Cherokee Indians Research Paper

1142 Words3 Pages

Joseph Porter
Maureen Salsitz
ANTH 304: Research Paper
April 10, 2015
Cherokee Indians
The Cherokee Indians lived in the southeastern Untied States where current Georgia and South Carolina now reside. They were forced to move to current day Oklahoma during the Trail of Tears conflict. The climate changes was a very important factor for the Cherokee since the changes in temperature affected their ability to hunt and gather for food. Due to the cold weather dear would not come out to eat which hurt the Cherokee people since they used deer for food and clothing. During the 20th century there was an estimated 42,000 Cherokee people living in the Cherokee Nation. This is low due to all the new diseases and laws being forced upon them by the …show more content…

Each Cherokee village had two leaders that helped the community in everyday life. One leader was there during times of war and the other was there during times of peace. The war Chief always had to be male while the peace Chief had the option of being women. These women were called “Beloved Women” and helped the leadership decide when the right time to go to war would be. The economic system of the Cherokees relied on the barter system since they had no use for money. They traded many items which included handmade crafts, shells, and …show more content…

Some of the crops that they grew are squash, beans, tobacco, melons, sunflowers, pumpkin, and corn. However corn was there most important crop, which was interwoven within their religion and spiritual beliefs. The Cherokee name for corn is “selu”, which was the name of the first women in Cherokee creation stories. Since Cherokee villages were always planted next to rivers there was enough water to plant vast fields cornfields around there land. Women were the primary famers within the family system. However after the European contact they grew additional foods and started to breed horses and cattle. Some of the foods after the European contact included peaches, watermelons, sweet potatoes, and apples. The Cherokee also had a tradition to use plants as a healing and preventative medicine. The gatherer would only take what she needed and left a gift of gratitude for the plant, such as a clay bead or jewelry. Some of the herbs and plants that were used for healing include blackberry, green briar, wild ginger, yellow dock, hummingbird blossoms, and many

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