Danielle Williams

February 29th, 2016

ELED 3223- Social Studies
Teachers Brief Draft

Those Who Live In The Mountains

INTRODUCTION:
Cherokee is pronounced "CHAIR-uh-kee." It comes from a Muskogee word
meaning 'speakers of another language.' Cherokee Indians originally called themselves
Aniyunwiya, which stands for "the principal people. Today, the Indians accept the name
Cherokee, which is spelled and pronounced Tsalagi in their own language. (Cherokee
Indian Fact Sheet, 1998-2015) The Cherokee Indians are a Native American tribe of the
Iroquoian family formerly holding the whole mountain region of the south Alleghenies,
in southwest Virginia, western North Carolina and South Carolina, north Georgia, east
Tennessee, and northeast Alabama and lastly claiming the Ohio River. The Cherokee
Indians have been consistently recognized as one of the most informally and culturally
advanced of the Native American tribes. (Cherokee Tribe - Access Genealogy, 19992016) There are still Cherokee Indians around today and I am lucky enough to have some
in my family. My grandmother on my fathers side was full-blooded Cherokee Indian.
Therefore, my dad is half Cherokee Indian and that makes me a forth-Cherokee Indian.
When some people think of Cherokee Indians, all they think about are teepee tents and
feathers. Cherokee Indians are much more than that; Cherokee Indians are like you and I.
In this paper, you will learn who Cherokee Indians really are. You will learn where they

lived, what clothing they wore, what food they eat, and what instruments they play. You
will also be introduced to a famous Cherokee Indian, Sequoyah.
HOMELAND:
The Cherokee Indians are people made up of three federally recognized tribes; the
only Cherokee tribes formally recognized by the United States government. Tribes are a
social division in a traditional society containing families or communities connected by
social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and language, typically
having a recognized leader. The Cherokee Indians live in American Southeast regions;
Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The
Cherokee Indians were forced to move to Oklahoma in the 1800s along Trail of Tears.
Some Cherokee Indians escaped the trail of Tears by hiding in the Appalachian hills or
taking shelter with concerned and understanding white neighbors. While some Cherokee
Indians speak English, most Cherokee also known as Tsalagi is an Iroquoian language
invented by a Native Cherokee scholar. There are 22,000 people that speak the Cherokee
language today, and are mainly used in Oklahoma and North Carolina. (Cherokee Indian
Fact Sheet, 1998-2015)
CLOTHES:
The Cherokee Indians wore clothes that were similar to something you and I wear
today. The Cherokee men wore loin clothes in the summer, and would add leggings when
it got colder. They wore moccasins on their feet during the warmer weather and in the
cold, they would add fur to their moccasins and deer skin shirts and leggings to help keep
them warmer. The Cherokee women mostly wore short deer sin skirts and a blouse.
Women also wore fur during the cold just like the men to help keep them warm.

(Cherokee Nation Home, 2016) The men would decorate their faces and bodies lengthily
with tribal tattoo art and would paint themselves with bright colors when it was time for
war. (Daily Life, 2016)
FOOD:
The Cherokee Indians not only made their own clothes but they were also
farmers, hunters, and gatherers. The women did most of the farming and harvesting crops
such as corn, beans, and squash. This is known as The Three Sisters. The men did most
of the hunting; shooting deer, bears, and wild turkeys. The Cherokee used every part of
the animal, the most important being a deer. Men would also go fishing in a river along
the coast. Corn being the most important, the Cherokee women would make sure they
planted enough crops to provide food for two years. I bet your wondering now what the
Cherokee Indians used to hunt, fish, and farm. The Cherokee made blowguns, bows and
arrows; animal traps, nets to catch fish, and spears to help capture food. The most
important tool Cherokee Indians used was called a bow and arrow. (Daily Life, 2016)
INSTRUMENTS:
The traditional musical instruments of the Cherokee include the water drum, river
cane flute and bamboo flute, trumpets made from buffalo horn and other materials, and
also ceremonial rattles. A water drum is an earthen pot or kettle with a skin stretched over
the top of it. An inch or so of water or other liquid is placed inside before playing. A river
cane flute is about a foot long with 6 finger holes spaced along its length, the bamboo
flute is very similar. While growing up, my father had a river cane flute and we would
always try to play it. It was very entertaining. The trumpets were made from buffalo
horns and sometimes from long neck gourds or even the thighbone of the crane. Last, a

ceremonial rattle is used from turtle shells. Music plays an integral role in the life of
Native Americans. (Native American Music, 1995-2016)
FAMOUS INDIANS:
Sequoyah was a very bright man. Sequoyah was born circa 1776 at the village of
Tuskeegee, which is near where the Museum is today. His father was Nathaniel Gist, a
Virginia fur trader. His mother was Wut-teh, daughter of a Cherokee Chief. Sequoyah did
not know how to read or write in any other language, but succeed in discovering a writing
system for Cherokee that is still used today. This writing system is known as the
Cherokee Syllabary. The Cherokee Syllabary is a syllabary that was used to write the
Cherokee language in the late 1810s and early 1820s. Sequoyah invented this for the
exact reason that he could not read any script. He began experimenting with logograms
but then his system later developed into a syllabary. (Sequoyah Museum: Biography,
2007-2009) A famous Cherokee Indian from modern times is Wilma Mankiller, the first
female Chief of the Cherokee tribe. Wilma Mankiller served 12 years in elective office at
the Cherokee Nation, the first two as Deputy Principal Chief followed by 10 years as
Principal Chief. (Cherokee Indian Fact Sheet, 1998-2015) Both Sequoyah and Wilma
Mankiller were very important people in the Cherokee tribe.
FUN FACTS:
Some fun facts about Cherokee Indians are in the older days, There were no
chiefs but in later years, they had Indian chiefs. Secondly, The Cherokee Indian never
lived in tipis. The houses were in settlements with high walls surrounding them. The
settlements were located near water. Third, There was a balance of power between the
men and women. Women bought and sold property, were in charge of farming, and were

in charge of family matters. The women could divorce and remarry when needed. The
men were in charge of hunting, war, and peacekeeping. Fourth, Cherokee heritage is
drawn through the mother. There are 7 Cherokee families. You always keep your
mothers clique a secret for spiritual reasons and for security reasons. Last, there are three
tribes of Cherokee Indians that are documented by the federal government. These are the
Western Band of Cherokee Indians, which has about a 270,000 population located in
Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Second is the United Keetoowah Band with a population of
16,000 and is also located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Last, the Eastern Band headquartered
in Cherokee, North Carolina. (Six Surprising Facts, 2016) The heritage of the Cherokee
Nation is evident today in the survival of our traditional arts ranging from basket making
to traditional clothing such as ribbon shirts and tear dresses. That heritage is alive and
well today and is displayed in the way we work, the way we live and the way we play.
(Cherokee Nation Home, 2016)
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, when you think of Cherokee Indians, you dont need to think of
someone that lives in teepees and has feathers in their heads. They are much more than
that and they are normal people just like you and I. The Cherokee Indians are a Native
American tribe of the Iroquoian family formerly holding the whole mountain region of
the south Alleghenies, in southwest Virginia, western North Carolina and South Carolina,
north Georgia, east Tennessee, and northeast Alabama and lastly claiming the Ohio River.
The Cherokee Indians have been consistently recognized as one of the most informally
and culturally advanced of the Native American tribes. (Cherokee Indian Fact Sheet,
1998-2015) It is important to know and understand this culture. The Cherokee Indians

were one of the largest of five Native American tribes who settled in the American
Southeast portion of the country. When most people think of Cherokee Indians, they
quickly assume that they lived in teepee and wore gowns with feathers in their heads.
This is not true, so it is important to teach students about Cherokee Indians so they can
know who they really are and what they really did. (Cherokee Indians, 2016)

REFERENCES:
Cherokee Indian Fact Sheet. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2016, from
http://www.bigorrin.org/cherokee_kids.htm
Cherokee Indians. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2016, from
http://indians.org/articles/cherokee-indians.html
Cherokee Museum | Museum of the Cherokee Indian NC. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02,
2016, from http://www.cherokeemuseum.org/
Cherokee Nation Home. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2016, from
http://www.cherokee.org/
Cherokee Tribe - Access Genealogy. (2011). Retrieved March 02, 2016, from
https://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/cherokee-tribe.htm
Daily Life in Olden Timesfor KidsSoutheast Cherokee IndiansFood and Clothing. (n.d.).
Retrieved April 08, 2016, from
http://nativeamericans.mrdonn.org/southeast/cherokee/food-clothing.html
Native American Music. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2016, from
http://www.indians.org/articles/native-american-music.html
Sequoyah Museum: Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved April 08, 2016, from
http://www.sequoyahmuseum.org/index.cfm/m/5
Six Surprising Facts About Cherokee Indians. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2016, from
http://hubpages.com/literature/Six-Surprising-Facts-About-Cherokee-Indians