Southern Indians History

Cherokee Indians have been around for many years, but when the topic of Native Americans is discussed it is only about the struggles and hardships they went through but never their actual culture of how and where they originated or how they came to be. There are many interesting things to learn about Cherokee Indians such as their heritage, religion, language, and their traditional songs, dances, and food.

The Cherokee tribe is known as one of the earliest and largest Indian tribe in North America. They are federally recognized even today among several states(museum). While they slowly became Americanized by the Europeans who came over to America, some still practice their typical Indian rituals publicly today. Most converted to Christianity and their government in Oklahoma is based off the American government with three branches. One would believe that the Trail of Tears could have completely vanquished these Indians but many made it through the horrendous trial and kept the Indian bloodline going even present day (Conley).

They also planted crops that fertilized the land with resources that were lost with the plantation of other plants. Indians raised crops moderately; they cultivated enough to live off of without exhausting the land.

The habitat of the Indians of the Eastern Woodlands, as they would usually live near lakes, streams, or forest. The Indians of the Eastern Woodlands would live by streams or lakes because it was easy access for them to access the water. The people that would live by the lakes or streams they could use it for fishing, or irrigation system. The people lived by waterways like St. Lawrence River and the Great lakes. The hunters of the Eastern Woodlands used the waterways for fish.

In the early 1800s the Cherokee started their own Cherokee Nation. Some of these Cherokees did not like the fact that white people were invading their land and decided to move out to the west and start their own society. The reason why the white people were coming onto Cherokee land is because of all the gold that is there. The whites began to make friends with the Cherokee so they could get some of the gold. Later the white people decided it was time that the Cherokee people need to be eliminated from the area. This lead to the Cherokee losing their land, farms, and their houses. President Andrew Jackson was the one who caused the removal of the Cherokee people.

Gabriel Arthur, to the Cherokee Overhill capital at Echota in 1673, but the following year

The Cherokee Tribe is among the more popularly known Native American tribes in the United States. They are mainly remembered for their fight against the U.S. government and the Supreme Court and their forced migration in the Trail of Tears. However, as mentioned by North Carolina Digital History and Robert Conley, because of their written language, many of their traditions and history is well known and taught in schools as an example of Native American culture (10.2 and 105). Michael D. Green and Theda Perdure introduce Cherokee history in the book, The Cherokee Removal: A Brief History with Documents. The tribe originally inhabited southeast North America in what is currently Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, and into northern Georgia and Alabama “1). From 1836 to 1839 the Cherokee Tribe was forcibly and harshly removed and relocated in Oklahoma in what is known as The Trail of Tears (Green 160) Throughout all the changes the Cherokee had to undergo as they lost their traditional land and home, they were able to keep their traditions, rituals, and ceremonies and some, such as the dance and medicine use, are still practiced today. Traditions and rituals are repeated over and over, year after year. For an event to have this much significance in a society it must have been important from the time it began. As Miller Williams, a poet from 1930-2015, said, “Ritual is important to us as human beings. It ties us to our

European settlements in the new world had a number of impacts on Cherokee Native Americans. It led to them dying or being pushed onto reservations.

Around the 1800s, the Cherokee began taking up the economics and politics of the white settlers around them. Some owned plantations and even kept slaves. Many Cherokee’s embraced “white” names. They developed gradually and became one of the successful tribes in the United States. They form a system by which they were controlled called the Cherokee Nation, which was similar to the United States of America government, which included a Chief , a vice-Chief and 32 Council members. A constitution of code laws also in place. The principal chief is the equivalent to the President, the legislative branch of the tribal council to the supreme court and the house of representatives, and the judicial branch called the tribunal is made up of the three tribal

`The Cherokee Indians were a very modern group of Native Americans; they had successfully blended into the American way of life. For example, they made their government like the American way, translated the Bible, and even used American rules for owning property. Life for the Cherokee nation seemed to be going well, but in 1832 they would have to fight for their land. Gold was discovered in Georgia, so Georgians wanted to force the Cherokee Indians out, so they would have more gold. The Cherokee Indians fought in a nonviolent way; they sued. “In Worcester v. Georgia (1832), which followed a similar case from the ear before, Cherokee, Georgia, the Supreme Court ruled that the Cherokee nation was a sovereign nation and that the state of Georgia

Most of the displaced Cherokee walked west on the roads, although some went by boat. Rounded up into assembly centers, sent to emigration depots, and then herded west, most Cherokee followed the overland route of Lieutenant B.B. Cannon. Cannon led a group of Cherokee who voluntarily relocated west in 1837. Armed soldiers flushed the Cherokee out of their homes and stripped them of valuable possessions. Tightly packed in holding centers, they found that food and water were scarce and disease and death were common. From those assembled at Rattlesnake Springs, for example, 13 organized detachments made the journey west. While most walked, the infirm and mothers with young children traveled in wagons. Space was limited because food, blankets, and other supplies occupied most of the room. Those who were still alive five months later found

Removed Cherokees initially settled near Tahlequah, Oklahoma. When signing the Treaty of New Echota in 1835 Major Ridge said "I have signed my death warrant." The resulting political turmoil led to the killings of Major Ridge, John Ridge, and Elias Boudinot; of the leaders of the Treaty Party, only Stand Watie escaped death.[47][48][49] The population of the Cherokee Nation eventually rebounded, and today the Cherokees are the largest American Indian group in the United States.[50]

The Seminole Indian Tribe of Florida is a renowned group in South Florida area. Besides being the only Federal recognized tribe that has not signed a peace treaty, the Seminoles are known for things as Chickee Architecture, Billie Swamp Safari, and the Infamous Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. All these groundbreaking and recognized accomplishments were only cable because of the hard work and dedication from the different tribes that make up the Seminole Nation. That being said, the Seminoles success was also due to opening of smoke shops and high risk gaming in the 1970’s(Cattelino 5). However, with the wealth that has come, it also brings along the Fungibility of money. This Fungibility is what enabled growth with the Seminole people.

An example would be a Cherokee hunter offering the tongue of the killed deer to the fire as a way of giving thanks for the animal’s life. A similar practice was done to prepare for battles. Another aspect of structure, would be their attention to the cyclicality of life. American Indians saw life as a cycle especially seasons and life. The seasons played an important role in when to have certain ceremonies or when to plant.

In the Cherokee tribes, there’s a saying about an elderly Cherokee chief who was teaching his grandson about life, "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego. The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too." The young boy questions his grandfather asking which wolf wins. And his grandfather responded “The one you feed” (Cherokee proverb). This saying gets me through my daily life, I tell myself to never feed the evil wolf because that will lead to all the sadness I have fought so hard to get out of.