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Cherokee Origins Of The Cherokee

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The Cherokee homelands were scattered in major parts of Kentucky and Tennessee but were also located in other states such as: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. They have been known as being one of the most culturally and socially advanced tribes since becoming in contact with European explorers. Since the Cherokee were located in different places in the United States this resulted in a difference between tribes, this paper will focus on the Tennessee Cherokee. The Cherokee have been known to be highly spiritual and religious, for example they had a very high consciousness towards owls and cougars and they would honor their existence in many of their stories and rituals. Once the Europeans invaded their homelands because of the gold found, the Cherokee adopted the style of their invaders and even adopted some of their farming and building methods. Before the invasion of the European settlers the Cherokee had their own agricultural methodology. The Cherokee cultivated soil in order to encourage the growth of certain plant species that they need for their healing rituals. Because there was no record keeping in the tribes prior to the settlers there is no real documentation of the practices in agriculture that the Cherokee took part in. There is, however, a journal that was kept by a Spanish explorer that mentioned the cultivation of beans, corn (maize), and squash. However, upon further inspection it can be concluded that the main

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