Chelsea Carriere
Professor Ferruccio Trabalzi
Introduction to Anthropology
October 13, 2015
The Seven Clans of the Cherokee
With over 314,000 recorded members, the Cherokee Nation is the largest federally recognized Native American tribe in the United States. In ancient times, this tribe was just as formidable, having conquered over 135,000 square miles of territory throughout eight states; North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia. Much of the traditional culture remains the same in today’s world though some things have evolved out of necessity to fit modern society (Reese). Despite some of these changes however, the Cherokee nation is working hard to preserve their native traditions
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So where do the laws actually come from? As it turns out, the traditional law of the Cherokee emanated from religious beliefs, rather than from written secular rules mandating certain behavior. The basic tenet of religious belief that guided tribal life was the maintenance of harmony. The Cherokee people lived by a clearly defined pattern and structure to their lives, sustained by age-old customs, rituals, beliefs, ceremonies, and symbols that guided the “rightful” and “eternal” order of things. They believed that there was no aspect of life free from spiritual meaning and thus Cherokee life was “woven together into a unified pattern of religious rules and connections involving harmony with the world above, the world below, and the world around.” The manifestation of this social and religious synchronisms was the mutual submission to “customary procedures exercised by clearly defined groups, such as the clans” (Carroll). Fundamentally, Cherokee law was not based on individual responsibility or public wrongs but on clan relationships and clan wrongs. Clan procedures plainly defined who could act, when he or she could act, and what form his or her action should take. The Clans were also responsible for punishing any wrongdoings or rule breaking. In most cases the clans were the judge, jury, and in extreme circumstances, the executioners. One such extreme circumstance might be in the instance of a purposeful or accidental death of a member of one clan at the hands of a member of another clan. The clan of the member who was killed had the duty to seek restitution for the loss. Simply put, when one Cherokee killed another Cherokee, their respective clans would settle the matter internally through restitution. The one to die in return for the wrongful death of the other did not need to be the person directly responsible. If the one responsible had
Ever since first contact, the lives and lands of native people, European’s disease killed tens of thousands of Indians. Natives relied on Europeans goods and the mountain intruders of white settlers left most tribes with a painful choice to leave their land and head west. Cherokees were unique in trying to adapt to white culture hoping they could keep their homeland. It was in a time of hope and triumph that the Cherokee’s faith grew darker. The American Revolution. Americans were rejoicing their independence but in Indian country it was little to celebrate. When the American Revolution came to Cherokee towns, the Cherokee joined forces with the British, their trading partners (Boulware). American revenge was swift and brutal. Malicious from
Currently, when the losses suffered by the Cherokee Nation as a result of their forced removal are discussed, there is a focus on the loss in numbers. However, Russell Thornton’s “Cherokee Population Losses During Trail of Tears: A New Perspective and a New Estimate” clearly presents a new, suitably researched perspective that argues the focus should not be only on those that died, but also on those that never lived. Thornton is a professor at UCLA in the Anthropology department. He has a number of degrees related to this study, including a Ph.D. in Sociology and a postdoctoral in Social Relations from Harvard, and specializes in Native American studies. He is clearly appropriately acquainted with this field, and his knowledge of the subject matter is evident in this piece. However, he also cites a number of papers and books by other authors, so as not to rely purely on his knowledge.
The laws that the natives had made, became more elaborate, and were put together as their constitution in 1827. The Cherokees became prime example of a developing Indian, and were labeled as, "the most civilized tribe in America." (McLoughlin, pg. 279) The Cherokees became self-sufficient and began competing with American traders, instead of having to rely on their goods to survive. Their newfound education also helped in their ability to reason, and bargain. Another important aspect in this renascence, that affected Indian education, was the emergence of mixed-blood Indians. The mixed-blood Indians brought a new blend of people who had the knowledge of both cultures and could better combine both ways of living into one that was better off.
In American Indian life, they believe their life is interconnected with the world, nature, and other people. The idea of a peoplehood matrix runs deep in Indian culture, in this essay the Cherokee, which is the holistic view of sacred history, language, ceremony, and homeland together. This holistic model shapes the life of the American Indians and how their sense of being and relationship to their history is strong and extremely valuable to them. This essay will try to explain how each aspect of the peoplehood matrix is important and interconnected to each other and the life of the Native Americans.
For a thousand years before Europeans came to North America, the Cherokees occupied a large area where the states of Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia now come together. They inhabited over 50 towns. Cherokee women tended crops while the men hunted and made war.
The Cherokees developed their own constitution, which caused some outrage within the Cherokee community and great anger throughout Georgia. Perhaps the Cherokee government took the idea of civilization too far, as their government and constitution were inspired by the United States’. For example, their boundaries are outlined and regulations for running for an office are made clear. In fury, the governor of Georgia insisted that the Cherokee Nation were gaining the dominance that laid greatly within the borders of Georgia. He also commanded President John Q. Adams to condemn it. President Adams claimed that this constitution was a device of local government and that there was no interference between the affiliation of the Cherokee Nation and the federal government. This created a ground for the Cherokees to stand upon, giving themselves recognition and power. Indirectly, this was a way for the Cherokees to announce their refusal to accept the removal and let their voice be heard. This case also represented the prejudice and lust for land that Georgia had for the tribe. After the decision of President Adams to stay neutral, the Cherokees took advantage of their short-lived power and began to publish newspapers and hold elections for representatives under this constitution. They had an office for principal chief and published different imprints of their laws. Still, this didn’t stop the government of
Throughout Indian Country tribes have their own courts to address legal matters. However, the Navajo Nation has a court system that stands apart from other tribes. Howard L. Brown Esq. wrote, “The Navajo Nation’s Peacemaker Division: An Integrated Community-Based Dispute Resolution Forum” which was published in the American Indian Law Review 1999-2000 issue and was reprinted in the May/July 2002 issue of Dispute Resolution Journal. As a former judicial law clerk for the Supreme Court of the Navajo Nation, Brown gained firsthand experience with the Peacemaker Division within the Navajo Nation’s Judicial Branch. He details the history, development and ceremonies associated with this resolution forum. Two
Most of us have learnt about the Trail of Tears as an event in American history, but not many of us have ever explored why the removal of the Indians to the West was more than an issue of mere land ownership. Here, the meaning and importance of land to the original Cherokee Nation of the Southeastern United States is investigated. American land was seen as a way for white settlers to profit, but the Cherokee held the land within their hearts. Their removal meant much more to them than just the loss of a material world. Historical events, documentations by the Cherokee, and maps showing the loss of Cherokee land work together to give a true Cherokee
The death and burials of the Cherokee along the Trail of Tears, will determine if the forced relocation can be considered an act of genocide. However, determining the number of how many people lost their lives on the Trail of Tears is difficult to calculate. An exact death toll of the round-up alone cannot be verified by historians. Most modern historians and other professionals agree on the number 4,000 deaths or one-fourth of the Cherokee Nation (Thornton, 1984). 4,000 deaths, is an estimate determined from the 1835 Census that tallied roughly 16,000 Cherokee in Georgia. Only 12,000 made it to Oklahoma, so the death estimate is 4,000 (Wilkins, 1986). A missionary by the name of Dr. Butler, who traveled with the Cherokee, estimated the death toll using eyewitness accounts and his personal observations along the journey. One traveler from Maine described an encounter of one of the detachments stating, “…we learned from the inhabitants on the road where the Indians passed that they buried fourteen or fifteen at every stopping place, and they make a journey of ten miles per day only on an average,” (Wilkins, 1986). Observations like the traveler’s, were the kind Dr. Butler would use to determine his estimate. Later he did bump his estimate up to 4,600 Cherokee deaths when presented with more evidence. However, the 4,600 is still an estimate and the exact number of lost lives is still unknown.
Globalization has caused extreme change on the Cherokee ways of life, institutions, customs and traditions. The Cherokee people are incorporating more and more of their past traditions in to their institutions way of life in a means of trying to preserve them in this every changing world. Once a culture of people that held high their beliefs and way of life was nearly an extinct culture after the European, and colonization forced these people out of their land. It is important to see look at the affects that globalization has on the Cherokee people because looking at this we can see how globalization affects human dignity both in a positive manner and in a negative manner.
Tribal sovereignty is a highly debated concept and an important aspect of Native American society. It refers to a tribe’s power to govern itself, manage its membership, and regulate tribal relations. As Joanna Barker stated, “Sovereignty carries the awful stench of colonization.” Tribal sovereignty must be traced to the beginning of colonization in North America. Colonizing nations asserted sovereignty over indigenous people and took away their independent status. The term “tribal sovereignty” carries with it multiples meanings and implications for tribal nations (Cobb, 2005).
Clothing, property, polygamy, education, and religion are discussed; however the focus is aimed at the Cherokees’ progress of becoming like the ‘white brethren’ . They were ‘in a course of improvement… nearly on the same level’ as those who considered themselves to be the prime example of what a civilised society ought to be. Now, the topic of ‘race’ comes into question, thanks to Howard F. Taylors’ several definitions of the term . Now, all the categories listed seem to be match for this document. The biological
The Cherokee tribe is a profoundly recognized tribe in Northern America. According to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau there are 284,247 Cherokee citizens in the United States, making the Cherokee tribe one of the largest populated tribes in the United States (17). The Cherokee tribes first contact with English settlers during the late seventeenth century (Anderson and Wetmore). Settler colonialism greatly impacted the traditions and lives of many tribes in North America. This essay will describe how the four components of the Peoplehood Matrix were impacted by settler colonialism in regards to the Cherokee tribe and how settler colonialism continues to impact the tribe today.
Have you ever heard of the Cherokee Indians? Sure you have! Just as a reminder, they are the biggest tribe, and most known of out of all the Indian tribes there has ever been in the southeast. They are very important to American History and helped shaped us to be the Americans we are today, which is clearly what I 'll be explaining in this paper. Throughout the paper, I 'll tell you everything you need to know about the Cherokee Indians and continue to relate to the thesis.
Native Americans hold a type of esoteric concept that comes from their philosophy of preserving their environment as well as their kinship that ties them together (Access Genealogy, 2009). They not only have social ties, they are politically and religiously organized through their rituals, government, and other institutions (Access Genealogy, 2009). They work together to reside in a territorial area, and speak a common language (Access Genealogy, 2009). They are not characterized by any one certain structure (Access Genealogy, 2009). However, the society agrees on fundamental principles that bond together a certain social fabric (Access Genealogy, 2009). Different Native American tribes throughout the years have had different ideas, opinions, philosophies, which are not always predetermined by their past ancestors.