Essay On Cherokee Effect On Indian Culture

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THE EFFECT OF EUROPEAN CONTACT ON CHEROKEE INDIAN CULTURE By MICHAEL WOMICK *** AP English Language and Composition Mrs. Myslinski 20 October 2014 THE EFFECT OF EUROPEAN CONTACT ON CHEROKEE INDIAN CULTURE THESIS: The United States of America both had a very great impact on and were impacted by the Cherokee tribe. Introduction The Cherokee Indians were greatly affected by European contact. What events led to this change and how have those events impacted the Cherokee people? The Cherokee are an Iroquoian speaking Native American tribe originally settled in the Southeastern United States. As well as being drastically influenced by the European emigrants, the Native Americans majorly affected them. Cherokee Before …show more content…

The Cherokee tribes settled in a large area that included North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. This land was lush, fertile, and untouched by ‘modern civilization.’ The land provisioned the Cherokee with plenty of natural resources. Interspersed among the land, typically by headwaters and rivers, were Cherokee towns. The mountains, the fertile valleys, and the streams provided immediate access to a variety of ecological niches which supported the Cherokee’s diversified economy. Cherokee Culture Before European Contact Cherokee children liked to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. Women taught Cherokee girls all of the home and gardening skills. Cherokee children played with dolls and other toys. They played game such as one game in which kids tried to throw a dart through a moving hoop. Lacrosse was a popular sport among Cherokee …show more content…

Today, however, they accept and are commonly referred by the name ‘Cherokee.’ Cherokee, or Tsalagi, as it is both spoken and written in their language, comes from a Muskogee word meaning ‘speakers of another language’ (Orrin). Before European contact, the Cherokee Indians occupied a considerable region of South Appalachia exceeding and including 40,000 square miles of mountains, valleys, and streams. The region in which the tribes settled consists of modern-day Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Their land was lush, fertile, healthy, and untouched by ‘modern civilization.’ The land provisioned the Cherokee with plenty of natural resources. Interspersed among the land, typically by headwaters and rivers, were Cherokee villages with circular homes of river cane, sticks, and plaster (King p.3). These thatched-roofed homes were especially unique for their chimney-like hole in the center. This land encompassed a diverse geography and thus a diverse variety of natural resources. This diversity in natural resources created a diversified economy for the

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