Cherokee History

The Cherokee are a resilient people. They have suffered and survived many trials over the course of history, and still managed to carry on. First through the encroachment of European settlers, then through the slow seizing of their ancestral lands, leading to the final displacement of the tribe, which sent them on a tragic path through the west. Throughout these many hardships, the Cherokee remained a strong, rich culture, which survives to this day. Originally, the Cherokee settled along the Southern Appalachian Mountains (Boulware), in what are now the states of Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina. They had permanent settlements, or towns, unlike Plains tribes which were always on the move. This was due to the fact that resources, such as water and food, were more permanent in the forests of the Southeast. There were around eighty Cherokee towns scattered throughout the Southern Appalachian area (“Cherokee” 152), divided into the Overhill towns, the Middle towns, the Out towns, the Valley towns, and the Lower towns. The Lower towns were located around present day Georgia and South Carolina, close to the Savannah River (Boulware). The amount of Cherokee towns and territories made it possible for them to grow and become strong. They were, in fact, the largest and most powerful tribe in the eastern woodlands (“Cherokee” 152). By the 1700s, the Cherokee tribe had one of the largest populations of the area (Boulware). Historically, the Cherokee lived in mud and thatch houses, and these buildings made up their towns (“Cherokee” 152). While there was a system of leadership over the entire tribe, each town also had a council system. These councils were made up of representatives from seven clans: Deer,...

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... their designated land in the west. It was a 900 mile trail, and took over nine months (Blackburn). In March, 1839, the Cherokee arrived in Oklahoma. There were over four thousand unmarked graves along the way (“Cherokee” 155). There were dozens of hardships the Cherokee faced along the way, including dehydration, exhaustion, tuberculosis, whooping cough, and more (Blackburn). Those who were too old, too young, or just too weak did not survive the journey. This became known as The Trail of Tears. The Cherokee Nation is now officially in Oklahoma. There they managed to find new ways to live and thrive. The Cherokee continued to be revolutionaries of the Native American world. In 1985, Wilma Mankiller, a Cherokee, became the first female chief of any tribe in North America. Even against all the hardships of the past, the Cherokee people have managed to overcome