautiful land. Their territory was in the Appalachian Mountains. It covers eight states. The Cherokee formed one Woodland tribe.
Later, they needed a capital. They started a capital called New Town in Georgia. Then they changed the name to New Echota. They sold plots of land in New Echota and laid out streets.
Most Cherokees lived in log houses in their towns. Some were made out of grass and mud. Wild grasses were used for the roof. They had fireplaces for warmth in the winter. Summer houses were oblong. Men built the houses.
Their only form of transportation was by canoe. They made them by hollowing out a log using hot coals. Then they would scrape the inside of the log with a sharp stone.
The Cherokee raised corn, squash, sweet potatoes, and beans. They also gathered wild plants. Fish were very important. They caught them in traps. They fished in cold mountain streams.
Most clothes were made of animal skins. Skirts were made with hemp plant. Skirts were knee length. They also had cloaks.
The men had many responsibilities. They had to hunt deer and bear. The men used blowguns, spears, and bows and arrows to kill the animals. The men also had to cut down trees to prepare for planting crops. Some other things they did were building houses and making canoes.
Women also had a lot of responsibilities just like the men. They made clothes, planted seed, and harvested crops. Women also had a part of government. They had their own council called “Ghigau” or “Beloved Women”. Each clan selected an “honored woman” to attend the yearly.
Children had responsibilities, too. Girls had to pound corn, prepare food, gather nuts, make pots to hold water and meat, and learn household duties by watching their mother. They did errands for their mother and helped care for sisters and brothers. They also assisted in weaving baskets and gardening.
The boys had many jobs, too. They learned to hunt food and older boys and men learned to be warriors. They did things together. They learned by listening to stories. They withstand hunger and pain. As a result they respected the earth and its animals, and were polite to adults.
Men loved to play stick ball. First they would divide fifty on each team. Then they would try to score goals.
The most important ceremony was the Green Corn Ceremony. It was held when the corn was ripe. It marked the ending of the old year and the beginning of the new. Ceremonies were made to keep harmony. Cherokee tried to behave correctly for lives to be good. They believed the world was kept in balancein this way. At ceremonies men wore died buckskin shirts with matching headresses. Before war parties left they had ceremonies.
The Cherokee never had a written language. One man, named Sequoyah, saw how important a written language was. Sequoyah was born about 1775. His mother was a Cherokee and his father was a white trader. Sequoyah never went to school and never learned to read or write English.
He saw whites using what he called “talking leaves”. Through studying
and reading the 26 letter English language, he developed an Indian language that contained 80 characters. Each character stood for one syllable. Soon the characters became know as the Cherokee alphabet.
Nancy Ward was a famous woman because her husband was killed by the Creeks. Then she picked up her husbands gun and started fighting with such courage