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The Beloved Women (Ghigua) were chosen by each clan to attend the Council of Women yearly. They were chosen for their bravery in battle or outstanding qualities, and it was the highest honor they could receive. The Ghigua headed the Council of Women and held a voting seat in the Council of Chiefs. The Ghigua was given the responsibility of prisoners and would decide their fate. She also had the right to be her people's sage and guide. Another of the Beloved Woman's duties was as ambassador, or peace negotiator

A day or two after the birth, a priest waved the infant four times over a fire while he addressed on its behalf a prayer to the fire for special blessings. On either the fourth or seventh day after birth, the same priest took the child to a river and commended it to its Creator, praying that it might enjoy a long and happy life. After this, while holding his hand over the infant's mouth and nostrils, he quickly immersed it seven times, then returned it to its parents Then the naming ceremony was held, and the name was bestowed by a prominent elderly woman of the community such as one of the Beloved Women. In most cases, the name was based on the infant's fancied resemblance to some object, on something said or done at the moment of birth, or an unusual character trait in the infant. Later in life, depending on a person's character changes or achievements, a new name might be earned or give. For example, a Cherokee warrior who killed a distinguished enemy , in a public ceremony , be given the name "Buffalo Killer". Whatever the name, every Cherokee regarded it as a distinct part of his/her personality, and believed that injury would result from any misuse of it. If, for instance, a priest's prayers had no effect while he was treating a patent, he often concluded that misuse of the patent's name was the cause and accordingly went to water where, with appropriate ceremonies, he christened the patient with a new name. The priest then began his healing ritual. Daily immersion of the child continued for two years. At the age of four or five, boys came under the supervision of their fathers or elder brothers and were taught how to handle weapons. Girls helped their mothers and older sisters and learned by doing. Both sexes learned rapidly and played games in which the activities of the elders were imitated. A child born in the midst of unusual circumstances, such as when strange things were happening on earth or in the heavens, might be raised to become a visionary or prophet, and such a career was particularly marked out for twins. Selected children such as these were kept secluded during the first twenty-four days of their lives. They were not allowed to taste their mother's milk, but instead were given the liquid portion of corn hominy. While such children were growing up, they were encouraged to go out alone and talk with the Little People Some sons were promised to the priesthood, and on acceptance by the priests were called "devoted sons". The training for priesthood was more demanding than for hunting.  The priesthood was to some extent hereditary, but there was also a selective process. The priests were advised in advance when a new candidate was to be presented to them. Before the presentation, the parents fasted and for seven days tasted only a certain root to vicariously bestow special powers on the child. To preserve the purity of children devoted to priesthood, mothers always delivered them into the care of the grandmother or some aged matron during the mother's periods of menstruation

The little people

The everyday cultural world of the Cherokee includes spiritual beings.  Even though the beings are different from people and animals, they are not considered "supernatural."  They are very much a part of the natural, or real, world and most people at some point in their lives, have an experience with spiritual beings. One group of spiritual beings still talked about by many Cherokees, are the Little People.  They are invisible unless they want to be seen.  When seen, they look very much like any other Cherokee, except they are very small, and have long hair, sometimes to the ground The Little People live in various places, such as rock shelters, caves in the mountains, laurel thickets, etc.  They like drumming and dancing, and they often help lost children.  Not only physically lost, but sometimes saddened children and those who are going through the tough times of growing up.  They are also known to be quite mischievous at times.  The Little People need to be dealt with carefully, and it is necessary to observe the traditional rules regarding them.  They don?t like to be disturbed, and they may cause a person who continually bothers them to become 'puzzled' throughout life.  Because of this, traditional Cherokees will not investigate or look when they believe they hear Little People.  If one of the Little People is accidentally seen, or if he or she chooses to show himself, it is not to be discussed or told of for at least seven years. It is also a common practice to not speak about the Little People after night fall

The raven mocker

The most dreaded of all Cherokee witches is the Raven Mocker, who robs the dying of their life.  A Raven Mocker can be of either sex, and there is no real way to know one.  They usually look old and withered, because they have added so many lives to their own During the night when someone is sick or dying, the Raven Mocker goes there to take the life.  He flies through the air with his arms outstretched like wings.  There will be a wild wind noise around him, and sparks trailing from behind.  Every once in awhile he will dive, and make a sound similar to a raven?s cry.  All those who hear it are afraid, because they know that someone?s life will soon end.  When the Raven Mocker makes it to the dying person?s house, he often finds others of his kind there.  Unless there is an Cherokee Doctor watching out who knows how to drive them off, they will all go inside (they are invisible) and frighten and torment the sick person until they kill him.  Sometimes, those who are attending the sick think the person is just fighting for their breath. After the witches take the life, they take out his heart and eat it, and by doing this, they add to their own lives as many days or years as they have taken from his.  Nobody who is attending the sick can see them, and there is no scar where they have removed the heart.  Upon further examination, they will find that there is no heart left in the body. Only a medicine person with the right kind of medicine can recognize a Raven Mocker, and if that medicine person stays in the room with the sick person, the witches will be afraid to come in.  When one of them has been recognized in his right shape, he must die within seven days.  Often, when the friends of a traditional Cherokee know that there is no more hope, they will try to have one of these medicine people stay in the house and guard the body until it is buried.  Witches will not steal the hearts after burial. Other witches are usually jealous of Raven Mockers and are afraid to enter the same house with one.  When a Raven Mocker finally dies, the other witches sometimes take revenge by digging up the body and abusing it.  Traditional Cherokees also believe that after a person dies, his soul often continues to live as a ghost.  Ghosts are believed to have the ability to materialize where some people can see them, although some can not.

The fire ceremony and stomp dance

The fire was and is sacred to the Cherokee, and is a living memorial.  It has been with the people from the beginning of time"

 Fire is a gift of the Great Spirit, it separates men from animals.  It makes civilization possible.  Fire can only be lit by a priest, typically a member of the Ani-Wodi clan (priests, keepers of the flame).  The fire is traditionally made of Oak wood.

 If the fire is not made of Oak, or is not lit by a priest, only bad luck can follow.  Once the kindling is placed, the priest lights a twig and offers the smoke to the North, East, South, West, Upward to the heavens, Downward to the Mother Earth, and Inward to the center (self) for purity.

The fire is very sacred to traditional Cherokees.  It is built at the bottom of a pit below the ground, and burns constantly.  It is believed by traditional Cherokees that soon after creation of the Cherokee people, the Creator left his throne in Heaven and visited the earth.  He chose four Cherokee men who were strong, healthy, good and true, and believed with all of their heart in the Creator.  They were each given a name:  Red, Blue, Black and Yellow.  Each was given a wooden stick that was very straight, and was told to place one end of the stick on a surface that would not burn.  He said to place the other end in their hands, and start this material that would not burn to magically burn. . . by giving the sticks a circular, rotating motion.  

When this was done, and all the sticks were burning, they were told to go to the center of the cross, and there the four would start one singular fire.  This fire would burn for all time, and be the Sacred Fire.  The fire was started with the instructions and help of the Creator, and is maintained by the Ani-Wodi.  The Sacred Fire has been held since that time by the Cherokee, and is kept alive by the Chief, Assistant Chief, Firekeeper, and Assistant Firekeepers of the Ground.

A firekeeper (Ani -Wodi) and his assistant begins early dawn starting the official sacred fire.  He begins with small slivers of wood, inner most part of an oak tree called the sponge, flint and some rock to trigger a spark.  A medicine fire is also built where a small piece of meat is then thrown in and pipes are lit from the fire and a prayer follows.  The firekeeper does his job so well that he doesn't have to come back until later in the day.

 Sunrise:  The men sit around talking about political issues and the women prepare a meal for the day which consists of traditional and modern food.

 Later in the afternoon:  Sermons are held in the Cherokee language.  The sermon includes telling all to love all mankind.

 After the sermon, a stickball game (A-ne-jo-di) is played--an ancient Cherokee tradition that resembles the American lacrosse.

At sundown, the sermons continue.  The Chief brings out the traditional pipe, and fills it with tobacco.  He lights it with a coal from the Sacred Fire, and takes seven puffs.  The Medicine Man from each clan, beginning with the Aniwaya, the Wolf clan, takes seven puffs from the pipe and passes it on .  The chief, medicine men and elders hold a meeting and then issue the call for the first dance, then the second call.  The first dance is by invitation, tribal elders, elders, medicine men and clan heads.

 The members gather to visit, feast and dance far into the night.  It is a holy place to worship God.  No littering,  liquor and rowdy behavior.  Rules are written in the Cherokee language and posted on a board hung up on a tree.  Stomp Dance participants include a leader, assistants and one or more "shell-shaker girls" who wear leg rattles traditionally made out of turtle shells filled with pebbles.   The ceremonial observance involves sacrificing meat to the sacred fire at the center of the grounds, taking medicine and going to water or river for ritual cleansing. The shakers provide rhythmic accompaniment while dancing around the fire, and a dance cannot begin without the shakers. The Stomp is a traditional dance that follows a strict order of preparation and execution. At dawn, is the sacred fire ceremony, followed by a traditional meal and reading of the Keetoowah bible, which is made of woven shells. A Cherokee ball game is played, which is the origin of American La-Crosse. More readings from the Keetoowah bible until after sun-down, where the main theme is universal peace and love.

The sacred pipe is lit and each clan member takes 7 puffs, to commemorate the seven sacred directions, and passes it to his neighbor. Then there is a meeting of Chief and tribal elders that call for the Stomp Dance to begin. The earliest record of Stomp Grounds takes us back to the Mound Building, or Mississippian Period.  During this period, one of the mounds was used as a ceremonial gathering place. When the people ceased to use the mounds for ceremonial purposes, they brought the square shaped ceremonial grounds with them. The dance grounds are carefully prepared, a large flat area, traditionally sunken, with seating arranged on all 4 sides. Around the Stomp Grounds are arranged seven arbors, one for each clan; Wolf (a-ni-wa-ya), Wild Potato (a-ni-go-ta-ge-wi) also known as the Bear Clan, Paint (a-ni-wo-di), Bird Clan (a-ni-tsi-ss-gwa), Long Hair (a-ni-gi-lo-hi) also known as Twister or Wind then the Blind Savannah as known as Blue (a-ni-sa-ho-ni). The members of each clan are related through their mothers.

The people prepare themselves with cleansing rituals, ?going to water? and taking traditional medicines to purify the body and spirit. This is a rededication to their way of life, Cherokee society, their clan, and the Great Spirit.

The first round is from a selected group of people, the men start to sing, and the call is given for the women wearing the hells to enter the square, the song leader dances in front, followed by the lead shaker, who wears leg-rattles, some made of shells, some made of small turtle shells filled with stones.  Behind them come the rest of the singers and shakers, these followed by everyone else. The dance goes around the Fire in a counterclockwise direction, with the heart and left hand toward the sacred fire, everyone following in the steps of the person in front of them, forming a spiral.  

This is a slow shuffling stomp of the feet, one after the other. Stomp right, stomp left, stomp right, stomp left.  The sight and the sound reaches down deep into your soul and stirs something, both ancient and timeless. They dance until they are tired and rejoin the dance when they are rested.

A series of wampum belts serve to record and ?read? the traditional beliefs and stories.  The belts are very old, and are made of wampum beads sewn together with a form of seaweed from old Mexico.  The wampum belts are shown only on very sacred occasions.  The history of the belts relate that many years ago, the tribe was preparing to go to war.  The medicine men foresaw which would survive, and cut the original wampum belt into seven pieces.  After the war, the belts were scattered, and the last one was recovered by Redbird Smith in the very early 1900?s.

 Today, there are over 200,000 Cherokee tribal members.  Although some have chosen to worship through other religious denominations (Baptist, Methodist, etc.), many continue to worship at regular Stomp Dances and are members of one of the several Grounds in Cherokee Nation.  Each ground has its own unique protocol and differences, but the general worship is similar with the same intention.

The Keetoowah's bible is not written on paper.  The words are woven into seven wampum belts which are shown only in rare occasions.  The belts are very old, and are made of pearls and shell beads, woven with seaweed fibers from the Gulf of Mexico.  The history behind the belt is that many years ago, the tribe was preparing to go on to war with another tribe, when the medicine men foresaw which would survive, and cut the original wampum belt into seven pieces, giving one to each warrior.  After the war, the belts were scattered, some being hidden and disappearing, the last one was recovered by Redbird Smith around 80 years ago.

Picture and following text extracted from "Myths of the Cherokee", by James Mooney's

he Wolf Clan is the largest clan and the most prominent clan, providing most of  the war chiefs. The wolf clan are keepers of the wolf and the only clan who could kill a wolf.

The Clan color of the Ani-Wahya is Red

The Blue or Panther Clan made blue medicine from a special blue plant to keep our children well. The were also known as the Wildcat Clan. 

The Clan color for the Ani-Sahoni is Blue

The Long Hair Clan are also known as Twister Clan, Hair Hanging Down Clan or Wind Clan. Those belonging to this Clan wore their hair in elaborate hairdos, walked in a proud and vain manner twisting their shoulders. Peace chiefs are usually from this clan and wore a white feather robe. 

The Clan color for the Ani-Gilohi is Yellow

The Bird Clan are the keepers of the birds and they are our messengers.  This clan was skilled in using blowguns and snares for bird hunting.  

The Clan color for the Ani-Tsisqua is Purple

The Deer Clan are the keepers and hunters of the Deer, and are known as fast runners.

The Clan color for the Ani-Kawi is Brown

The Wild Potato Clan are also known as the Bear Clan, Raccoon Clan or Blind Savannah Clan. They were known to gather the wild potato plants in swamps along streams to make flour or bread for food. 

The Clan color for the Ani-Gatogewi is Green

Paint Clan - War Paint Clan - Ani Wo-di is the clan of the Shaman (Di-da Ih-ne-se Is-gi), Sorcerers, Medicine Men, and Priests.  This is the smallest and most secretive clan.  They are the ?Keepers of the Sacred Flame? (Ka-ie-la At-si-la Hi-ne-yu) the soul of the Cherokees.  When the Cherokees wage war, the Priest brings along several sacred objects, medicinal herbs, and a coal from the Sacred Fire.  They are the only ones that are allowed to make a special red paint and dye that are used for warfare and ceremonial purposed. The Clan color for the Ani-Wodi is White.

 The Ani-Wodi keep magical or sacred crystals of ultra-pure quartz rods in a special pouch of otter or deer skin, tied around their necks.  The crystals are only used to determine guilt in very tough murder cases.  The Chief, the Priests the accused parties, and the victim?s family assemble in the tribal lodge.  The victim and his spokesman deliver their case which is rebutted by the accused.  The Chief acts as Judge, and there is no jury.  If the case cannot be settled quickly, the priest is called upon for a ?judgment? ceremony.  The group is kept in the main lodge overnight, arguing the merits of the case until dawn.  In the morning, before dawn, the Priest goes into the forest and prays for guidance.  He returns to the lodge before the sun rises and places the crystals in the open doorway facing the rising sun.  When the sun rays strike the crystals, they emit beams of light that travel from the roof down to the assembled participants.  The rays of light from the crystals will illuminate the face of the guilty party.  The person chosen by the crystals must leave the village and the territory by sundown.  This is the grace period allowed before the ?hunt? begins.  Then the Chief selects a member of the victim?s clan to claim revenge, to hunt down the murderer and kill him.

Ceremonial pipes

Ceremonial Pipes were used anytime the Cherokee had a difficult decision and wished to sanctify the proceedings or ask guidance from the Great Spirit.  The pipe heads were carved from stone in the shape of animals representing the clans.  The shafts were formed by hollowing out the center of a small branch with a hot ember on the end of a long stick, or the branches were split, the inner core scraped out, and the two halves glued together.  The pipes were filled with native tobacco and aromatic herbs, lit from the Sacred Fire, offered to the Seven Sacred Directions, and passed around the council circle.  The belief was that once you had taken a puff from the Ceremonial Pipe, your heart would speak true

The booger dance

There are many different explanations for the origin and purpose of the Booger Dance. In practice, as part of the Corn Festival, the young men would dress up with masks to poke fun at politicians, scare young children into behaving properly, and to have some fun with the girls.  As the dance got into ?full swing? it would typically degenerate into the young men wearing the masks, chasing the young women and shaking their symbolic phallic symbols at them.  The young women would run squealing in mock terror into the woods, with the Booger Man close behind.  Since the women ruled the society, It was not common practice for the girls to choose their mate, and ?ambush? him as he neared the edge of the woods. In other cases, the girls would join in the Booger Dance and entice the Booger Man . Then the girl would lead him away into the woods to a carefully prepared spot, to claim her prize.

The Booger-Dance was called the Ghost Dance by the whites, and they were offended by the political caricatures.  After the Trail of Tears Death-March, the Ghost dance was banned for nearly 100 years. It was still performed in private, but if the participants were caught, they were sent to prison.

As you can see there are several different opinions on the origin and purpose, and the web-page associated with each is included for your further study.

Watch out  !!! Or the Booger Man will get you !!! in more ways than one? }

The Cherokee held the Booger Dance, associated with ghosts, which was performed as part of the winter ceremonies. These Booger Masks were affiliated with ghosts and spirits, and the performance during the winter months meant that the dance of the ghosts could not affect the growing vegetation and crops of the community. (Mardi Grass masks website )

Traditionally the Cherokees dance to ensure individual health and social welfare. These dances, performed by volunteers, were usually symbolic, were usually performed to weaken harmful powers -- to "scare away" the evil spirits -- and were a combination of dramatic art, protective medicine rites, historical documentary and prophecy. In the Booger or "Strong in magic" dances, the dancers wore masks of exaggerated human features made out of wood, colored brightly, and decorated with fur and feathers. They usually wore sheets or quilts around their shoulders. "Cherokee Booger Dancers" depicts four of the more common booger dance characters. It demonstrates their interactions and the precarious balance of all men mixing and living together. (Wolf's heart lodge)

The Booger Dance, interpreted as a ritual dramatization of Cherokee-white relations. It acts out a basic tension between old men and young men in which each fears and desires the power of the other, yet neither can exist alone. In such a context, the temporary disruption of the traditional harmonious order caused by the intrusion and rowdy behavior of the boogers serves to emphasize the need to return to normality and to control anti-social forces. Aboriginal Cherokee mythology and ceremonialism present a number of symbolic and ritual associations between the aged and certain animals. Among the birds, the eagle was considered sacred and associated with the most wise beloved man, the Uku, or town chief. While the eagle was symbolic of victory, peace, and the White Chief, the raven was unmistakably associated with the War Chief, whose native title means precisely The Raven. This bird is also associated with witches and conjuring. Older Eastern Cherokee openly admit that witches are generally old. Like the raven, the owl is also associated with old people and, more specifically, with witches, but this is not always the case. In fact, the ancient fire can also take on the appearance of an owl in order to detect the presence of witches and defend the people from their attacks. There seems to be an overall positive connection between the animal world and the aged. This positive relationship is often reflected in tribal mythology wherein animals are often featured as helpers, assistants, and even avengers for the aged. ( Hako magazine )

The ballgame

The old ones tell us that one time, the animals challenged the birds to a great ballgame, and the birds accepted.  The leaders of each made the plans and set the date, and when the time came, both parties met at the place for the ball dance.  The animals met on a  nice smooth grassy area near the river, and the birds perched in the treetops overlooking the animals.  The captain of the animal team was Yona, the bear, and he was strong and heavy, and could take care of anyone who got in his way.  All along the way to the ballgame, he was showing his strength by tossing logs and boulders into the air.  He boasted of what he would do to the birds at the ballgame.  Dagasi, the terrapin, was a huge terrapin, and his shell was so hard, not even the heaviest blow to him would hurt.  He kept standing on his hind legs and then dropping to the ground, bragging that this is what he would do at the ballgame.  He would crush any bird that tried to take the ball from him.  There was also Awi, the deer, who could easily outrun any and every animal.  They thought they had a great team. 

The birds had Wohali, the eagle, as their captain.  Tawodi, the hawk, and other strong birds were on their side.  Although they were swift and strong, they were still a little afraid of the animals.  After the dance, they were all pruning their feathers while perched in the trees, and waited for the captain to give the word.  All of a sudden, here came two little things hardly bigger than field mice, and they climbed up the tree where Wohali, the bird captain, was sitting.  They asked to join in the game.  The captain looked at them, and seeing that they were four-legged, asked why they didn?t go down to the animal team.  They said they had, but the animals laughed at them, and made fun of them, because they were so small.  Wohali felt sorry for them, and wanted to take them. 

But they had no wings.  Wohali, Tawodi, and the others consulted, and finally decided to make some wings for the little ones.  They tried for a very long time to think of a solution, when finally someone thought about the drum they had used in the dance.  The head was made of ground-hog skin, and maybe they could take off a corner of it and make some wings.  They took two pieces from the drum head and cut them into shape for wings, and stretched them with cane splints and fastened them to the front legs of one of the little animals.  

This is how Tlameha, the bat, came to be. 

They threw the ball to him and told him to catch it.  He dodged and circled about, and always kept the ball in the air and never let it hit the ground.  The birds soon felt that he would be one of their best players. 

Now they figured they better fix the other poor animal, but they had no more leather to make wings.  Somebody thought of stretching his skin, the way the leather had been stretched on the drum.  Two large birds took hold from each side of him with their strong beaks, and pulled at his fur for several minutes.  They managed to stretch the skin between his front and back legs, until they had Tewa, the flying squirrel.  To see how well he could play, the captain threw the ball up in the air, and Tewa leaped off the limb, caught it in his teeth, and carried it through the air until he reached another tree, far, far away. 

When everyone was ready, the signal was given and the game began.  Almost at the very first, Tewa caught the ball and carried it to a tree, from which he threw it to the other birds.  They kept it in the air for a very long time, but it finally dropped.  Yona rushed to grab it, but Tlutlu, the martin, darted after it and threw it to Tlameha.  By his dodging and circling, he kept it out of the way of even Awi, until he finally threw it to the pole and won the game for the birds. 

Yona and Dagasi, who had bragged about how good they were and what they would do to the birds, never even got a chance to play.  For saving the ball when it dropped, they gave Tlutlu a beautiful gourd in which he could build his nest.  Today, he still has it.

Origin of the word "Cherokee": Most of their neighbors called the Cherokees "Uplanders" or "Mountaineers", and the Cherokees referred to themselves as "the Real People" or "the Principal People", which in their language is Ani-yun'wiya' . But the Choctaw called them "Cave Dwellers" (choluk or chiluk).  This was rendered phonetically by the Portuguese as "Chalaque", by the French as "Cheraqui" and by the English as "Cherokee". As used among themselves, the form is "Tsalagi".

The following information is being hotly debated in learned circles all over the world.  Many self centered egotistical ?learned men? have pet theories that prohibit the introduction of new, radical data that may cast doubt on their reputations.  So they stick their collective heads in the sand and ignore any data that doesn?t fit their world-view.  I have studied Native American archaeology for 25 years with an open mind.  I may be slightly biased, as I dearly love the theory that Europeans are the direct descendants of Native Americans.  I began this article as a pure science article, but upon finding so much ?misinformation? in the Politically Correct ?official? websites, I draw my own conclusions from the available data.

Laguna Man 400,000 - 200,000 BP

 The Earliest known humans in America have been classified as ?Laguna Man? (Forbidden Archaeology).  Ancient human remains were found in the hills surrounding Laguna, California, during a mud-slide in 1976.  These skeletal remains have been dated by amino-acid-racemization to be between 200,000 to 400,000 BP (Before Present).  Rock structures have been located beneath the sands of the Mojave Desert nearby, which may be associated with Laguna Man.  Carbon dating techniques were inadequate for this study, as carbon dating is only able to determine up to 50,000 years of carbon decay.

 Laguna Man is believed to have crossed the Great Land Bridge (Beringia) during the Wisconsin period of the last Ice Age, and migrated south.  As the climate shifted, and game animals changed their feeding patterns, they moved from the high hills to the ocean shores of California.  Similar skeletal remains (skulls and tooth patterns) have been found in northern China, indicating that these people were genetically related.  The remains in China are related to reindeer hunting and cooking, as charred bones have been found in the associated deposits.  These bones are typically charred on the ends, which normally occurs when a leg of meat is roasted on a fire.  The Chinese caves in which these remains were found are located near Peking in the ?Sacred Mountain? of  Tio-ko Tien.

 The stone structure remains in the Mojave Desert have blackened stones around an apparent ?fire pit? or hearth, indicating the earliest use of fire in the New Word.  Skeletal remains have not yet been found in this area, associated with this site.  But, with carbon dating, the charcoal scrapings have been determined to be older than 50,000 years.  As the Mojave Desert has been classified as an ecologically sensitive area, I doubt that they will ever be given the chance to continue their digging.  Sorry if I burst your ?bubble?, but I was studying archaeology at Cal Tech when these discoveries were made.

Clovis Man 200,000 - 100,000 BP

 The next oldest human habitation of America has been found in Clovis, New Mexico.  Charcoal samples associated with this site are also older than 50,000 years BP. Since Clovis is in close proximity to Sandia, NM, these people have been dubbed ?Clovis Man? or ?Sandia Man?.    Archaeologist have discovered a cave site near Clovis, that has been partially excavated, and shows the development of stone tools from the crude three-bladed ?axes? of Neanderthal style, to the ?modern? highly developed ?Clovis Point?.  To date, this is the only site in the world that shows a logical progression of the art of stone tools from the ancient to the modern ?mousterian? tool kit that is associated with all ?Crow Magnon? or Proto-European sites found in the rest of the world.  This site is the ?Mother Lode? for stone tool development.

Politically Correct archaeologists are focusing on the Clovis Point which was developed somewhere between 16,000 - 14,000 years BP.  They are completely ignoring the far older remains in the lower level of the cave, as the older material might poke a hole in some important archaeologist?s pet theory.  The excavation focuses on the floor of a cave that has seen continuous human habitation for 40,000 years or more.  The uppermost layer is littered with ?modern? Clovis Points.  The next lower layer has an ?older? style that is technically the ?father? of the Clovis design.  This pattern is repeated in several more layers, showing an unbroken chain of technological development from the oldest Flaked Stone Ax on the lower layer, to the ?modern? Clovis Point in the upper layer.

How old is the oldest layer ???  European Neanderthal ?Cave Men? were using the same design of flaked stone ax 67,000 years BP.  Carbon dating will not reach that far into the past.  The scientists must find a sufficient quantity of bone (animal or human) that can be subjected to amino-acid-racimization.  Another branch of archaeology studies the rock of the cave, and the assumed weather patterns, to determine how rapidly the roof flakes off onto the floor each year.  Then they perform a SWAG (scientific wild ass guess), and publish the results.

Adjacent to this site, and as far away as 5,000 miles, Woolly Mammoth skeletons have been found with Clovis points wedged firmly between the bones.  These people were hunting mammoths with ?high tech? spears, when the Neanderthals were still driving animals over cliffs and clubbing them to death.  The ?Mousterian? tool kits have been found from Clovis, NM, north through the coastal plains, across Alaska, and into Siberia.  From there, these people spread out throughout Asia, and eventually, into Europe.  There is no evidence that they ?hunted? the Neanderthal or engaged them in warfare, it is more likely that they simply out-competed them for the available resources.  So far, the European archaeologists have found crude (two and three flaked) Neanderthal stone axes and the highly refined Mousterian stone tools, but nothing even hinting at the development from the older form to the newer more refined tools.

Land Bridge

 During the period from 65,000 to 45,000 years BP, the Ice Age had locked up so much of the worlds water, that ocean levels had dropped as much as 500 feet below what they are today.  This vast receding of the oceans exposed large sections of land that are currently under water.  The resultant ?Land Bridge? was over 1,000 miles wide (north to south).  This Land Bridge joined the peninsulas of Siberia and Alaska.  The northern reaches of the new ?continent? were exposed to the glaciers which provided the plants and water for most of the animal species, and the southern coast was warmed by the Japanese Current.  The Land Bridge was not a one-way street.  Animal herds migrated, and people followed the herds in both directions.  When the ice finally melted, the mammoth hunters were mostly in Siberia, and the caribou hunters were mostly in Alaska, with the fishermen on both sides of the Bering Strait.

Most authorities agree that the Land Bridge (Beringia) was partly above water as late as 16,000 to 14,000 years BP.  During the period after 45,000 years BP, the climate was very cold and very dry, unable to support vegetation beyond widely separated clumps of tundra grass, and not much of that.  Imagine the preparations for a walking trip across a 2,000 mile wide tundra, not to mention the ?near tundra? conditions of Siberia and Alaska at that time.  You would have to pack enough food and water for nearly a year, and walk constantly for nearly 6 months.  Animals could feed on the grasses, and meat eaters could feed on the animals, but with the climate so dry, there would have been no water for the animals.  Only at the time when Beringia was at its widest (65,000 - 45,000 BP), could the climate have supported enough game and water for such an extended journey.

Adaptation

The Alaskan ?natives? soon lost their stone tool technology as the ground is covered with ice and snow for much of the year, so they reverted to using ?older? bone technology for tools and weapons.  While harvesting whales and seals, they invented a unique ?toggle? barb on their spears which developed into the harpoon.  With the lack of wood for construction or fuel, they turned to whale and fish oil for heat and light, and discovered that shelters could be constructed from blocks of ice.  The dome-shape of the igloo is uniquely suited to the weather conditions where wind velocities can be as high as 75 miles per hour for several days.  This is a good example of how humans can adapt and utilize available materials and animals for their survival.

Immigration Patterns

According to Linguistic Anthropologists, immigration into America was done in several ?waves? over a period of 10,000 to 20,000 years.  The first group, sharing a similar language, came across the Land Bridge, through Canada, into America, and spread out as resources and population pressures demanded.  The next ?wave? of  immigrants followed the same path, but found the land thinly populated.  This second wave pushed the first wave outward toward the coastal areas.  This process was repeated several more times over the next 10,000 to 15,000 years, resulting in concentric ?rings? of language groups.  The newest arrivals tended to occupy the center of the land mass, and the earliest arrivals tend to be concentrated in the coastal areas.  The first wave of immigrants came to this land about 65,000 BP when the Land Bridge was first opened, and the most recent wave arrived about 45,000 BP when the Land Bridge was finally closed.

In the early years of the Wisconsin Ice Age, Most of Canada and a large portion of America were covered with a massive glacier.  This left open a marginal strip of land (50 to 100 miles wide) on the ocean side of the Pacific Cascades, as a migration route.  As the millennium passed, and the ice melted, the glaciers shrank toward the center of Canada and the Ancient Freeway was widened.  Theory has it that the early humans followed the warmer ?coastal? or Southern route on Breingia.  Since most of this ?continent? are now submerged, most of the traces of human habitation are waiting patiently between 300 - 500 feet below the ocean.  Deep core-samples from this region have revealed fragments of worked stone and bone, similar to the Clovis technique.

Earliest Cherokee settlements

It looks like the Cherokee first settled in southeastern North American between A.D. 1000 and 1500, probably around 1300. The 240 period from then until de Soto made contact with the tribe in 1540 might be described as a formative one, during which the Cherokees established themselves in their new home an began to shape their civilization.

The view of the current scholars began its evolution in 1823, when John Haywood published the first theory of Cherokee origins, and concluded that two nations with diverse cultures had in the past merged to from the Cherokee tribe. The first of these groups built mounds, erected fortifications, constructed wells with adobe-brick walls, worshipped idols, performed human sacrifices, used seven as their most sacred number, and ruled themselves by autocratic princes. Their place of origin was southern Asia, and their culture was linked to that of ancient Hebrews and Hindus. When they migrated to North American, they settled in the southeastern area dominated by the Natchez tribe. Later, a second tribe, democratic in organization and with a strong military came from northeast Asia, took control of eastern Tennessee and gradually merged with the first group, to form the Cherokee tribe that existed when the first whiter arrived in A.D. 1540.

Haywood's' ideas has been rejected, and the currently accepted view is that similarities of language, warlike spirit, common traditions and the use of the Iroquois unmatched arrow point and grooveless ax indicate that Cherokees were once part of the Great lakes Iroquoian family. Then, some form of discord caused the Cherokees to separate themselves from the other Iroquoians, and to migrate southward through what are today known as Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Finally, the Cherokees found a suitable new home, and laid clam to a vast wilderness empire. The limits of this domain can be established by drawing a line that begins fifty miles north of present Charleston, South Carolina, and runs northward along the Kanawha River to the Ohio River. From there, it follows the Ohio to Tennessee River turns southward for a hundred miles into northern Alabama, and finally goes eastward to the starting point, passing slightly north of Atlanta, Georgia.

The Cherokees divided into four regional settlements: the eastern, Lower settlements ( Southern Piedmont Province ), central which were the heartland of the tribe, composed by the Kituhwa (Middle) and Valley settlements ( Blue Ridge province, Great Smoky Mountains included) and the Overhill or Tennessee settlements ( north and west in Appalachian Great Valley Province ).

No one knows how large the Cherokee tribe was when it migrated, but it was large compared with most other tribes.  Guesses are that in 1650 the population was 22,000.

Major Culture Phases

In researching Appalachian archeology, experts have compiled  a list of seven distinctive phases:

Qualla phase (ca. A.D. 1500 to historic times)

Pisgah phase (ca. A.D. 1000 to 1500)

Connestee phase (ca A.D. 100 or 200 to 1000)

Pigeon phase (ca 200 B.C. to A.D. 100)

Swannanoa phase (ca 750 to 150 B.C.)

Savannah River phase ( ca 2500 to 750 B.C.)

Morrow Mountain phase (ca. 4300 to 2500 B.C.)

Only two of these periods are associated with Cherokee, Pisgah and Qualla.

Pisgah phases sites have been found throughout an area of about 14,000 square miles in the South Appalachian Province. In its earliest years, many of these sites were occupied for relatively short periods of time, but in the interior of the region, sites were occupied throughout the phase. Settlements sites varied in size form a quarter of an acre to six acres. This phase is thought to represent in the Appalachian summit area the development period pf a primarily Mississippian cultural pattern. When we seek an establishment date for the Cherokee, it is interesting that while Pisgah sites discovered thus fat contain permanent houses, palisades and platform mounds, they are not identical to the later Cherokee towns and villages to the south and west. In other words, for some portion of the Pisgah phase we are not yet dealing with actual Cherokee culture. The Garden Creek site was an important center in its day, but it does not compare in size and complexity with the great Cherokee centers in the Tennessee Valley.

Anthropologist believe that the Qualla phase of A.D. 1500 to historic times, represents the spiritual and material culture of the Cherokees as it was until it was replaced by the Euro-American material and economics culture in the 19th century.

The information we have about ancient Cherokee life makes it clear that the people had an specially dynamic culture whose composition was the result of adventuring, diverse contacts, and mergers. This truth gives us our first hint about a Cherokee trait of some consequences in their national evolution, which was adaptability that welcomed and made use of the new things and ways they encountered.

Some of the information on this page, as well as the wonderful illustrations have been extracted from the book "The Cherokee People, The Story of the Cherokee from Earliest Origins to Contemporary Times" by Thomas E. Mails. It is a magnificent piece of historical reconstruction, extensively and beautifully illustrated, published by Marlowe & Company, NY. If you want to learn everything about the Cherokee culture, I recommend you to get this book.

General aspects

The Cherokees are a matrilineal society.  The home, family, children, inheritance, family ties, and clan membership are under the absolute control of the women.  The husband is just a convenience to supply meat and father the children.  Other than this, he has no say in the matter, and that is the final answer.  All children belong to the mother, and clan lineage is passed through the mother, the mother of the bride, the bride, and the bride?s brother are all of the same clan.  All children of this union will be members of the bride?s clan.  They are ?adopting? the groom into the clan.  If he is ?rejected?, the children will still be members of the bride?s clan. In the Cherokee Marriage Ceremony, the groom  brings an offering of meat to the bride?s family, showing that he is a good hunter and promising to help support them.  The bride brings offerings of food, showing that she can be a good home maker.  Then they join together under the ceremonial blanket, showing mutual support in the building of a family.

A woman got her name, and her Clan from her female elders.  She keeps this name for life, even if she is baptized with an Anglo name or married.  A boy is given a soft cuddly name by his mother, when he becomes a man, his father and uncles will give him a new name.  When he is matured and ready to become a warrior, he goes on a vision quest.  The medicine man then gives the man a new name, related to his vision quest, that he will use for life.  The Scotsmen, English, Germans that married into the Cherokees, began the Anglo naming tradition for their children.  The Cherokee ignored this tradition completely, as they were not concerned about cousins intermarrying, as they had their own traditions that a man could not marry a woman from his mother?s clan.  The young men all had to wait until the Festival of The Corn to find a bride.  This is an annual event that brings participants from all over the Nation for several weeks.  This gives the people an opportunity to visit married relatives, exchange stories, trade goods, participate in sports and dances, and to find prospective mates.

 After the couple was married, the man moved into his wife?s village and became her hunter.  His wife would weave him a Marriage Belt  of river-read fibers, dyed red and black, woven in a pattern of her own choosing.  This belt served much the same as a wedding ring in modern society.  It not only marked him as ?taken?, but the design was the identification mark of his wife.  If he committed unforgivable ?errors? he would find his clothing and belongings piled in the yard when he returned home.  This form of ?divorce? was final.  Cherokee men were able to keep several wives.  The other wives were usually chosen by the first wife, as her husbands ability to hunt exceeded the needs of his family.  The other wives were usually widowed sisters or other female clan members.  Some powerful chiefs and very wealthy Cherokees violated this rule, to their own peril.

Weapons

From about 10,000 to 500 years ago, the Native Americans did not have the Bow and Arrow.  Instead, they used a Short Spear, about 3 to 4 feet long, made from river reed (similar to Bamboo or Cat Tail) trimmed with two feathers, and tipped with a small stone or bone point (Projectile Points).  The spear was usually thrown with the aid of a Atlatl or throwing-stick, to increase the speed and range.  This was the primary weapon for hunting and war, as the Bow was not invented (introduced) until about the arrival of the Spaniards in the 1500?s.  The Spanish troops learned that the short spear, thrown with an Atlatl, was the only weapon (except a cross bow) that could pierce their body armor.  The average warrior could fire 5 spears to  1 Spanish musket shot.

Many archaeologists agree that the Atlatl, or spear thrower, has been discovered in European deposits that date back to 30,000 BP.  Since this same weapon system has been discovered in America, they glibly state that the weapon was introduced into America much later (about 8,000 - 10,000 years BP).  The problem is that there was no way for people to continue to cross the land bridge to bring this new weapon to the people of America, as the Land Bridge was underwater at that time.  It is entirely possible that Sandia Man may have developed the Atlatl to give them more range and power for their spears in order to successfully hunt the mammoth.  As the glaciers receded North, the hunters followed, all the way back to Asia, taking their better tools, weapons, and hunting techniques with them.

Other similarities in weapons and tools include the shape of the spear points, and the mounting technique (pitch).  This mounting technique for spear or arrow points was still in use in Europe until 5,000 years ago, but had long been replaced in America for the tip design that allowed tying the tip to the shaft with thin strips of raw skin.  This is understandable, as there was not many natural deposits of pitch (tar pits) available to the inhabitants of America.  Another problem for archaeologists is the type of stone ax used by many coastal Native Americans.  The size, shape, material, and manufacturing techniques are virtually identical to the types found in Europe and described as Celtic.

The Atlatl fell out of use in Asia and Europe when the Bow was developed several thousand years ago, probably in Greece or Egypt.  The bow was not in use in America until about the time of the arrival of Columbus.  When the invaders from Europe engaged the native in warfare, they were greeted by short spears, thrown with great accuracy and power from long distances.  The white invaders thought for a while that the natives were using a powerful long-bow, but the Atlatl had greater range, more power and accuracy than the muskets of the whites.  The average native warrior could throw five ?arrows? for each musket shot.

Projectile point designs varied widely as dictated by the material and their use.  Small points with no flutes were used for small game, medium points with flutes were used for hunting large game and for war, large points were used on large spears for large game (bears) and for war.  There does not appear to be one particular type of point design that was used exclusively by the Cherokee.  Virtually every type of stone point used in the US has been found somewhere in Cherokee Territory.  They were quite the ?techno? types of their time and would adopt a new design from another tribe, or create a design of their own for a special purpose.  The art of projectile point making (flint napping) almost became a lost art when the Europeans began trading small bits of iron.  The Cherokee were probably one of the first to make Iron Arrows.

The Atlatl shafts were usually made of Ash, Popular, or Hickory due to their spring-like qualities.  The shafts were usually equipped with a stone counter-weight which increased the power delivered to the throw.  Traditionally, Cherokees make their Bows from Hickory as it was readily available and has excellent spring qualities.  The bow-strings were made from braided bear hairs.  After a bow was made and tested, the grip was covered with leather, and a small feather was tied to the bow to act as a wind-sock.  More decorative bows were generally gifts to the chief and used for ceremonial purposes.

Cherokee Canoes were made from large hollowed-out tree trunks.  They had a flat square front with a gentle taper for beaching and a flat bottom.  They were wide enough for two men to sit side by side, and long enough to hold raiding party of about 20 men.  Depending on the depth of the river, they used poles or paddles for propulsion.  Most rivers in the Cherokee Nation were quite shallow, so poles were used when carrying freight, and paddles were used for speed when moving war parties. 

Cherokee carved bone, stone and wood into objects of art.  They had a lively trade with the Seminoles  and other coastal tribes for sea shells, particularly Conch shells and Clam shells.  They carved beautiful breast-plates (gorgets) from the wall of the Conch and Clam shells.  Earrings made of Sand Dollars and Scallop shells were common.  Necklaces were made of carved bone and wooden beads.  Some artists specialized in stone carvings of clan animal figurines used on Ceremonial Pipes and round stone balls used in a game called Marbles. 

Cherokee women made beautiful Baskets from river reeds.  Some were rigid for food gathering and storage, some were flexible for use as warrior?s packs.  Some of the baskets were made water-tight and used directly on the fire for cooking, or by dropping hot stones into the basket to make tea or soup.  Bowls were made from river clay and baked in an open fire.  They were made from contrasting layers and deeply incised to show the contrasting colors. Others were stamped with designs carved on ?stamping boards? made of wood and bone.   Corn was roasted in the husk, pounded or ground to a powder for bread and other dishes.  Other Recipes are listed below.  Whiskey and other ?strong drink? were unknown until the Scotsmen arrived in the early 1700?s. 

The Green Corn Festival or Ceremony is a Native American harvest celebration. Creek, Cherokee, Seminole, Yuchi, and Iroquois as well as other Native American tribes celebrate this ceremony on some manner.

The ceremony is typically held during the full moon when the first corn crop is ready to harvest. The exact date cannot be determined ahead of time; it's all up to the corn. It is a time of thanks and forgiveness. A thanksgiving for the crops and old grudges are forgiven. The ceremony lasts for several days. The holy man as a symbol of health, life, and spiritual power tends a sacred fire. The first few days, known as the Busk, people fast, cleanse themselves, and their homes. Men and women then drink an herbal concoction, the "Black Drink" that help cleanse and purify their bodies. Then the first corn harvest is tasted followed by dancing, singing, playing, and feasting. Many foods are included in the feast with an emphasis on corn: roast corn, corn tortillas, corn soup, corn bread?.

 A ball game is quite popular in which teams of boys and girls try to hit a target on a large pole, the original source of our lacrosse. The game varies, of course, from tribe to tribe.

Ball Games

A-ne-jo-di (Stickball)

The game resembles the modern European game of lacrosse, using ball sticks which are handmade from hickory.  A small ball, made of deer hair and hide, is tossed into the air by the medicine man.  The male players use  a pair of the sticks, and female players use the bare hands.  In earlier times, only the men with the greatest athletic ability played the game.  The game was oftentimes played to settle disputes, and the conjurer for each team often became as important to the team as the players themselves.

 Seven points are scored when the ball strikes a wooden fish on the top of a pole approximately 25 feet in height, and two points are awarded when the ball strikes the pole.

Sawǎnu'gǐ or Cherokee Ball Player, picture by James Mooney, from his book

"History, Myths and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees"

In earlier days, there would be a dance before the ballgame. The ballplayers were the participants of the dance, along with seven women dancers.  Each woman represented one of the clans.  Throughout the dance, the women would step on black beads which represented the players of the opposing team.  The conjurer had placed these black beads on a large flat rock.  Today, stickball is an important part of the days activities at ceremonial Stomp Grounds, being necessary to play before the Stomp Dance can ever begin. It is also a recreational sport at other times between community teams.  There are also intertribal teams made up of players from Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Yuchi, Natchez, and other area communities.

Di-ga-da-yo-s-di (Marbles)

Cherokee Marbles is a game of skill, still played in the form of tournaments.  Also a skill is the art of making the marbles themselves.  The marble game dates back to approximately 800 a.d., and is a complex game of skill and strategy played by adults on a five-hole outdoor course.

 Until the early part of the 20th century, players used marbles chipped from stone, smoothed into round marbles about the size of billiard balls.  Today, there are  still some traditional marble makers, but most tournaments utilize billiard balls for play.

 The game is played on a field approximately 100 feet long, where there are five holes about two inches in diameter, 10 to 12 yards apart, forming an L-shape.  Any number of  players may play, but each team must have an equal number.

 Each player uses on marble and must keep track of its location as well as the opposing players marbles.  The players toss the marbles at the holes with the object of advancing by landing in each hole in sequence and returning to the starting point.  Players must toss their marbles and knock the opposing players? out of the way in a prescribed manner.  The first team to complete the course is the winner.

Music

The traditional musical instruments of the Cherokee consist of :

The water drum which is a 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.

The River Cane flute, which in 1835 was reported to have been approximately one foot long, and had 6 holes.

Trumpets were sometimes made from buffalo horns, and sometimes from long neck gourds or the thigh bone of the crane. Conch shells were used in very early times.

Turtle shells are used for ceremonial rattles; a single rattle to be held in the hand for use by men, and turtle shell shackles worn on the legs of women. Sometimes the ceremoinial hand rattles are made of gourd, as well. (from the Cherokee Nation webpage )

A text by Charlie Orme:

Native American music is very unusual, far from conforming to the common stereotype in the minds of others. It exhibits an enormous amount of variety not commonly realized by most people. It plays a mainly functional role in their culture.

All Native American music is generally categorized in two ways: instrumentation and lyrical content. The melody of Cherokee Indian music is generally played with a flute. This flute is carved out of wood, and has a light, melodic sound that seems to float in the air. This gives the songs an interesting sound unique to Native American music. Part of this sound comes from the fact that Native American music uses a fascinating scale, known as the tonal (or Indian) scale. This scale sounds very odd because most people are used to the standard Ionian major scale, with the whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half step foundation and the do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do progression; but to the Cherokee people, it sounds perfectly normal, and the Ionian major scale sounds weird. Flute melodies may be sung, but harmony (two of the same, similar, or complementary melodic lines being sung or played simultaneously) and polyphony (two different melodic lines played or sung simultaneously) are almost unheard of.

Other Native American instruments include the Pow Wow drum, the rattle, flutes and flageolets, whistles, simple trumpets and/or reed instruments. Those most widespread are percussion instruments, including drums. Native American (including Cherokee) drums are made from animal skin stretched across a large gourd, and have a deep, rich sound not found in today's ordinary drum sets. The drums are very important; they provide the rhythmic foundation for Cherokee and all Native American music.

Among other percussion instruments, the idiophones are represented by rattles, musical rasps, sticks beaten together, beaten planks, rods, and slit drums. (An idiophone is an instrument whose sound is simply the vibration of its elastic constituent material, unmodified by any special tension; for example, a bell, gong, or rattle would be an idiophone, whereas a drum would not.) Membranophones (drums with skin heads) are also used commonly. Another important part of the Native Americans' music is the singing. Whether rhythmic chanting or high-pitched yodeling, this part of the music truly completes the song.

Lyrics

The lyrics of the Native Americans' music are in the local tribe's language, in this case Cherokee. The Cherokee language is very complex, and was first transcribed by Chief Sequoyah. The lyrics generally involve family songs and tribal ritual songs, although song texts may (and often do) consist entirely of meaningless syllables. They may also consist of or include archaic words or phrases and/or special phonetic changes. The music, for the most part, plays a functional role in Cherokee culture; it is used as a part of other activities and rituals. This can be seen in the fact that music is graded on its magical or spiritual power; if a song is well performed, it is referred to as "good" rather than beautiful. It can also be seen in the fact that men tend to predominate in composing, singing, and writing the lyrics for the songs; since men usually prevail in rituals and other cultural elements, it is only natural that men would be the ones singing the songs.

In conclusion, the music of the Cherokee Indians is unique, possessing a musical richness and emotional depth not often found in other music. It is very interesting to look into other cultures' music; looking into the music of the Cherokee gives an engaging glimpse of the culture.

Housing

Contrary to Hollywood myth, not all Native Americans lived in T-pees.  The Cherokees lived in ?stockades? constructed similar to a ?fort?, but without a gate.  They had overlapping fences at the entrance, forming a colonnade.  Inside, the main  building for religious and political meetings, was on a raised earth platform near the center of the village.  The individual families had homes made of logs, roofed with split cedar planks, the walls were sealed against the weather with grass and mud.  Most of the homes were single level, but the larger families had two-story houses.  The door opened into the hearth, or cooking area and there was a hole in the roof to allow smoke to escape.  This room served as the kitchen, dining room, family meeting room, visitor reception and entertainment area, for the telling of Traditional Stories.  The bedroom was adjacent to the main room and was equipped with bunk-beds.   The frames were made of poles tied together with raw-hide strips.  The frames for the lower beds were elevated a foot or so from the dirt floor, and laced with a type of rope made from woven grass or reeds.  Their mattresses consisted of bundles of soft river reeds, and their blankets were made of soft fur. The blankets of male children were mountain-lion skins, to transmit the kid the powers of acute smell, strength cunning and the female children were getting the skins of fawns or buffalo calves, shy and timorous. The furniture consisted in poplar wood stools, storage chests ( clapboards sewn to crossbars with wet stripes of buffalo rawhide ) and three foot-high beds, made of boards.  It can be assumed that the beds had canopy tops and curtains to keep out the cold and provide privacy. Women crafted handsome carpets of hempand they were painted with colored figures. 

The kitchen and bed room were separated with a large animal skin flap, or a curtain made from woven plant fibers for privacy.  The windows were covered with the same material, to keep out rain and cold.  Some houses had skin or woven cloth over the main door, others had a solid wooden door made of split cedar planks, hinged with leather.  The main difference between the Cherokee houses and the settlers log-cabins was the settlers had fire-places for cooking, with stone chimneys, and the Cherokee preferred to build a fire directly in the middle of the dirt floor.

Each house had a vegetable garden next to the house.  Corn was grown on the south side, as that area received the most sunlight.  Each family also helped in the communal village garden for foods that would be used in celebrations, community parties, and to help feed the elderly.  Herbs and fruit were gathered in the local woods by the women and children, while the men were hunting meat and fur.  The medicine man gathered medicinal herbs and materials for dyes and paint.  The elder women tended the small children, and the elder men made tools from stone, bone and wood.  River reeds had many uses, one type could be pounded and split so fine that they could be woven into soft cloth.  Other types of reeds were split and used for baskets.  Another type was either hollowed out for a blow-gun, or trimmed and shaped into a short spear, or arrows. Opposite the front door of each dwelling was a small sweat house. Inside this structure a fire was kept burning and residents sweated there to purify themselves for religious purposed and to cure diseases. There were separate social houses in each village for the women, and wives always retired there when male visitors arrived to see their husbands.

Each group of native Americans has a developed a unique style of housing, depending on their environment and the abundance of building materials.  The Plains people, who hunted buffalo, made portable shelters of buffalo skins, or what is now called TePee.  Fringe-plains people, who farmed the land and hunted smaller game, made circular or square houses by piling buffalo dung, like thin bricks, to form the walls.  Native Americans who lived in marginal forest areas made homes from weaving flexible branches together to form a structure like an upside-down basket.  The Anasazi, farmers who settled in the southwest, occupied large caves and built walls of sun-dried mud and grass, or adobe bricks.

The Cherokee, which occupied the heavy forests, built their square houses of logs, surrounded by a stockade of logs planted vertically in the ground.  The Cherokee settlements looked very much like a ?fort? or ?town? with several ?log cabins?, small gardens, fruit trees, and a central ?long house? on a raised mound for gatherings and decision making.  The Long House, or Council House was also used for religious functions, such as weddings and festivals.   One Cherokee town, in North Carolina, has been occupied continuously for about 14,000 years.  The native groups in the Pacific Northwest, who also live in thick forests, have similar ?log cabins?, a style supposedly introduced by the white settlers.

One unusual sample of stone housing has been found in New England.  It is constructed  over an excavated pit with flat stones forming the walls and roof.  This has been attributed to and early Viking settlement from about 1,500 to 1,200 years BP.  The Vikings either returned to Greenland, died out, or were absorbed into the local population, as were the Chinese settlers in the Pacific Northwest.  Dredging operations in Puget Sound, Washington, have discovered a Chinese ?Junk? sailing ship that is about 5,000 years old, and evidence of a Chinese settlement in Port Orchard, Washington. 

Winter hothouses: in the colder areas, the people of each town or village built large winter houses, whose walls and roof were designed to retain and reflect heat. They fixed to the ground a number of six feet posts, forming the basis of a circular wall. To these posts, they tied horizontal pieces of a though white oak, and interwoven vertically slimmer pieces of the same oak. In the middle of the house, forming a square, the builders set four large pine posts, notched on top to receive wall plates. On top, in crib fashion, heavy logs were laid, let into each other as cabin logs are. Above this structure, they put a solid layer of long, dried poles, that were notched where they passed over the cribbed logs and were secured with bark ties. A similar layer bridged the gap from this section to the outer walls, so the finished roof structure was cone shaped.

The hothouse wall was daubed six or seven inches thick with clay mixed with withered grass. As soon as the plaster was half dried, the  builders thatched the roof with a long sort of dry grass. When the peak was reached, an upright pole was fixed, displaying on its top the carved figure of a large eagle. Directly below the pole. four heavy logs were tied together for protection against high winds.

The door of the hothouse was four feet high and very narrow. It was set up in a vestibule that jutted from the side of the building and led to a short ramp with a winding passageway that secured the interior from strong winds and enemies. The floor was three or so feet lower than grade. This provided a dirt bench and exterior wall that could serve as defensive breastwork. Small windows were inserted in the upper wall.

At the end of the fall season, women built a large fire of dry wood in the center of the hothouse. When the wood was a little more than half consumed, they covered it with ashes and struck off some of the top embers with long pieces of hollow cane, used as heaters for each seat or bed in the house. This ritual was repeated several times until daylight. The house, lacking sufficient windows and air was hot, smoky and dark, and during this time, most people lay on their beds with their heads wrapped up in loosely woven cloths.

Overview

Clothing varied from season to season, but mainly consisted of woven cloth or deer skin.  The women wore dresses, the men wore pants, and everybody wore shoes.  In winter, the wore a cloak made of woven cloth or fur.  Hair styles differed wildly from clan to clan.  Some men were clean shaven, others wore beards, some men shaved their heads, others wore a top-knot or pony-tail.  The Long Hair Clan wore their hair in fancy hairdos with waves, curls, and sometimes articles woven into their hair for a spectacular effect.

Cherokees were not feather-nuts and never wore huge feather head-dresses like the Woodland or Plains people.  The only time a Cherokee would wear a feather was in time of war or during a Ball Game similar to La Cross.  In preparation for war, the priest (medicine man) from the Paint Clan (Ani Wodi) would prepare the feathers for the warriors to wear into battle.  This consisted of a single Eagle or Hawk feather, with a small feather, dyed blood red, tied to the top.  The feathers would then be tied into the Cherokee warrior?s hair, on the top of his head.  The dying technique was considered a secret and sacred rite. 

Women

The women wore short, close-fitting, sleeveless dresses similar to a ?summer shift?. The dresses were made of deerskin and typically reached mid thigh. They were belted at the waist with hand-woven belts and pinned at the breast with bone pins or carved broaches. A deer-hide scarf was worn around the neck and tucked into the top of the dress.  A knitted or woven under-skirt, made of wild hemp, went from the waist to the knees, and had long fringes that went to the ankles. 

The women?s moccasins were made of soft leather and were laced up to the knee. Women of status had colored beads or feathers arranged in patterns in the under-skirt fringe. Colored seed-beads were used to decorate their moccasins.

Hair was combed with bear grease to give it a deep shine, and sprinkled it with red and yellow dust.  Some let their hair hang loose, while others tied it up into a knot on top of the head. They had pierced ears and wore earrings made of shell and bone. They wore multiple necklaces made of shell, bone, or horn that hung in successive layers to nearly cover their chest. Metal rings, made of beaten lead and copper, adorned their hands.

 Daily wear was made of tanned deer skin, but for special occasions, dresses made of woven mulberry-root bark and turkey feathers. Possum hair was spun into thread and dyed yellow, black or red. The dyed thread was used to weave belts, anklets, and garters for the men. Each woman developed her own special pattern for her husband to wear, which served as a ?wedding ring?.

An special chapter is the famous Tear Dress. The following information has been extracted from The People's Paths home page. The author of the article is Wendell Cochran, Cherokee Master Craftsman and National Living Treasure in the Area of Traditional Clothing and he kindly let me extract parts of the article, which I have done clumsily, but I encourage you to read it complete here, it is a wonderful piece of historical accurate information and it will teach you how a real tear dress should be. Mr Cochran also sent me the photo illustrating his article

"The Cherokee Tear Dress is the official tribal dress for women of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma by proclamation of the National Council. The Cherokee Nation is the only tribe to my knowledge to legislate a specific style of clothing as the official tribal dress. The Cherokees of North Carolina have a completely different style of dress.

The word "tear" is pronounced as in "rip and tear", not tear as in the act of crying or in Tail of Tears. No one can remember who named it the Tear Dress. The name is onomatopoeia; it describes how the pieces of the dress are cut during construction. The original dress was constructed of simple shapes of squares and rectangles and each piece was torn across the grain of the fabric and not cut with scissors.

The dress is a basic shirt-waist style. The bodice top (the old fashion term is waist) is attached the skirt by means of an inset waistband and closes up the front with buttons, much like a man?s shirt. To provide ease, shape and form, larger pieces are gathered and sewn onto smaller pieces of the garment. Historically, this style of shirt-waist dress was worn by working class women -- trades people, farmers, crafters, etc., who did not have the luxury of having a personal attendant to help them get dressed each day like the privileged class who dressed in stylish, form fitting garments that were fastened up the back with rows of hooks and eyes. This was the type dress that was made at home, either by a member of the family, or by the neighborhood seamstress.

The dress is practical for two reasons:

The fullness of the gathered bodice and skirt gave the wearer freedom of movement to do the labor of daily work chores, and the one piece construction allowed women to bend and stretch with out fretting with the problem of keeping a waist tucked in or hooked to a skirt. Making a Cherokee Tear Dress requires a medium-to-advanced knowledge of garment construction and sewing skills. A well fitting dress requires taking accurate measurements, a fair understanding of the sequence of steps needed to cut, sew and finish the dress, and a lot of patience. There are a few commercially printed tear dress patterns now available on the market, but none give complete instructions or are self-explanatory to the novice tear dressmaker.

Measurements:

Every tear dress is one-of-a-kind original creation and is usually made to fit the individual.

"The Original Cherokee Tear Dress, a White Turkey Feather Cape and a Copper Crown were created for Virginia Stroud during her reign as Miss Indian America 1968. The cotton fabric Cherokee Tear Dress (shown worn by a model in the photo) is the first modern-day Tear Dress and it is the prototype of all Cherokee Tear Dresses since then. A White Turkey Feather Cape, exactly like the one shown in the photo, was made for Miss Stroud to wear during her reign. At the end of her year-long reigh, the original cape was then passed to reigning Miss Cherokee 1969.

This original three-piece outfit was last shown in its entirety in a fashion show presented by Wendell Cochran (adjusting the feather cape in the photo) during the Indian Symposium at Northeastern State University at Tahlequah, Oklahoma in April 2000. The Original Dress and Copper Crown are the property of Virginia Stroud. The White Turkey Feather Cape, which was worn as part of the offical Miss Cherokee wardrobe, was retired during the late 1970?s and not replaced by a new one; this one along with the first original cape are currently in the permanent collection of the Cherokee National Heritage Society, Tahlequah, OK.

The Copper Crown was designed and made by Willard Stone, acclaimed Cherokee Wood Sculpture from Locust Grove, Oklahoma. Mr. Stone was commissioned in 1968 to make two identical crowns: one inscribed with the title ? Miss Indian America 1968? (it is the one shown in the picture); the other inscribed ? Miss Cherokee?. Both crowns were identical in size, shape and engraved with the same turkey feather and turkey tracks motifs; the only differences were the engraved titles. Miss Stroud?s ?Miss Indian America? crown, missing for almost twenty years, was returned and is now in her possession. The ?Miss Cherokee? crown, past yearly to each suceeding Miss Cherokee for more than twenty years was eventually retired and a replacement commissioned. It is now in the permanent collection at the Heritage Society.

Note the details of this dress: the short, below the knee length of the skirt; three-quarter sleeves with very narrow binding and a plain rounded neck whithout a neck collar. The band of diamond applique trim on the skirt and those across the shoulder yoke are very narrow compared to trim seen on tear dressed today. Please note that there are no trim bands on the sleeves." - Wendell Cochran

The True History of the Cherokee Tear Dress.

This story may seem shocking and little sad to some who are romantically inclined to the modern myth about the Tear Dress. The myth is that our women wore this style of dress at the time of the Trail of Tears in 1838-39. That is not true for two reasons.

First of all, Cherokee never had a traditional style of dress that was unique or ethnically different than any other tribe in the hot and humid Southeastern United States. The clothing of both sexes, as described by the very earliest European adventurers, was primitive and scant, covering mostly their private parts, and made of mostly animal hides and furs. They did use a rudimentary form of finger weaving and netting to make sashes, belts and rope. Loom weaving technology, which would allow them to make piece goods, was not available until the opening of the frontier to missionaries, the Moravians in particular.

The clothing they made was fashioned on the type of clothing they were taught to make plain, simple and utilitarian. Frontier fashion was nothing like those seen in picture books and paintings of the ladies in eastern sea coast cities such as Boston, Philadelphia or New York. The second reason that the Tear Dress could not have been worn at the time of the Trail of Tears is because the style is completely wrong for the period. Women?s fashions of every historical period have a very definite silhouette, related primarily to the rise and fall of the waistline and the shape and size of the skirt.

In the late 1830?s, the period of the beginning and the end of the Trail of Tears episode, women of fashion in the cities along the eastern seaboard were wearing garments that costume historians call late Empire, Romantic period, or Early Victorian. The Tear Dress is definitely a style that came into fashion at a later date.

There is one painting extant of a Texas Cherokee couple which shows the woman wearing a most definite "Empire" style gown ? high waist, bell shaped skirt and short puff sleeves. Whether this painting was executed on site with real Cherokees as models, thus recording a moment in time, or was finished by the artist at a later time, and using another model in city-fied clothing. It was not uncommon for artists to use substitute models when painting Indian subjects.

The first official tear dress was made for and worn by Virginia Stroud during her reign in the titled position as "Miss Indian America" 1969.  The garment we call the Cherokee Tear Dress came about to fulfill the needs of a particular situation and had more to do with embarrassment than it had to do with tribal pride or tradition. The situation arose in 1968 when a young Cherokee woman, by the name of Virginia Stroud, was chosen as "Miss Indian America". She had competed and was crowned in a Kiowa buckskin dress she had borrowed from a college friend.

W.W. Keeler, who was the appointed Cherokee Chief at the time, was approached by a group of Cherokee women about Virginia Stroud?s official wardrobe. They felt it was unacceptable for a Cherokee women who was suppose to be representing the Cherokee people in the public eye was appearing at public events dressed as a Kiowa. Chief Keeler agreed and appointed a committee of Cherokee women to find something more appropriate for Miss Stroud that would reflect the Cherokee?s eastern woodland traditions, history and style.

They could not find an established precedence in Oklahoma for a traditional tribal dress. The answer they decided could only be found someplace in North Carolina, Georgia or Tennessee. The ladies mounted a serious search for a record of a dress design that would be uniquely Cherokee and acceptable by Chief Keeler. They did not want to simply copy or adapt any other tribe?s style. And they did not want the dress to look anything like the Plain?s Indian dress. They also wanted the dress to be historically correct and if a dress could be found, it had to be documented.

Ms. Stroud flew back to Tulsa and was met by a personal representative of Chief Keeler. It was at that point that Chief Keeler and his handpicked committee of Cherokee women began their search to find a suitable Cherokee outfit for her to wear. Two of the women on the committee were Marie Waddle, a BIA employee, and Wynona Day, the daughter of an influential Cherokee family from the days before statehood. Wynona Day is the person responsible for discovering the dress that became the prototype and model for the modern day Tear Dress. I have recently been told that the dress actually belonged to Wynona Day?s Grandmother or great-grandmother and that it had in truth been stored in a trunk. She had come across it by chance after she inherited her mother's belongings. She remembered having seen the dress and had retrieved it for the committee to examine.

As soon as the committee of women decided that Wynona?s Grandmother?s hand made dress would be perfectly acceptable for the new Miss Indian America to wear as a representative of the Cherokee people, Chief Keeler concurred. The next step was to get a new Tear Dress made for Virginia to wear.

Virginia Stroud?s sister, Elizabeth Walters, who she calls B, made the new dress. She copied the dress line for line, including duplicating the reverse applique on the decorative bands over the shoulders and around the skirt. The dress has a square neckline and no buttons or buttonholes. It closes with hooks and eyes; however the original had no visible means of fastening the dress with modern closures. We believe that according to fashion research, it was common practice for women to use broach pins to fasten blouses and those garments known as waists. Today we would probably just use safety pins."

Children

Young children usually went naked in the warmer months. Older children wore woven cloth or skin skirts, and they had fur robes and moccasins for winter use. As the children approached puberty, adult clothing was provided.

 Men

Summer clothing consisted of a breechclout made of soft tanned deer skin, pulled up between the legs, secured at the waist with thongs, which allowed the ends to hang nearly to the knees in front and back. A shorter version was also available that used less material that was similar to a man?s briefs, which was tied at the sides with thongs. 

They wore simple skin belts until they were married, and had a deer skin ?purse? suspended from their belt in front. A knife made of flint, obsidian, or copper, with a wooden or bone handle was worn on the right side of the belt. Men?s moccasins were short with flaps on either side to help protect the ankles from brush. For hunting or warfare, men wore leather ?chaps? or leggings that went from the ankle to mid-thigh, and were fastened to the belt with thongs.

Winter clothing consisted of deer skin shirts, fur robes, and moccasins made of beaver or muskrat skin, with the fur on the inside to keep the feet warm. The men had hats made of beaver fur, or woven turbans made of hide or cloth. They had ?pony-tails? on top of their heads, threaded or pulled into hollow tubes of bone or antler, with the tip of the pony-tail protruding. The ?tip? was well greased and sprinkled with red or yellow dust. Their hats were open at the top, to allow their pony-tail to protrude.  Around the base of the pony-tail, a ring of hair was shaved or plucked out to a width of about 2 inches. The sides of the hair was neatly trimmed, exposing the ears and ear-rings. 

Men of the Long Hair Clan wore their hair as the name implies. They did not have pony-tails, but used cloth or leather head-bands with a false pony-tail attached to the front, made of animal hair. In ancient times, the Cherokee men sported beards, braided in the center, and on each side of the mouth.  Later, they adopted the style of shaving or plucking out the unwanted facial hair. 

Men?s decoration consisted of woven belts, anklets and wrist bands made by their wives. Thong necklaces consisted of bone, claw, teeth, shells, copper plates, hammered lead, and large carved shell plates called ?gorgets?. Men also had pierced ears, with large shell or metal plates inserted into the holes, stretching the ear-lobes to great size. Men were often tattooed, by pricking the skin and rubbing the wound with ashes from a fire, to give the tattoo a dark color. 

War and ball-game attire was much the same, but with the addition of feathers. Each warrior or ball player tied one feather to the top of their pony-tail, and another smaller red feather was attached to the top of the larger feather. The art of feather dying was reserved for the shaman of the Paint Clan.

Special Attire

For Stomp Dances, men and women would attach shell rattles to their ankles. The dance leaders would use small turtle shells filled with rocks, to make a rattling sound with each dance step.  Fancy dress moccasins were decorated with colored beads, porcupine quills, and bits of dyed thread. Special head and hair ornaments were made from possum hair, died black, yellow or red.

Marriage Ceremony,  please see the description under the section ?Marriage Ceremony?.

For Booger Dances, which some say originated after first white contact, the men would dress in white-man?s clothing with absurd ?caricature? faces, with long noses reminiscent of phallic symbols.  Please see section on the ?Booger Dance?.

When young men wished to be hunters, they had to talk to the priest, who was in charge of training them. On the appearance of the first new Moon in March, the priest gave the pupils an emetic purifying drink and had them wash their bodies with it. The drink was a tea made of cedar boughs, horsemint, cane and old tobacco.  Once purged, they were going to the river where they immersed seven times, then put on clean clothing. Once they killed the first buck, they took the tip of the tongue to the priest to offer as a sacrifice.

The same ritual was repeated at the appearance of the first new moon in September. For four years thereafter, the candidates were consigned to the care of the hunting priest, and during this period were not allowed to have sexual relations with women. The priest taught them the sacred formulas for hunting (see below) and everything about the animals. He also taught them how to made the special calls that imitated nature to draw the animals closer. He helped them to make the masks for hunting, that never failed to bewitch the game and which allowed hunters to easily get within killing distance. The hunters were told how to give proper thanks for success and how to conserve enough game to assure a supply for future years.

At the end of the 4 years, the priest prepared on the bank of the river an "osi" or  tent for sweating. As soon as the pupils were in a profuse sweat, they were ordered to plunge in the river and immerse themselves seven times. After this purification ritual they were free to have sexual relations with women.

The hunting priest sometimes accompanied the specialist on expeditions, and the first buck killed belonged to him and he offered also the tip of the tongue as sacrifice, burning it in a new fire that he had brought along with him. When he couldn't accompany the hunters, he authorized the chief hunter to offer sacrifices instead.

The rites concerning hunting seem involved and time consuming, but the dependence of the ancient peoples on game made them understandable. Hunters specialist were called on to supply the deer meat and skins needed d for the rituals that accompanied the great festivals, and as such held a holy office that demanded a close association with the "above powers". The meat foods were as much a gift from the above powers as the cultivated and wild plant food, and to forget this was to ensure failure.

Men that were not specialists could also ask the priest to prepare them. They were taken to the "osi". Each man had for a seat a deerskin. They did not sleep the first night, and at intervals the priest sang the hunter's song. A short while before daybreak the men left behind all the clothes but for the breechclouts and went to another tent for sweating. After that they had to go to the river and immerse themselves seven times. Once dressed, they drank the purification medicine and bathe with it. It made them to throw up and thus cleanse the interiors of their bodies. On that day, they fasted until afternoon.

On the next day, they drank the mixture again, but the fasting period was shorter. The ritual was repeated for seven days, and on the seventh day, the first meal was eaten early in the morning. On the night of the seventh day everyone stayed awake while at intervals the priest sang the hunter song. Just before daybreak they went in the sweating tent and at daybreak immersed again. Then, carrying a new fire in a ceramic vessel, the priest had supplied, the men went on a hunt. On killing the first deer they took the meat and offered it to the fire for sacrifice. If a puff of wind came out of the meat while it burned, or if the meat popped throwing pieces toward the east, the sign was good, and the hunt would be successful, but if it popped towards the west, it wasn't a good sign.

During a prolonged series of winter hunting expeditions, when the need for food was very severe, the specialists were not permitted to have intercourse with their wives. It was the ultimate form of self-denial, and one the above powers could not fail to respond to favorably. Some years, the rule would remain in force for 6 months.

A special Hunter's Feast took place in September, when the buck flies first made their appearance. The rituals of drink, immersion and fasting were repeated, and on the fourth day, the priest would check his crystal to see if the hunting was going to be successful. That night the hunters were honored guests for a huge banquet where the village shown their appreciation for their efforts throughout the year.

Hunting was a laborious exercise. Men often walked 30 miles over rough ground, fasting themselves and purifying often. The animals shot with the bow and arrow were buffalo, deer, opossum, squirrel, turkey, partridge and pheasant. To kill rabbits and small birds, the blowgun was used. The blowgun was a seven or eight-foot-long hollow piece of cane through which, by means of blowing, a six-to eight-inch dart was projected. The darts were carried in quivers made of a section of large cane, and hollow gourds was used to store the cotton like thistledown plant fibers that the darts were stuck through to seal them in the blowgun and give them greater velocity.

Fishing

Fish were caught with bow and arrow, water traps, spearing, bait and hook and dipping out with baskets. Some fishing was doing from canoes fashioned from large pine or poplar logs, as much as forty feet long and two or more feet wide. The bottoms, sides and ends of the canoes were flat, although the ends were slanted to give less resistance to currents. Some of the canoes could carry fifteen to twenty men, yet were so light and maneuverable that the could be forced upstream against a strong current.

On occasion, the Cherokee used walnut bark to poison small areas of streams or ponds; the poison temporarily stunned the fish for easy gathering. Pounded walnut bark is thrown into small streams to stupefy the fish, so that they may be easily dipped out in baskets as they float on the surface of the water. Should a pregnant woman wade into the stream at the time, its effect is nullified, unless she has first taken the precaution to tie a strip of the bark about her toe.

Hunting and fishing prayers

Fishing prayer:

"Listen ! Now your settlements have drawn near to hearken. Where you have gathered in the foam you are moving about as one, You Blue Cat and the others, I have come to offer you freely the white food. Let the paths from every direction recognize each other. Our spittle shall be in agreement, Let them be together as we go about. The fish have become a prey, and there shall be no loneliness. Your spittle has become agreeable. Yo!."

Hunting prayer

"Give me the wind. Give me the breeze. Yu! O Great Terrestrial Hunter, I come to the edge of your spittle where you repose. Let your stomach cover itself; let it be covered with leaves. Let it cover itself at a single bend, and may you never be satisfied. And you, O Ancient Red, may you hover above my breast while I sleep. Now let good dreams develop; let my experiences be propitious. Ha ! Now let my little trails be directed, as they lie down in various directions. Let the leaves be covered with the clotted blood, and may it never cease to be so. You two (the Water and the Fire) shall bury it in your stomachs. Yu!"

Hunting birds prayer

"Listen! O Ancient White, where you dwell in peace I have come to rest. Now let your spirit arise. Let it (the game brought down) be buried in your stomach, and may your appetite never be satisfied. The red hickories have tied themselves together. The clotted blood is your recompense. O Ancient White, *** Accept the clotted blood. O Ancient White, put me in the successful hunting trail. Hang the mangled things upon me. Let me come along the successful trail with them doubled up (under my belt). It (the road) is clothed with the mangled things. O Ancient White, O Kanati, support me continually, that I may never become blue. Listen !"

Cherokee had tough laws to deal with crime. Homicide was one of the worst crimes. When both, aggressor and victim were Cherokee, two Cherokee clans would confront one another to settle the matter by the customary rules of domestic law. Blood revenge was a question of harmony, not necessarily of a vendetta. If a member from one clan killed the member of another, then balance must be restored. Blood revenge was considered very sacred and was carried out under the utmost sincerity. If a member of the clan a) should kill a member of the clan b), the clan b) would be owed one life, and the clan a) would pay with a life. Usually, the eldest brother or nearest male relative of a victim was expected to be the avenger of spilled blood. As far as the aggressor concerns, the entire clan was responsible for the crime of one of its members, and there were no exceptions. It was a system that worked well for the Cherokees, because relatives themselves would bring the fugitive to justice to avoid like punishment. The father of a family couldn't punish his own children, since they were from a different clan (wife's), and if the wife's clan was the one involved in the dispute, that didn't affect him, since he never become a member of the clan. The law of retaliation even applied in minor offenses. Accidental killing may be punished in several ways, depending on the circumstances of the event. If the aggressor was still in the area, it wasn't likely the offended clan would take the life of a relative, but if the aggressor fled, another member of his Clan would be selected in his place, usually the brother. One rule is undisputed: neither the aggress or or another member of the clan can either prevent the execution or seek retaliation. That law was domestic, and was not applied to intertribal killings, which would led to war. Murder committed within the same clan, it frequently happened that the clan interceded with the head chief of the nation, and a pardon was granted, which pardon is published in the national council when convened.

The Cherokee had four towns of refuge, one of them was Echota, to protect anyone who intentionally or unintentionally slew another Cherokee. Also, every priest's door and yard were places of refuge, and the avenger could not touch the presumed criminal there. If a presumed criminal was asking for sanctuary, the priest would listen to the details of the incident, and call a Council to examine the evidence and witnesses. Their method to test a witness: for inconsequential affairs, the elderly priest who served as judge asked each witness whether they had lied when they gave testimony. In bigger affairs, the priest asked : "What you have now said, is it true in the beloved name of the great and self-existent God ?. If the court decided that the accused was guilty of an unforgivable crime, he was not publicly condemned, but rather placed in the forefront of a battle line or in some circumstance that would bring him a noble death. This kind of decision did not apply in all instances besides those wherein sanctuary was sought. Other times justice may be summary and brutal in ancient times. Criminals who seriously harmed the tribe by their actions were sometimes stoned to death or killed with a weapon. A favored treatment was to take the individual to the top of a high cliff and cast him headlong over the side.

A Cherokee manslayer who hoped to escape execution would take the warpath, and if he obtained a scalp, would offer it to the victim's relatives. It was a legal principle akin to compensation and forgiveness. The clan of the victim were not obliged to accept, but often did, especially when the homicide had not been intentional. If the aggressor was killed in battle, the victim's clan was satisfied and did not seek vengeance against the rest of the aggressor's clan.

Those are some of the laws the Cherokee had:

Unauthorized person learning religious secrets

Either Spirits or white priest who calls Spirits.

Demons sent from Spirit world.

Death before next day.

Theft of sacred religious relics

Spirits or white priest who call Spirits

Spirits themselves

Immediate death

Assault on Priest

Spirits or white priest who calls Spirits.

Spirits themselves.

Death, but uncertain date or manner.

Widespread deviation from general norms of conduct so frequent as to offend Spirits, i.e., adultery.

Priest must call upon Spirits.

Spirits through agents of disease.

Sickness, suffering, smallpox, plague.

Women's taboos.

Spirits, white priests, or other women.

Spirits themselves; agents of disease; demons sent from Spirit world.

Death, sickness; entire village will suffer.

Failure to follow rituals such as bathing, singing songs, eating corn; drunkenness at festivals.

Spirits or white priest who calls Spirits.

Agents of Spirits.

Sickness, bad luck. Entire village may suffer.

Arson-frequent burning of individual or public property.

Council of Seven Clans (White Courts).

Appointed by Seven Clans Council; select group which should be composed of individuals whose property was burned if possible.

Death (throwing from cliff or high place)

Assault-frequent and aggressive attacks upon the person of others

Council of Seven Clans (White Courts)

Group appointed by Council, should be those assaulted if possible

Whipping or infliction of similar assault

Food and field regulations, refusal to work, contribute share of work and crops.

Council of Seven Clans (White Courts)

Select group or elder members of individual's clan

Whipping, insult, possible expulsion(outlawry)

Hunting Regulations

Council of Seven Clans

Select group or elder clan members

Whipping, insult, and possible outlawry; scratching legs

Misrepresentation, wearing fraudulent insignia, using wrong war name, etc.

Either Council of Seven Clans for peace offense or Military Court of Red Organization for war offense

Public Executioner

Whipping, name calling, public disgrace

Treason-deliberate violation of community interest which benefits recognized enemy of group.

Either Council of Seven Clans or Military Red Court

Select group of significant leaders, one from each clan.

Death

War regulations, order of fire, command, restrictions on attack.

Military or Red Court Enemy in battle or tribal executioner

Place violator in battle position where certain to be killed, death by tribal executioner, scratching legs

Women's taboos, separation, childbirth, etc.

Council of Beloved Women of the Seven Clans; informal group of women

Select women of community

Stoning, mutilating, whipping, death

Widower or widow remarriage or mourning requirements.

Council of Beloved Women of the Seven Clans; informal group of women

Select women of community

Death, stoning, mutilation, whipping

Witchcraft

Council of Seven Clans (White Courts)

Enforcement Company appointed from each of the Seven Clans

Death

Intermarriage within clan

Clan members especially immediate family of violators.

Clan members selected by family.

Death for the couple

Homicide

Clan members of immediate family of deceased

Oldest male relative (generally brother) of the deceased clansman; but a member of murderer's clan might execute punishment

Death for the murderer or a member of his clan

Incest

Informal clan consensus

Clan representative

Death

Infanticide

   Mother

No stigma for mother

No penalty or enforcement

None

Infanticide

  Father

Informal clan decision

Wife's relatives as clan revenge

Death

Sex crimes-bigamy, prostitution, incest, only to extent violate clan blood customs; see Intermarriage within clan

Suicide

Clan offense but death prevents earthly retribution so punishment left to spirits. Spirits' clan should cleanse blood but cannot punish the suicide Ghost must always remain in the land; cannot pass to Nightland

Theft from dead or graves of dead

Members of clan of the deceased

Bone bearer assisted by clan

Death

Adultery (see also Spirit)

Husband or wife might ask divine assistance to locate guilty person

Injured husband or divine intervention

Punish wife with whipping, mutilation, death; death by divine intervention

Assault (see also Spirit)

Injured individual

Injured individual to

Return in kind, related to nature of assault

Rape

Husband of rape victim; the victim apparently had no authority

Husband

Death

Theft (see also Spirit, clan)

Individual from whom item was stolen; divine assistance from priest to locate thief

Individual injured, no divine recovery of goods

Recovery of goods in question and public humiliation of thief

The Blood Revenge Law was abolished by the Cherokee National Government on September 11, 1808

" Be it known, That this day, the various clans or tribes which compose the Cherokee Nation, have unanimously passed an act of oblivion for all lives for which they may have been indebted, one to the other, and have mutually agreed that after this evening the aforesaid act shall become binding upon every clan or tribe, and the aforesaid clans or tribes, have also agreed that if, in future, any life should be lost without malice intended, the innocent aggressor shall not be accounted guilty.

Be it known, also, That should it happen that a brother, forgetting his natural affections, should raise his hands in anger and kill his brother, he shall be accounted guilty of murder and suffer accordingly, and if a man has a horse stolen, and overtakes the thief, and should his anger be so great as to cause him to kill him, let his blood remain on his own conscience, but no satisfaction shall be demanded for his life from his relatives or the clan he may belong to.

By order of the Seven Clans"

Cherokees were a law-abiding people, whose ancient customs served them well. The Europeans didn't introduce the concept of corporate responsibility, the Indian laws were already using that concept.

During the 1830's and 1840's, the Indian nations set up their law enforcement system and judicial courts similar to what they had in the East. The Cherokee divided their country into eight districts or counties, laid a tax on people to build a courthouse in each of those counties and appointed four circuit Judges.

In 1829, the Cherokees passed a law to protect their land, sentencing to death those who would dispose of Cherokee land without permission of the Nation:

"Whereas; a law has been in existence for many years, but not committed to writing, that if any citizen or citizens of this Nation should treat and dispose of any lands belonging to this Nation without special permission from the National authorities, he or they shall suffer death; Therefore; resolved, by the Committee and Council, in General Council convened, that any person or persons who shall, contrary to the will and consent of the legislative council of this Nation in general council convened, enter into a treaty with any commissioner or commissioners of the United States, or any officers instructed for that purpose, and agree to sell or dispose of any part or portion of the National lands defined in this Constitution of this Nation, he or they so offending, upon conviction before any of the circuit judges aforesaid are authorized to call a court for the trial of any such person or persons so transgressing. Be it Further Resolved; that any person or persons, who shall violate the provisions of this act, and shall refuse, by resistance, to appear at the place designated for trial, or abscond, are hereby declared to be outlaws; and any person or persons, citizens of this Nation, may kill him or them so offending, in any manner most convenient, within the limits of this Nation, and shall not be held accountable for the same." Passed by the Cherokee General Council on October 24, 1829

You can read a extract of the laws the Cherokee nation in 1852 here

You can read the current Cherokee Nation constitution here

From Blood law to Native American Marshals

Extracted from:

OKLAHOMA'S Frontier Indian Police By Art T. Burton Copyright 1996. Originally published in the Oklahoma State Trooper Magazine.

 Around 1808, the Cherokee Nation passed an act appointing "regulators" to eliminate horse stealing and robbery, to protect widows and orphans, and to kill any accused person resisting their authority. This action was taken when the Cherokees were located in the South U.S., before the "Trail of Tears." The Cherokee Advocate, published at Tahlequah, reported on November 13, 1844, that the Cherokee National Council had passed a bill authorizing a Lighthorse Company. It was to be composed of a captain, lieutenant and twenty-four horsemen. Their assigned duty was to pursue and arrest all fugitives from justice. Some of the lighthorse police were black men and white men. The blacks were citizens due to the Treaty of 1866, where the Indians were told to give their former African slaves citizenship and rights. The former slaves became known in the nations as Indian Freedmen and their descendants were likewise noted. The Cherokee got the name "lighthorse" from Revolutionary War hero, General Henry Lee who was called "Lighthorse Harry" due to the rapidity of his cavalry movements during the conflict. Henry was Robert E. Lee's father.

An example of early Cherokee justice was the punishment for rape. For the first offense, the rapist was punished with fifty lashes upon the bare back and his left ear cropped off close to the head: for the second offense, one hundred lashes and the other ear cut off, for the third offense, death. Due to some circumstances the early lighthorse had to serve as policemen, judges, and jurors. Their job was eased in 1874 by the construction of a national prison at Tahlequah presided over by a high sheriff. The Cherokee Nation had a gallows for execution at Tahlequah. None of the other Indian nations had a national prison and used firing squads for execution.

The United States Indian Police were completely under orders of the Indian agent. They occasionally assisted in the enforcement of tribal laws. They also arrested criminals, whom they turned over to deputy U.S. marshals, and removed illegal squatters and intruders who had been reported to the agent by the Principal Chief. They arrested fugitives from justice and turned them over to the officers of neighboring states when the governors made request upon agents, as they sometimes did, instead of upon the Principal Chief. However their number one duty was upholding Federal laws in response to introducing liquor into the Indian Territory. U.S.I.P. were paid a salary ranging from five to fifteen dollars a month from the U.S. government and received additional monies from the tribes for removing intruders and for special services.

Nowadays, the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service have sole jurisdiction over Cherokee restricted land. No state or local agency can enforce the law on Indian land without a cross-deputization agreement. County deputies and members of a District Attorney?s Task Force have authority to enforce the law on non-Indian lands. The cross-deputization agreement means that Cherokee Nation Marshals can now assist local law enforcement agencies on non-Indian land, and that local law enforcement agencies can now assist the marshals on Indian land.

For a better comprehension about the Tribal Justice in our days, please visit this page National Tribal Resource Center, a project of the National American Indian Court Judges Association ( thanks to Phil Konstantin for this link )

http://www.native-languages.org/cherokee_animals.htm

  Sequoya

Sequoya was the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet and a Native American leader. His name is also spelled Sequoia, Sikwayi, or Sequoyah. He was also known by the English as George Guess. Sequoya was born in Taskigi, Tennessee. He was the son of a part-Cherokee woman and Nathaniel Gist, an English trader. Sequoya worked as a trader and a silversmith in Cherokee County, Georgia. He served with the United States Army during the Creek War. The giant sequoia trees and Sequoia National Park in California are named after him.

Sequoya, determined to preserve Cherokee culture began to form a system of writing for the Cherokees about 1809. By 1821 he had improve an alphabet that had over 80 characters that stood for all the syllables of the Cherokee language. The alphabet allowed the Cherokee to publish newspapers and books in their own language. Thousands learned to read and write in the new written language.

lifestyle

The Cherokee grew maize (corn), beans, sunflowers, squash (pumpkin), and tobacco. They hunted deer and bear with bows and arrows, and used reed blowguns to kill smaller game. They also ate freshwater fish, roots, nuts, berries, and other wild plants. Their clothes and shoes (moccasins) were made of buckskin. Their crafts included pottery, basketry, and woodcarving. The Cherokee built more than 60 villages, many along riverbanks. The settlements were usually comprised of 30 to 60 log cabins. The cabins were roofed with thatch and windowless. Each village had a large meeting house where the sacred fire was kept burning and where council meetings were held. Most Cherokee, especially the Eastern Band, are now Christian.

Location: The original location of the Cherokee was the southern Appalachian Mountains, including western North and South Carolina, northern Georgia and Alabama, southwest Virginia, and the Cumberland Basin of Tennessee, Kentucky, and northern Alabama. Currently, the Cherokee live in eastern Oklahoma. There are also Cherokee in North Carolina, Missouri, Arkansas, Georgia and Alabama.

Ok just so you all realize when I said that daniel messed around with Scott's girlfriend I wasn't talking about Krissy. I was talking about years ago when Scott was dating Mandi. So yeah.I'm actually happy for once. Not hanging out with Daniel has been the best thing for me. Daniel was killing me he was destroying everything about me. He took away my happiness my hope my creativity and everything that made me, me. But now everything is coming back. Everyone has been noticing even Scott. He told me that when he met me i seemed like an empty shell. But now I actually seem like a real person. I love everyone again and I'm just so much happier. Don't get me wrong I love Daniel I really do. I always will. Just like I still love Kris. But I just can't be happy with him. He's put me through to much shit and I won't be able to get over it. I will always cherish the good times that I did have with Daniel. But there's just not enough good times to keep me with him. But I love you all and I will talk to you later. Buh-Bye

Bumblebee