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.
The Cherokee were Brave and Courageous Hunters,
they always had respect for the Land and for the Animals that they Hunted, They only Killed what they needed to survive they used every part of the Animal for their daily needs. nothing was wasted, the skins were used for Clothing and making moccasin`s for their feet. the Meat was eaten for food. their weapons were all made by hand by a skilled Cherokee Craftsman. Their weapons included Blowguns made from hollowed out river cane, the Darts for the Blowguns were eight to ten inches long made from yellow locust, the tails of the darts were made of thistledown wound on the staff with a sinew. the blowguns were used to hunt small Animals and birds. they used Bows and Arrows, for Hunting the larger Animals, and for use in War to protect their Lands and Families From their Enemies. the Bows were made of hard wood usually hickory or oak, the bows were strung with Bear or Deer guts. the Arrows were made of river cane or sourwood, and then feathered with turkey feathers, and tipped with stone points. the Cherokee lived for thousands of years in the mountains of east Tennessee and North Carolina. the Cherokee lived in harmony with every living creature big and small. and then one day the White Man began to slowly move into Cherokee Territory The White Men were a different type of people. The white Man that invaded the Cherokee lands were A very Evil and Greedy people, They managed to Destroy in a few short years everything the Cherokee fought so hard to protect and preserve. they killed the Animals for their hides, and left their carcass`s to rot in the sun. when gold was discovered on Cherokee land, they killed everyone including women and children and even murdering small babies so they could steal the Cherokees lands for the gold it contained.
role of men and women
Like their distant cousins the Iroquois, the Cherokee Indians had an even division of power between men and women. Cherokee men were in charge of hunting, war, and diplomacy. Cherokee women were in charge of farming, property, and family. Men made political decisions for the tribe, and women made social decisions for the clans. Chiefs were men, and landowners were women. Both genders took part in storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine.
Today, Cherokee gender role traditions have changed. Cherokee women can be chiefs also... and Cherokee men are sometimes farmers. However, modern Cherokee people still trace clan relationships through their mothers.
