What are 3 facts about Cherokee?

What are Cherokee known for?

The Cherokee were farming people. Cherokee women did most of the farming, harvesting crops of corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers. Cherokee men did most of the hunting, shooting deer, bear, wild turkeys, and small game. They also fished in the rivers and along the coast.

What are the 3 Cherokee tribes?

Today there are three federally recognized branches of Cherokee people: Cherokee Nation, located in Tahlequah, Okla.; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, located in Cherokee, N.C.; and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, located in Tahlequah, Okla.

How old is the Cherokee tribe?

According to tribal history, Cherokee people have existed since time immemorial. Our oral history extends back through the millennia. It's recorded that our first European contact came in 1540 with Hernando DeSoto's exploration of the southeastern portion of our continent.

Why is the Cherokee tribe famous?

Prior to European settlement of the Americas, Cherokees were the largest Native American tribe in North America. They became known as one of the so-called "Five Civilized Tribes," thanks to their relatively peaceful interactions with early European settlers and their willingness to adapt to Anglo-American customs.

8 Fun Facts About The Cherokee From A Cherokee

What language did Cherokee speak?

Cherokee language, Cherokee name Tsalagi Gawonihisdi, North American Indian language, a member of the Iroquoian family, spoken by the Cherokee (Tsalagi) people originally inhabiting Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

What are two interesting facts about Cherokee?

What is Cherokee real name?

The name comes from the Creek word chelokee, which means “people of a different speech.” The Cherokee refer to themselves as Ani'-Yun'wiya', meaning “the real people” or “the principal people,” or Tsalagi, which comes from a Choctaw (see entry) word for “people living in a land of many caves.” The tribe's original name ...

How did Cherokee get their name?

The Cherokee are North American Indians of Iroquoian lineage who constituted one of the largest politically integrated tribes at the time of European colonization of the Americas. Their name is derived from a Creek word meaning “people of different speech”; many prefer to be known as Keetoowah or Tsalagi.

What did the Cherokee wear?

In terms of clothing, many Cherokee wore a mixture of traditional and American attire such as linen shirts, deerskin moccasins, and leggings. It was not uncommon for warriors to wear beaded or decorative sashes, scarves, belts, and garters. Other ornamentation included silver gorgets, armbands, and earrings.

Did the Cherokee have a God?

The Cherokee revere the Great Spirit Unetlanvhi ("Creator"), who presides over all things and created the Earth. The Unetlanvhi is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, and is said to have made the earth to provide for its children, and should be of equal power to Dâyuni'sï, the Water Beetle.

What is the Cherokee God?

Unetlanvhi (oo-net-la-nuh-hee): the Cherokee word for God or “Great Spirit,” is Unetlanvhi is considered to be a divine spirit with no human form. The name is pronounced similar to oo-net-la-nuh-hee.

Did the Cherokee believe in God?

Today the majority of Cherokees practice some denomination of Christianity, with Baptist and Methodist the most common. However, a significant number of Cherokees still observe and practice older traditions, meeting at stomp grounds in local communities to hold stomp dances and other ceremonies.

What is unique about Cherokee culture?

Cherokee culture is based on seeking balance in the world and embracing harmony. Being in balance means being responsible for one's actions and remembering the good of the whole-the family, the tribe, and the earth. Cherokee music originally was used for dancing, welcoming visitors, courting, and ceremonies.

What did the Cherokee believe in?

They believed the world should have balance, harmony, cooperation, and respect within the community and between people and the rest of nature. Cherokee myths and legends taught the lessons and practices necessary to maintain natural balance, harmony, and health.

What food do the Cherokee eat?

The tribal diet commonly consisted of foods that were either gathered, grown, or hunted. The three sisters – corn, beans, and squash – were grown. Wild greens, mushrooms, ramps, nuts, and berries were collected. Deer, bears, birds, native fish, squirrels, groundhogs, and rabbits were all hunted.

Where did Cherokee tribe live?

Originally located in the southeastern United States in parts of Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, the Cherokee Nation was forced to relocate to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) in 1838 after gold was discovered in our homelands.

What tools did the Cherokee use?

Dressing and cleaning the game required the use of special scraping tools made with flint-napped blades. Hunters kept a flint knife at the waist or in a sheath around the neck to make it easily accessible. Knives were a necessity for everyday life. For small game like squirrels and rabbits, Cherokees used blowguns.

What is the history of Cherokee?

About 200 years ago the Cherokee Indians were one tribe, or "Indian Nation" that lived in the southeast part of what is now the United States. During the 1830's and 1840's, the period covered by the Indian Removal Act, many Cherokees were moved west to a territory that is now the State of Oklahoma.

Is Cherokee a rich tribe?

As one of the biggest tribes in the country, the Cherokees are modestly well-off: The nation has a budget of $350 million for 270,000 citizens. But it doesn't distribute casino earnings to members. Want to join the Cherokee Nation?

Does Cherokee have an alphabet?

Sequoyah was one of the most influential figures in Cherokee history. He created the Cherokee Syllabary, a written form of the Cherokee language. The syllabary allowed literacy and printing to flourish in the Cherokee Nation in the early 19th century and remains in use today.

Did Cherokee marry?

Cherokee marriages were as much between the Grandmothers of a clan as between the couple themselves. It was not permitted to marry within your own clan. A potential suitor had to select a young woman from another clan. Typically, the clan leaders would be consulted before such a selection was made.

What are the Cherokee words for love?

#DYK: In Cherokee, our word for "love" is adageyudi (Syllabary: ᎠᏓᎨᏳᏗ).

Did Cherokee wear shoes?

While the term "moccasin" is generally used to reference all shoes found on Native Americans' feet, many tribes have their own variations. Cherokees and other southeastern tribes made the pucker-toe moccasins, which use one piece of leather.

What are some facts about Cherokee for kids?

The Cherokee traditionally grew corn, beans, and squash. They hunted deer, bear, and elk. They lived in log cabins with roofs made of bark. Europeans arrived in Cherokee territory in the middle of the 1500s.