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Table of Contents
Cherokee (chair-uh-kee) comes from a Muskogee word that translates to “those who live in the mountains.” Cherokee Indians originally called themselves Aniyunwiya or “principal people,” but they have now accepted the term Cherokee.
See the fact file below for more information on the Cherokee or alternatively download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Facts & Information
Origins and History
- The Cherokee are indigenous people of America of Iroquoian lineage.
- Historians believed that the Cherokee people came from the north and traveled to Southern Appalachia, enduring the freezing climates.
- They were direct descendants of the sovereign tribal government, consisting of Alaska Natives and American Indians.
- The Qualla phase (1500-1850 CE) was the first to be recognized as the Cherokee Indians’ true ancestors. Cherokees are the Pisgah people’s direct descendants. The similarities between home and village structures reflect this, as seen in burial patterns. Other people from east Tennessee and north Georgia may have contributed to Cherokee culture during this historical period.
- Hernando De Soto, a Spanish explorer of Spain, arrived in what is now Cherokee County and is regarded as the first white man seen by the Cherokee tribe during the 1450s.
- During 1629-1673, the Chokerees started trading with the English Colonists, and the first treaty was signed between European settlers and the Cherokee Nation.
- The Cherokee of the Southeast were considered one of the “Five Civilized Tribes” in the region by the 19th century, according to White American settlers. They had started to adopt some of the cultural and technological practices of the white settlers and were agrarian people who lived in permanent settlements. They also created their own style of writing.
- By the end of the nineteenth century, most of the Cherokee Nation had begun to embrace European practices for the rest of the century. This meant that ladies began to wear gowns, companies were founded, farms were developed, and many people converted to the Christian faith. They also established a government that was quite similar to that of the United States of America.
- The Cherokee Nation is the largest of the 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States, with more than 300,000 tribal members. On the American census, an estimated 819,000 people claimed to be of Cherokee ancestry; the majority of them are not tribally enrolled.
Homeland
- Throughout the river valleys and mountain ridges of their ancestral homelands, the historic Cherokee is known to have lived in a large number of communities.
- What was known as the Lower towns were discovered in what is currently Oconee Country, South Carolina, along the Keowee River (called the Savannah River in its lower portion). Keowee was the main settlement in the Lower Towns. On the Keowee River, there were different Cherokee towns called Etastoe and Sugartown (Kulsetsiyi), a name that is frequently used.
- The Valley, Middle, and Outer Towns of western North Carolina were situated alongside the main rivers of the Tuckasegee, upper Little Tennessee, Hiwassee, French Broad, and other systems.
- On the western side of the Appalachian Mountains, in present southern Tennessee, the Overhill Cherokee lived in towns along the lower Little Tennessee River and upper Tennessee River.
- Native Americans in the region started to grow plants such as marsh, elder, lambs quarters, pigweed, sunflowers, and some native squash throughout the late Archaic and Woodland Period. People embraced new technologies, established complex religious rituals, and invented new artistic forms like shell gorgets.
- Local women created a new kind of maize (corn) known as eastern flint corn during the Mississippian culture period. It produced bigger crops and was very similar to current corn.
Culture and Society
- The Native American People celebrated the Green Corn Ceremony to commemorate each year’s corn harvest.
- Communities of Cherokees formed a robust national political state, developed their native alphabet, enacted a written constitution, and eventually offered political, social, and economic leadership not just for the tribe but also for the nation.
- The Cherokee were religious people that worshiped the sun and hoped for a bountiful crop.
- Traditional Cherokee life was driven by a belief in mystical energies that linked humans to all other living things.
Language
- Sequoyah completed the Cherokee Nation’s written alphabet after twelve years of labor in the Cherokee language. Initially regarded as witchcraft, Cherokee leaders finally acknowledged it. Over a fourth of the Cherokee Nation could read and write in their language in just six months. Within ten years, more than 90% of Cherokee were fully literate and able to read and write.
Wars and Conflicts
- The Cherokee became closer to the French and were more interested in trade with them than in conquering their country. However, the Cherokee Nation frequently allied with the English to battle their more traditional foes. This includes the Creek and Tuscarora Indians.
- During the years 1711 and 1717, the Tuscarora War and the Yamasee war took place.
- Several wars followed over the next few years. A smallpox outbreak also devastated anywhere from 25% to 50% of the Cherokee Nation. Other treaties also negotiated that took Cherokee territory and gave it to European immigrants. Some Cherokees were hostile to these accords. However, the government utterly disregarded them to secure land for cotton production.
- President Thomas Jefferson signed a treaty in 1802 to eliminate all Native Americans in return for the western regions. Over half of the Cherokee Nation’s territory had been gone, and the population had shrunk to less than 20,000 Native Americans. The first big Cherokee migration west of Mississippi occurred between 1808 and 1810.
- During the Creek War, Cherokee warriors fought alongside future President Andrew Jackson against the Red Stick group. In multiple instances, they rescued his army and his life.
- A census on 1835 estimated that over 90% of Cherokee were farmers who tilled their land. Without tribal consent, roughly twenty Cherokee negotiated and signed the Treaty of New Echota on December 29th on Elias Boudinot’s farm. It relinquished title to all Cherokee territories in the southeast, and this was in exchange for land in Oklahoma’s Indian Territory. However, the majority of Cherokees opposed the pact. Because the Cherokee Council did not agree to the terms, they deemed it fraudulent.
The Trail of Tears
- The ‘Trail of Tears,’ as now known, was a grueling journey for nearly four thousand Native American Cherokee. They had no choice but to march to Oklahoma. The Trail of Tears was named for the numerous deaths caused by different diseases. Malnutrition was certainly a factor, as was considerable contempt for the advancing Cherokee Nation.
- Despite a turbulent past, the Cherokee people’s fortitude has enabled them to maintain their prominence today.
Modern Cherokee Nation
- The town of Cherokee is both the spiritual and governmental center of the Eastern Band and a popular tourist destination that aims to educate visitors about Cherokee history, culture, and current events.
- The Unto These Hills outdoor theatre, which depicts the history surrounding the Trail of Tears, is performed during the summer months. Other Cherokee festivals and events include the Cherokee Fall Fair, the yearly Ramp Festival in April, and the Cherokee Voices Festival in June. Cherokee weavers, basketmakers, and potters are well known for their traditional work styles.
- Traditional storytelling is still a significant component of the Cherokee culture today, both in the Cherokee language and in English.
- Since the Indian Gaming Act of 1988 made gambling on Indian land legal, thousands of visitors from throughout the country visit the Harrah’s Cherokee Great Smoky Mountains Casino and other Cherokee businesses each year. This has had a significant economic impact on the Cherokee.
- More tribe people now have access to greater wages and benefits, as well as better health care and educational possibilities, thanks to the expansion of economic interests surrounding the casinos, such as hotels and restaurants.
Cherokee Tribe Worksheets
This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use Cherokee Worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about Cherokee Indians who originally called themselves Aniyunwiya or “principal people” but they have now accepted the term Cherokee.
Download includes the following worksheets
- Cherokee Facts
- The Cherokee Indians
- The Indian Problem
- Trail of Tears I
- Trail of Tears II
- The Indian Removal
- Cherokee Indian Nation
- Greatest Cherokee Chief
- Cherokee Mythological Creatures I
- Cherokee Mythological Creatures II
- Sequoyah’s Syllabary
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Cherokee?
When Europe first began colonizing the Americas, one of the greatest politically integrated tribes was the Cherokee, a group of North American Indians with Iroquoian ancestry.
Where did the Cherokees come from?
Historians believed that the Cherokee people came from the north and traveled to Southern Appalachia, enduring the freezing climates. They were direct descendants of the sovereign tribal government, consisting of Alaska Natives and American Indians.
What does the word Cherokee mean?
Cherokee (chair-uh-kee) is a Muskogee word that, in some contexts, translates as “those who live in the mountains” but also denotes “speakers of another language.”
Who is Sequoyah?
Sequoyah was a Cherokee Scholar who invented the Cherokee Indian language and created a writing system for his tribe.
What is the Trail of the Tears?
The ‘Trail of Tears,’ as now known, was a grueling journey for nearly four thousand Native American Cherokee. They had no choice but to march to Oklahoma. The Trail of Tears was named for the numerous deaths caused by different diseases. Malnutrition was certainly a factor, as was considerable.
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Link will appear as Cherokee History Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 17, 2017
Use With Any Curriculum
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