Student's Page

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2 Cherokee men and 1 Cherokee woman
Welcome to the Student's Page. Here I have included some important information about the Cherokee Indians that once lived on much of the land in the Southeastern Unites States. Be sure to check out the interactive websites I posted at the bottom of this page!

Where do the Cherokee live?

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Before the Trail of Tears the Cherokee Indians lived in parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. Now there are also Cherokee Indians who call Oklahoma home.

What was the Trail of Tears? How did it affect the Cherokee?

The Trail of Tears describes the path that many different Native American tirbes were forced to take from their home lands to "Indian Territory" in Oklahoma. It all started in the 1800s when President Andrew Jackson required all the Native American tribes in the East to move off of their lands. The Cherokee did not want to leave their land and asked the Supreme Court to help prevent their forced removal. The Court decided that they could stay. But even after this decision President Andrew Jackson sent the army to remove the Cherokees anyway. The Cherokee Indians were forced to pack up their belongings and begin the walk to Oklahoma in Winter. Many thousands of Cherokee Indians died along the way.

What language do the Cherokee Indians speak?

Today, many Cherokee Indians speak English. But the traditional language of the Cherokee is the Cherokee Indian Language.

Seqouya, a Cherokee scholar, inventted the writing system that the Cherokee use when writing in their traditonal language. This writing system is called a syllabary. In a syllabary each syllable is shown with a character.

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Here is the Cherokee written language

What are some crafts traditionally made by the Cherokee?

Baskets made from cane, soapstone carvings, weaving, dance masks, pottery, and beadwork

What did the Cherokee Indians wear?

Men
Traditionally men wore a breechcloth and moccasins during the warm weather. In the Winter, they would also wear leggings and a fringed jacket.

Women
Women wore only a short skirt in the warmer weather and added a poncho-type top in cold weater.

The men made the moccasins and women made the clothing.

What was the Cherokee Government like?

According to oral tradition, in the past the Cherokee were governed by powerful priests the ani-Kutani. Then there was a revolt which lead to the democratic government they have today.

For a long time, the Cherokee Nation had no central government or laws. Each town and clan ruled themselves. And each town had a war chief, priest, and peace chief. The war chief was a male, the peace chief could be a female.

Today, the Cherokee nation has a three branch government similar to the United States government. This government is made of the Principal Chief, the Tribal Council, and three tribal justices. Men or women can hold these positions.

What did the Cherokee Indians house look like?

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The Cherokee made their houses out of rivercane, plaster, and thatched roofs.

Palisades are walls that surrounded many Cherokee villages
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What did the Cherokee Indians eat?

The Cherokee got most of thier food from farming. Some of the crops they grew were corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers. The Cherokee also hunted for deer and turkey and fished. Another portion of their food came from gathering berries, fruit, and nuts.

Check out these interactive websites!

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Copyright October 24, 2010. Brianne Flowers. Contact Me [email protected]